Data is everywhere. That’s something that can seem like a fluffy statement – of course, information is everywhere. But the difference between the data of two decades ago and the data we enjoy today is that we collect, collate and analyze it in incomparably large quantities in today’s world.
From the inner workings of small businesses to the grandeur of the economic system, we make sense of the world through the data we reap from it. So it’s incredibly important that you have data analytics skills – and this is how you’ll attain them.
Graduate Courses
There’s no doubt that the most disciplined and effective way of getting to grips with data is through a course – online or offline – offered by a university or college. For instance, taking part in the Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics at Boston College will help you onboard all the skills you need in data analytics all in one place. It’s hard work, but you’ll emerge with a fairly full understanding of how data works at the end of such a course.
In such courses, you’ll not have to be an expert to enroll or to graduate. You’ll just need to be driven to do your coursework, attend your classes, and produce your final work for your exams. But it’s a smart way to learn how to deal with data throughout a certification degree.
Employment
With some data skills under your belt, you’ll be able to turn to the labor market for more experience handling data and using it to help companies succeed. This is one of the fundamental benefits of your data skills: you’ll be able to take high-skilled and vital jobs in organizations where you can lend your considerable knowledge to helping them improve their internal and external systems.
And, of course, you’ll learn on the job. There are hundreds of different roles in using data in companies, from analyzing marketing data in a digital marketing role to the hard economic data of finance and accounting. So choose your specialism with the knowledge gained from your college certificate to further hone your data analytics skills in the future.
Reading Material
The world of data is so valuable that the ways we can use it to gather and understand it are constantly changing. That means that to really keep up to date with the world of data, it can pay to keep up to date with blogs, journals, and other industry media that’ll help you gain a fuller understanding of the direction of travel in the fascinating world.
One of the ways to keep in the loop is to browse Twitter and LinkedIn with keywords about the field of data you’re most interested in. There, you’ll find academics and practitioners who are keen to share their insights with the world – including books, pamphlets, and studies that will give you the cutting-edge knowledge you need to excel in your career.
There you have it: three ways in which you can get to grips with the data that lingers all around us, waiting for us to harness it for productivity gains.
