Is Becoming a Data Analyst ACTUALLY Worth It?

if you're on the fence about becoming a data analyst then this video is for you by the end you'll have the clarity you need to make the best decision for your future whether that's diving into a rewarding career or realizing it might not be the right fit for you either way you don't want to waste years in a job that drains you or miss out on a potentially life-changing opportunity so let's break down the pros and cons and everything in between so you can confidently choose a path that's right for you we're going to explore the ins and outs of being a data analyst from the skills you need to the potential paycheck waiting for you at the end of the Excel rainbow so if you're ready to dive into the world of data analysis smash that like button it helps more people find this video and lets me know that you want me to make more content like this so first of all what exactly does a data analyst do well imagine you're a detective but instead of solving crimes you're solving business Mysteries your weapons data algorithms and a Keen Eye for patterns data analysts are the Sherlock Holmes of the business World minus the funny hat and pipe they collect data analyze it and use their findings to help companies make better decisions and it's kind of like being a fortune teller but with actual facts instead of a crystal ball now you might be thinking Shane that sounds as boring as watching paint drag well not so fast imagine being the person who discovers a trend that saves a company millions of dollars or the genius who figures out why customers are leaving faster than Rats on a sinking ship that's the power of data analysis it's not just about crunching numbers it's about telling stories with data and let me tell you some of these stories can be more dramatic than a 90-day fiance episode and before we dive into the skills I want to mention something that might help you in your remote job search I've created a 30-day remote job land in Challenge and it's basically a set of daily actions that's designed to improve your chances of Landing a remote position and it's completely free each day you'll tackle one aspect of the job search process from refining your resume to preparing for virtual interviews and the only thing that I ask is if it helps you or you're able to land a remote job just leave a comment on my YouTube channel so yeah that'll be down in the description and the pin comment below so check it out now let's talk about the skills you need to become a data analysis wizard first off you need to be comfortable with numbers if the site of a math equation makes you want to run for the hill it might not be your jam but don't worry you don't need to be a math prodigy basic statistics and algebra will do the trick next you need to be best friends with data manipulation tools Excel is your bread and butter but SQL is where the real magic happens learning SQL is like learning to speak the language of data bases and trust me once you master it you will feel like a data whisperer now programming languages such as python or R are also musthaves in your toolkit they're kind of like the Swiss Army knives of data analysis with these bad boys you can slice and dice data faster than a ninja in a fruit market but here's the kicker technical skills are only half the battle you also need to be a master Communicator because what good is uncovering a mindblowing Insight if you can't explain them to the higher ups it's like if you discovered the cure for baldness but you didn't know how to speak or write what you found useless all right let's get real for a minute let's talk about The Good the Bad and the Ugly of being a data analyst because being a data analyst isn't all rainbows and unicorns it's time for some tough love let's start with the good stuff first off the pay isn't too shabby according to glass door the average base salary for data analyst in the US is around $69,000 a year and that's at the entry level and that's not bad for playing with numbers all day plus there's a ton of demand for data analysts companies are practically throwing job offers at skilled analysts like free samples at Costco and the cherry on top many data analyst roles can be done remotely pajamas as your work uniform yes please but now let's talk about The Not So Glamorous side data can be messy and I'm not talking about a little dust here and there I'm talking about data so disorganized that it makes a teenager's bedroom look like a Marie condo master piece cleaning and preparing data can be tedious and timeconsuming it's like being a digital janitor sometimes and another downside the pressure can be intense when big decisions are writing on your analysis the stress can make you feel like you're diffusing a bomb in an action movie and let's not forget about the constant need to keep up with new tools and Technologies the learning never stops in this field it's like trying to hit a moving Target while riding a unicycle challenging yes impossible well not if you're committed now by the way if you know someone who's considering a career in data analysis make sure to share this video with them they'll thank you later additionally getting a job in data analysis used to be incredibly easy they basically take anybody who has a pulse these days it can be more challenging to get a job especially at the entry level however there's still a massive amount of demand for people who are good and great at data analysis and we'll get into that a little bit later but number four let's talk about how to break into the field first things first education many data analysis have a degree in fields like statistics computer science or economics but here's the secret sauce you don't always