Data Analysis studies big and complex data sets to make them simple and understandable for organizations. This will help gain insights into what data is trying to tell and what decisions need to be made for a future perspective. In short, a data analyst helps predict future scenarios and prevent significant losses. It’s all about numbers and how well you converse with them.

Data analysts are responsible for analyzing and drawing insights from the data. This can include internal, competitor, or other third-party data. In a nutshell, a data analyst is responsible for four main things:-

1. Identifying market conditions, business direction, and defining policies to suit.

2. Highlighting challenges, industry trends, and the shifting needs of a company.

3. Optimizing business workflows and standardizing them across the company.

4. Interpreting data to highlight areas where IT and tech systems can be improved.

Although there are numerous reasons why you should choose data analysis as your career path, a good salary package is enough to tell you why only data analyses are a good choice. Indeed, Google research shows that the average salary is $92,467 in the USA.

To start your journey in Data Analysis, you need basic knowledge, which requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field such as administration, accounting, or finance.

To be an expert data analyst, you need to have the following skills:-

Computing skills– Proficiency with MS Office software, especially Excel.

Programming Language– may include programming languages and frameworks like SQL, C#, Java, Oracle, etc.

Analytical skills– The ability to interpret and analyze data.

Research skills– Critically evaluate reports and documents to inform analysis.

Problem-solving skills– Identify the problems within a company, then work on devising potential solutions drawn from research and data.

Retail, healthcare, banking and finance, transportation, education, construction, and technology require data analysts. You can be a Data Scientist, Business Intelligence Analyst, Data Engineer, Quantitative Analyst, Data Analytics Consultant, Operations Analyst, Marketing Analyst, Project Manager, IT Systems Analyst, or Transportation Logistics Specialist.

It depends on your ability to learn new things and what you are trying to learn. If you are a fast learner, you can complete your course in a few months, but if you are trying to solve a complex problem, it can also take years.

Data analysis in spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel does not require coding. Analysts can execute their logic using basic mouse clicks in a graphical user interface. However, programming has become a natural pursuit for data analysts.

Today’s most popular data analysis tool is Microsoft’s Microsoft Excel spreadsheet software. Other alternatives to Excel include Google Sheets and Apple Numbers. As business analysis needs scale, analysts often progress to working with programming languages.

Data analysis and data science both deal with data. Data analysts examine enormous data sets to identify trends, design charts, and create presentations to help businesses make strategic decisions about the future. On the other hand, data scientists design and build new processes for data and predictive modeling.