Learn data analysis with online courses and programs
Data analysts use advanced skills to help organizations make impactful decisions by constructing, processing, and analyzing data sets and presenting findings to key stakeholders. Keep reading to learn about data analysis, typical courses of study, and pathways toward a career in the field.
What is data analysis?
Data analysis is the process of extracting information from data. It involves multiple stages, including establishing a data set, preparing the data for processing, applying models, identifying key findings, and creating reports. The goal of data analysis is to find actionable insights that can inform decision-making. Data analysis can involve data mining, descriptive and predictive analysis, statistical analysis, business analytics, and big data analytics.
Those interested in a data analysis career can learn how to collect, process, and interpret data by taking a data analysis tutorial. Read more below on how to learn data analysis.
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Data analysis course curriculum
Professionals can learn data analysis through online courses, potentially even earning a data analysis certificate. Data analysis classes will vary based on the goals set by the provider, industry focus, and other factors. However, students can expect to learn foundational information such as:
- The full data analysis process, from data collection to sharing key findings.
- Types of data structures, file formats, and data sources.
- Tools for gathering, wrangling, mining, and analyzing data.
- Data visualization for sharing data analysis findings with stakeholders.
Aspiring data analysts may also need to learn how to use specific data analysis tools, which can be taught through different courses. Consider starting with the following key data analysis tools:
- Microsoft Excel: spreadsheet software that allows you to collect, clean, organize, and analyze data sets
- Python: a programming language commonly used for data analysis
- R: a programming language that can be used for data mining
- Structured Query Language (SQL): a programming language used for managing relational databases, which can be used to analyze information within those databases
Those interested in specific fields may also consider taking an advanced data analysis course. For example, taking a big data analysis course can prepare data analysts to interpret large, diverse data sets to inform smarter business decisions. A learner may also be interested in a specific area of data analysis, such as bioinformatics, which focuses on analyzing biological data for scientific purposes, such as medical research. There are many data analysis courses focused on this area of study, in addition to other specializations.
What careers can you have in the data analytics field?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects high levels of growth in the data analysis field. For example, the BLS projects 36% growth for data scientist positions from 2023–33. Additionally, market research analyst and financial analyst positions are projected to grow by 8% and 9%, respectively, over the same period.
How to become a data analyst
There are multiple paths to becoming a data analyst. The required level of education may depend on the specific data analyst job and industry. Some positions may require a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in data science or a related field, while others may require a boot camp education in data analytics. Keep in mind that many master's programs offer online options, reducing costs and inconveniences associated with in-person education.
Many mid-career professionals who want to switch to data analysis can pursue executive education programs in data analytics. These programs don't typically confer a degree and take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to complete.
Anyone can learn data analysis, but certain traits can be helpful for roles in this field. Individuals who enjoy mathematics, computer science, statistics, and the research process may be a good fit for a data analysis career. To learn more about this subject, individuals can start with an introductory online data analysis course to see if it is a career path they'd like to pursue.
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