THE ADVANTAGE OF ANALYTICS
The wealth of data and the maturation of analytics tools are creating a means of creating data-informed solutions. Analytics can help shed light on questions surrounding a host of complex issues. Analytics is all about the use of statistical analysis and models, either explanatory or predictive, to gain valuable information to apply to complex problems. Analytics can provide insights into a wide variety of uncertainties for an institution. So analytics must start with a question or hypothesis.
UPS AND DOWNS
The first step to solving any problem is understanding the problem. Once you understand the problem, it is relatively simple to figure out what data you might need to figure out how to solve it. The real challenge to analytics, however, lies in the fact that we need to build systems within member institutions to collect that data in a consistent manner. So the challenge for many institutions is to keep track of the data which is already available, identify what data is being produced and simultaneously capturing all of it to analyze it in real time.
CAREER IN ANALYTICS
Data analytics is an evolving field. Roles are still loosely defined and can vary from one organization to the other. The duties of a data analyst require that they draw insights from the raw data collected by the company. The primary task of an analyst in any random organization related to e-commerce is to collaborate with the people in the marketing department to recognize the segments of customer base which need marketing, the best line of product in which to invest, etc. For data analysts a proper grasp of data, statistics, and business is essential.
GETTING TECHNICAL
For data analysts the most frequently used tools are R, Excel, Structured Query Language (SQL), and Tableau. Analytics is a very broad term. There are various domains within it such as Web Analytics, Social Media Analytics & Website Analytics, Healthcare Data Analytics and so on. Knowing only how to use the tools of analytics will get you no further in this career. To excel you must possess the proper knowledge about the particular field you are interested in.
GEARING UP
If you are curious about following this career path, you will have considered ways to do so. For starters, you need to go out there and arm yourself with the knowledge that will make you stand out from all the others. What you need to flourish is guidance under people who have a lot of experience in the same field. To become an established professional in this field you will have to know your stuff. As a beginner, you can start by enrolling in online training.
WHAT YOU GAIN
An online training course will do wonders, arming you with the knowledge you need to embark on your journey to be a data analyst. An additional perk is that you will be able to learn everything right from your home. Simply log in and browse through the entire section of videos and interactive quizzes at your convenience.
