Will you enjoy a career in Analytics and Business Intelligence
A question that comes to a lot final year students is how to enter the field of Analytics and Business Intelligence. It is totally understandable that with no insights into how the organizations work, how they hire people and what training opportunities might be available for them upon joining, the students often feel very confused about how to get started to aim for a career in Analytics and Business Intelligence.
I will write a separate post especially focusing on the difference between various areas that in the realm of data science; i.e., how can one better understand these seeming similar yet different areas such as data science, analytics, business intelligence, ML, AI, deep learning and big data.
Do not be discouraged by how indistiguishable analytics, data science, business intelligence, ML and AI all appear together. It will make sense as soon as you gained some understanding of what problems each one solves.
For now, let’s focus on how, if you are a final year graduate student, you can deepen your exploration in the field of analytics and business intelligence.
I am laying out 3 easy suggestions for those that want to get started in easy yet effective ways.
1. Speak to someone in your network
You are more than likely to have a friend who knows a friend who works in the field of analytics. Do not worry too much about what that field is called in their organization. It just suffices if you know someone works in a function that has got something to do with data. Then speak to them in person if possible and ask them what is their work like. Ask them what do they actually do as part of their work. Speaking with someone who is a professional in any field is the best way to get some insights into what working in a given field is really going to be like. If their work seems exciting to you during the discussion, you will have enough motivation to seek additional resources from them to delve deeper.
Drop me a line if you would like to have a quick discussion at [email protected] We will be more than happy to connect you to someone in the industry or we will offer our own advice.
2. Try taking a small course
When I say "course", I do not mean course in a traditional sense; neither am I hinting at certifications. Taking a course just means watch videos or read material, but definitely practice what is taught in the material. This will include downloading the software, datasets, performing the mini exercises and so on. Do not just watch and think you would get back at the hands-on part later. That seldom happens.
Try googling for analytics and business intelligence courses and you will be surprised to see how many byte sized videos and written content is out there on the internet for free to get started. It might seem daunting at first, especially if you come from an educational background that didn’t have anything to do with computer science fundaments. But that is totally fine. Trust me and just give it a try. Do not spend a lot of time contemplating what you should be starting with. You cannot be wrong with your choice as there are no definitive ways to gain an understanding of a field – they are equally good options. You are only trying to get a taste of what this profession is like.
If you need some assistance, try exploring these resources to get a hang. If you are a total stranger to anything around data, I would suggest you watch 1 or 2 and everything through 5.
Note: I do not have any affiliations with these professionals who made these videos neither do I or Nxtgig.ai stand to benefit from sending you to these links.
3. Form a study group
If you are still in college, you have the luxury of forming a study group with likeminded friends and together explore what this field is like. You could easily and more effectively execute suggestions 1 and 2 as a group of 3 or 4 compared to one doing it alone as you would benefit from your discussions, comparing notes, motivating each other on small wins and push each other to learning about this career path. Approach this like a mini academic project and in a matter of weeks, you will have a much better view of what a career in the domain of data would be like.
If you are looking for a way to get started in the field of Analytics, Business Intelligence or RPA, feel free to drop us a line at [email protected]. We will be able to offer some advice or point to resources that can.