Throughout the internet, there are a myriad of sources that recommend how to get into the world of Data Analytics. Coursera, Linkedin, Indeed, CareerFoundry, and Analytics Vidhya are just some of the providers who are showcasing the road into the industry. There are even YouTube channels dedicated to understanding the industry and how to secure a job within it. We can also see the influence and traction that they have built over time.
Source: https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UC7cs8q-gJRlGwj4A8OmCmXg
Source: https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/careerfoundry
Source: https://socialblade.com/youtube/c/leila_gharani
Source: https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/exceltutorials
During my time as an AV/IT technician at ForTheRecord (FTR), I remember feeling an itch to continue my education in a more formal way. I thoroughly enjoyed the companionship and comradery with my colleagues, but didn’t feel like I was fulfilling my intellectual pursuits in the professional position that I was. Fascinated by what each of the following roles could and were doing in that workplace, I was driven to understand more about each role: database administration, networking, systems administration, and business analytics. It felt like a deeper investigation was necessary into these areas.
July, 2014, is when I went back to university to start my dual degrees in Economics and Commerce and each degree was chosen for its specific purpose. Economics was selected to understand various systems and how they connect with one another in the economy. Commerce was selected to utilise a practical skill when preparing for the workforce. I knew that data was going to be a big thing in the future, given the movements of companies within the market, such as Splunk (enterprise big data collection and management solution) Apache Spark (large-scale data processing solution), and the uptick in various companies’ digitised data accumulation and processing automation; SaaS market increase, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, SAP, and Oracle. With all of this movement within the market, I knew that I wanted to be in it, but I wasn’t sure where my position would be. With the combination of roles that I was fascinated by at FTR, I didn’t realise that I was actually sniffing around a data analyst role. Since this time, it has clearly grown in popularity. The movement toward the end of the graph below, by eye, seems to follow a similar trend to that of the creators above, especially the subscription and viewing achievements by Alex the Analyst.
Source: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=data%20analyst&hl=en-GB
I was happy to put my interest in computers aside as a hobby, as opposed to taking on a software engineering or computer science degree. Enter creators: Linus Tech Tips, The 8-Bit Guy, NetworkChuck, Dave’s Garage, and Coding Garden. Thing is, I also have a desire to chase being a full stack developer, but I can see that happening in my 50s or something. I was happy to put my interest in music aside as a hobby too. I’ve released numerous musical projects since graduating from a Fine Arts degree in 2009, and even worked as a teacher doing it- it was fantastic and I have no regrets doing it.
The following is a series of blog posts that act as a blend of past and future goal posts within my Roadmap as a Data Analyst. Each week will have a dedicated entry for each one of these milestones along the road. Not only am I excited to observe & understand the gaps in my knowledge, but also the various types of rabbit holes that I will venture down when filling sand into these gaps.
- Learn the fundamentals of Statistics
- Learn SQL
- Learn Python for Data Analysis
- Learn Data Manipulation and Visualization
- Learn Statistical Analysis
- Learn Data Visualization Tools
- Projects
- Learn Data Storytelling
James Miller CV 