Eddie Teaches IT
Career Path Tool

Data Analyst Career Overview

Sample Job Titles

• Data Analyst
• Data Scientist
• Business Analyst

Typical Salary

• $70,000-150,000 ($35-75 per hour)

Typical time and cost to complete training

• 8 months
• $13,000

Eddie Teaches IT Courses Needed to Complete Training for this Position

Data Analysis

Programming in Any Language

Website & Application Creation 1: Design and Front End

(click/tap course to view details)

Job Description

Data Analysts use data from the past to try to predict the future or improve performance in some way. They interpret data to gain valuable insights that otherwise would go unnoticed.

A data analyst position requires a mix of skills. Math, specifically statistics and perhaps calculus, help the analyst gain insights. Data analysts can benefit greatly from automating tasks and calculations, so programming skills are very useful. Understanding databases and how they operate is important too, including how to use SQL to extract and process data from a database. Also, an understanding of visual design principles helps since being able to communicate findings in an easy to understand way is crucial.

Data Scientists are similar to Data Analysts, but they tend to use more advanced methods. For example, a Data Scientist may use machine learning, big data, and more advanced programming. Data Scientists may also be subject matter experts. For example, a financial services company may want to employ someone who understands data analysis but also understands the stock market.

Getting a Job

Since the need for data analysts is growing, the most important things would be proving you have the required skills and showing that you have a passion for collecting and interpreting data. Typically, many jobs would require a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Math to show you have the skills. Even without college, if you understand programming, databases, and statistics, you should be able to find work as long as you can prove you have the knowledge and passion. It is difficult for companies to find enough qualified workers since advanced knowledge in several different areas may be needed.