The individual would begin with a background that includes the study of mathematics and proceed into the study of analytics. The qualifications for a career path as a data analyst start with the individual's aptitude and willingness to engage in the necessary training for skill development. These individuals generally identify key performance indicators and determine the benchmarks required to stay ahead of competitors. The individual may then be responsible for defining best practices and guiding continuous improvement (by way of data-informed evidence). This data analyst career path could potentially lead to more senior positions within the company. The individuals in this role are frequently responsible for discerning the trends in data sets and creating forecasts. At the front-line is the data analyst who prepares the data (extracts it, and puts it into order for analysis), performs the data analysis (grouping, sorting, predicting) and reports the results. The career path for a data analyst may take him or her from a "front-line" analyst to a manager or corporate leader.
Data Analyst Rolesĭata analyst roles range widely as well. Many analysts engage in freelance work, often working with researchers in fields such as education, health, and other social sciences.
These analysts typically work in the areas of human resources, marketing, accounting, and other types of business intelligence. An analyst in marketing would be responsible for targeting the right audience for a campaign and ensuring that the consumer's needs, wants, and spending habits are well-understood and accounted for in the marketing campaign.ĭata analyst career paths could also extend into work with consultancy firms. Marketing is another critical arena for a data analyst, particularly one skilled in managing Big Data. Analysts not only work with the effectiveness of the product itself but with the manufacturing process, ensuring that necessary resources are delivered where the evidence demonstrates a gap. Such roles in finance include:īusiness product analysis is a growing area – investors want to see continuing improvement in the quality of a product and the minimisation of waste. The world of analytics is wide open in business, particularly in the realm of finance. This level of reward goes beyond the respectable paycheck (the average salary for a data analyst is £32,814 a year and increases with education and experience.) Data Analyst Career PathsĪ large variety of industries, ranging from small businesses to global corporations employ data analysts. They typically enjoy the logic of mathematics and prefer objective approaches to problem-solving – preferably armed with evidence. Interested individuals would do well to consider a career in data analytics.Īmong those who may find a career as a data analyst, most rewarding would be individuals possessing inquisitive natures. Data analytics careers are among the most stable and growing (per the World Economic Forum). More industries are leveraging the data to inform their business strategies and increase their market share. Data is more widely available now than ever in the past, given the growth of the technologies that extract them.