‘Data Analysts will be one of the top emerging jobs by 2022’, by the World Economic Forum.
The report states that the jobs in data analytics are growing by 41%, which is the highest growth rate of all the professions mentioned in the report named Jobs of Tomorrow.
Did you know?
- We generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day.
- A report by IBM says that the data and analytics jobs increased by 15% in 2020, creating 2.72 million jobs.
- The industries that are mostly looking for Data Analysts are finance, information technology, and insurance.
- The salaries for Data Analysts are lucrative. According to PayScale, the salary of a Data Analyst in South Africa is around R282,302.
- This position is going to earn great salaries even post covid-19.
How great is the job?
Post covid-19, the role is still going to grow. This is because it is the data analysis that has helped governments to recognize the pattern and spread of the pandemic, enabling them to determine safety measures. Data analysis has been a big part of the fight against the pandemic by making dynamics and spread very clear.
Businesses leverage data to understand the requirements and expectations of clients. The data generated by people across the world is increasing at an alarming rate.
And this needs to be analyzed to derive value from data. This is why the role of data analyst has become crucial for every company.
When you ask Google for data analysts jobs in South Africa, one of the most amazing answers is, ‘this is one of the hottest job titles to have in South Africa right now!’.
The numerous job portals have a plethora of job opportunities for Data Analysts in South Africa, though companies across the world are looking for the talent to tackle massive amounts of data. This is why Data Analyst courses in South Africa have become popular among IT professionals, data workers, and others who are willing to upgrade their career to the one that is secure and is high-paying.
The best part of making a career in Data analysis is that you can find jobs across all the industries.
Let us now explore what a data analyst does and how to become one.
Who is a Data Analyst?
Obviously, the one who performs data analysis.
Data analysis refers to the practice of examining, cleaning, transforming, and visualizing data with the goal of identifying meaningful information, informing conclusions, and driving smart decision-making.
So, it is not a simple step. A data analyst first acquires information about particular topics and then interprets, analyzes, and conveys the findings in comprehensive reports. As a data analyst, you have to translate numbers, trajectories, and trends into a user-readable and accessible format. You have to take the data (inventories, sales figures, market research, logistics, profit margins, and transportation costs), and analyze it to form reports through data visualization tools so as to help your company make informed decisions.
To accomplish this task, a data analyst generally uses systematic techniques, standardized formulas, and methods to analyze the required information.
How to Become a Data Analyst?
Now that you know the tasks of a Data Analyst, let’s find out how you can become one.
1. Plan your learning scheme
Being new to data analysis, you need to chalk down a scheme that will make you go step-wise to become a data analyst. Have a close look at what data analysis is all about and what qualifications are required. This will help you plan your further steps.
A bachelor’s degree in computer science, math, or any related field can be of great help. A professional certificate program or online bootcamps can serve as icing on the cake.
2. Acquire technical skills required
The most important step is to acquire the technical skills required to become a data analyst. To perform analysis, you should be acquainted with certain tools and one or more programming languages that are used for statistics, data visualization tools, etc.
Some of the crucial technical skills required are:
- Sound knowledge of statistics
- SQL (Structured Query Language)
- Python or R programming
- Data visualization
- Data Cleansing and Preparation
- Microsoft Excel
- Machine Learning Algorithms
- Building data sets
- Predictive modeling
- Statistical analysis
- Data Engineering
- Regression Analysis
- Data Optimization
Attaining these skills gets easy when you go with the right training and get the right certification.
3. Acquire Soft Skills
The most important soft skills required are:
- Communication skills (both verbal and written)
- Problem-solving capability
- Critical thinking
- Leadership
- Domain knowledge
4. Go hands-on with real data
No matter how clear your concepts are, as long as you go hands-on with real data, you cannot be sure of the same. When you practice some real-life projects you gain confidence about working with data.
5. Build a portfolio of your work
Save some of the best works for your portfolio as it demonstrates your work and skills to the employers. Choose wisely the projects that reveal your ability to scrape data from various sources, clean and transform the data, visualize your findings via charts, graphs, maps, etc; draw meaningful insights.
6. Apply for an entry-level job
After practicing enough real-life projects, you must start fishing for entry-level jobs in the sector of your choice. If you are able to check every bullet in the required list, you will surely land a lucrative job in data analysis.
7. Go with a training course to get certified
Now, the strongly recommended step is to go with an online training course. This is because it is easy to go through a career path when a bundle of experts is there to guide you. You can take courses for getting certifications added to your resumes such as Certified Analytics Professional, Cloudera Certified Data Analyst, or Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate.
Conclusion
When you know that South Africa has great opportunities for Data Analysts, you can grab this opportunity and become one. If you consider taking an online training course from an accredited institute, you can learn while you earn. You don’t have to quit your existing profession or work.
You can learn at your own pace and choose from different modes of learning (online, instructor-led, or blended learning), teachers’ assistance all the time, and career guidance, etc.
Enroll now!