need a fancy degree I've seen many people transition in into Data analysis from the most unexpected backgrounds I even knew a guy who went from being a professional juggler to a data analyst and the key here is to focus on building your skills online courses are going to be your best friend here platforms like corsera edx and Udacity offer fantastic data analysis courses and some of them are even free so it's kind of like an all you can learn buffet for instance probably the most recommended resource for total beginners on getting into Data analysis is going to be the Google professional data analytics certificate and this is a certificate that I've covered on the channel and just about every other data analyst or Tech YouTuber has covered and there's a reason for that because it's really really good in fact I believe it's the highest rated Google professional certificate that they offer now depending on the time of year and a bunch of other factors you can actually take the certificate for 7 Days completely free and if you do have to pay I believe it's about $40 to $50 per month but definitely check the price because it can change depending on the time of year I'll put that down in the description and the pin comment below and by the way there are tons of people who have commented on my Channel about how this certificate helped them get a job or how they were just really happy with the certificate in general and if you are a data analyst or trying to get into data analytics go ahead and comment below your best tips for getting into it but next up after getting that basic education you want to practice practice practice find data sets online and start analyzing them websites like kagle are gold mines for this it's kind of like a playground for data nerds so build a portfolio of projects to show off your skills and think of it as a data analysis mixtape and the next thing is not necessary but it's kind of like a cheat code and that's networking so you don't absolutely have to to network in order to get a job but it just makes it 10 times easier so you might as well do it so join data science communities on LinkedIn and Reddit attend virtual meetups and conferences and you never know your next job opportunity might come from a random conversation in a data science Forum lastly don't be afraid to start small look for internships or entry level positions and even if it's not your dream job it can be your foot in the door to get into the industry and a great stepping stone for reaching your goals and remember every data analyst started somewhere so even just getting some gigs on a platform like Fiverr or upw work are really good work opportunities and really good experience and even if you aren't getting paid just helping your uncle's business crunch some data and make some good business decisions can really make your resume and portfolio shine so do whatever you have to do in order to get some experience and make sure you focus on building a great portfolio because in the modern day and age where you don't necessarily have to get a degree and there's a lot of alternative education opportunities for people your portfolio and your resume is pretty much your only way to Showcase that you actually know the skills that you claim that you know now let's put our futurist hats on and talk about where this field is heading spoiler alert the future looks brighter than a supernova data is the new oil companies are collecting more data than ever before and they need skilled analysts to make sense of it all it's like trying to find a needle in a hay stack except the Hy stack is the size of texis and keeps growing now one exciting trend is the rise of big data and machine learning data analysts who can work with these Technologies are like the rock stars of the data World imagine being able to predict customer Behavior or spot market trends before they happen it's kind of like having a crystal Ball but it's scientifically accurate another hot area is business intelligence companies are hungry for insights that can give them a Competitive Edge if you can turn raw data into actionable strategies you'll be more in demand than toilet paper during a pandemic and the integration of data analysis with other fields is also opening up new opportunities from Healthcare to finance to environmental science every industry needs data analysts all you have to do is watch the movie Moneyball to know that that's true in the future where I see this heading is people are going to be specialized with a particular industry or AIC specific career type for instance there's a huge demand for nurse informatic Specialists these are people who have nursing skills but they also have data analytics skills at the same time but here's the kicker with all the growth comes competition so to stay ahead you'll need to keep learning and adapting and it's kind of like being in a never- ending race but instead of a Finish Line there's just more exciting opportunities so is becoming a data analyst still worth it well if you love solving puzzles have a knack for numbers and you don't mind continuous learning then I would give this one two big thumbs up so like I said some actionable advice if you're a complete new check out the Google data analytics professional certificate by clicking the link in the pin comment and the description down below and then get started doing some actual projects right build up your portfolio start using all these tools and showcasing your skills and then while you're applying to a bunch of companies start networking and if you're still on the fence about the Google data analytics professional certificate I did make an entire video reviewing it which you can check out by clicking right here