What Skills Do You Need To Become a Data Analyst?

Our Data Analyst Career Guide Series:

• Data Analyst Overview
• Data Analyst Overview <– You Are Here
• Data Analyst Training & Education
• Data Analyst Career Path & Salary
• Data Analyst Portfolio & Resume
• Data Analyst Interviewing

This quote from author Jay Baer captures the critical need for skilled data analysts in today’s data-driven world. Across industries, companies rely on data analysts to make informed decisions, optimize processes, and chart new growth. 

As a data analyst, you can quickly demonstrate your value by transforming raw data into actionable insights. With the right combination of data analytics tools, technical skills, and soft skills, you’ll be well-prepared to make a significant impact. 

Join us for a look at the building blocks you need to launch a successful data analyst career.

Essential data analytics tools and technical skills

From a beginner’s perspective, let’s start with this: 

How does one begin to make sense of mountains of data, and mine it into something of value?

Just like a miner needs a pickaxe and an earthmover, you’ll need a few technical tools and a solid foundation of skills. These are your essentials for transforming raw data into action:

Statistical analysis 

Statistical analysis involves collecting, analyzing, interpreting, presenting, and organizing data.

Key statistical methods

• Hypothesis testing: Determines the likelihood that a hypothesis about a dataset is true
• Regression analysis: Assesses relationships between variables and predicts future trends
• Probability distributions: Describes how values are distributed in a dataset, helping to understand data behavior and variability

Think of raw data as a lump of coal. If you want diamonds, you’ll need accurate information and sound conclusions, which can only be reached through these rigorous statistical methods.

Machine learning algorithms

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence. It involves using decision trees, clustering, regression algorithms, and other tools and techniques to simulate how humans learn. 

Types of machine learning

• Supervised learning: Uses labeled data to train models that make predictions or classify data (linear regression, decision trees)
• Unsupervised learning: Identifies hidden patterns in unlabeled data (clustering algorithms)
• Reinforcement learning: Trains models to make a sequence of decisions by rewarding desired behaviors

With the power of automated algorithms, workloads become a breeze as data is magically mined into a gold rush of hidden patterns and predictions for you to inspect, interpret, and ultimately leverage to enlighten others.

Data visualization

Effective data visualization allows you to communicate your findings clearly and compellingly. 

Popular data visualization tools

• Matplotlib: A Python library for creating static, interactive, and animated visualizations
• Seaborn: Built on Matplotlib, a high-level interface for drawing statistical graphics
• Plotly: An interactive graphing library that makes it easy to create interactive plots
• Tableau: A powerful tool for creating interactive and shareable dashboards

Learning to use these tools will polish your findings into a dazzling gem freshly unearthed from the mine, making your insights easy to understand and visually appealing.

Data manipulation techniques

Before analyzing data, you need to prepare it by cleaning, transforming, and structuring data to make it suitable for analysis.

Key data manipulation techniques

• Data cleaning: Removing or correcting inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the data
• Data transformation: Converting data into a suitable format or structure
• Feature engineering: Creating new features from existing data to improve model performance

Tools like Python’s Pandas library are your everyday shovels and brushes, helping you efficiently dig through data and deliver clean insights with ease.

Empowering soft skills applicable to data analytics

In addition to technical skills, data analysts need strong soft skills to succeed, including:

• Critical thinking: Ability to analyze problems logically and make data-driven decisions
• Problem-solving: Finding effective solutions to complex data-related issues
• Communication: Clearly conveying insights and recommendations to stakeholders
• Collaboration: Working effectively with team members and across departments

These in-demand data analytics skills are essential for interpreting data accurately, communicating findings, and implementing data-driven strategies. 

Must-know programming languages for data analytics

Programming languages are at the heart of data analytics, empowering you to shape data, uncover insights, and craft compelling visual stories.

Python

Python is the most popular programming language for data analytics due to its simplicity and versatility. It offers a wide range of libraries and frameworks for data manipulation, analysis, and visualization.

Key Python libraries:

• Pandas: For data manipulation and analysis
• NumPy: For numerical computing and array operations
• Matplotlib & Seaborn: For data visualization
• Scikit-Learn: For machine learning and predictive modeling

Python’s extensive ecosystem is its strength. Explore our Python Programming Short Course.

R

R is another popular programming language, especially in academic and research settings. It’s designed specifically for statistical analysis and visualization.

Key R packages:

• dplyr: for data manipulation
• ggplot2: for data visualization
• caret: for machine learning

R’s strength lies in its statistical capabilities and the breadth of packages available for various types of analysis.

SQL

SQL (Structured Query Language) allows you to retrieve and manipulate stored data.

Key SQL skills:

• Querying data: Extracting specific data from databases using SELECT statements
• Data manipulation: Inserting, updating, and deleting data
• Database design: Understanding how to structure databases effectively

SQL’s strength lies in its ability to efficiently manage and query large datasets.

Delve deeper into data and fast-track your data career

Becoming a data analyst requires a blend of technical and soft skills that can be learned and perfected over time — and there’s no time like the present to get started. 

Explore General Assembly’s free workshops and events and Data Analytics Short Course to get a taste for the material. Then sign up for our new part-time Data Analytics Bootcamp or our full-time Data Analytics Bootcamp to gain all the knowledge and essential skills for data analytics you need in as little as 12 weeks.

For further reading, check out our blogs on: 

• Careers that use data analysis 
• Differences between data analysts and business analysts
• Gender and racial representation in the data field
• How Python is used in data science
• How data-driven perspectives transform business
• 5 Ways to build organizational data literacy

By investing in your education and continuously developing your skills, you’ll be prospecting for success in the rich veins of data analytics and forging a path to a thriving tech career. 

Wondering if a career in data analysis is the right move for you? Sign up for our next info session to learn more.