Now, that is a faulty title if there ever is one. You cannot just sit at home, chug through some online material or undergo a business analyst course and ‘learn’ business analytics. It is more complicated than that. Nevertheless, what you can do is start. It is important that you take this period of global crisis due to the Covid-19 outbreak and put it to some good use. You can take the first definitive steps towards a successful career in business analytics. And before you start, let us just remember why and understand how.
Make sure you know what you are signing up for
- Business analytics has changed form over the years. Statistical analyses and data orientedness is more a part of business analysis than ever before. Therefore, it is better that you assess how comfortable you are on these fronts.
- Are you good with people? Ask yourself this, if you are more of a lone warrior willing to take on the world by yourself, sorry, business analytics is not likely to work for you. The role of a business analytics professional involves being a translator of sorts, a bridge between different sections of the organization. You are likely to deal with people with minimal domain knowledge and maximum impatience.
- Do you have an eye for problems? Your organization will count on your penetrating vision to find out small gaps in the business processes.
- Well, that is about it for now.
- The perfect beginning
There is no such thing; I am not just trying to discourage you. I recently added a webinar on monetizing blogs and suffered from terminal boredom. No one can assure that you are not going to be up for a similar ride. Prepare for boredom. There are very few things that prepare you for earning a lot of money and entertain you at the same time. It is necessary to be thoroughly attentive throughout the course. Trust me, that is going to take some serious conviction on your part because you are probably choosing this over binge watching twelve seasons of your favorite sit-com.
Choosing the right course
It is kind of important that your first course is actually great. And there are business analytics courses out there that can ruin your quarantine with care. You can follow certain steps to choose better.
- Read about industry best practices in the field of business analytics. Look for the tools that have been in use for quite some time, not those which come and go out of use in a matter of months. Tableau, SQL, Microsoft Excel and some relational data management tools, for instance can be crucial.
- Search for courses that cover these tools and technologies.
- Look for a course that focuses on both theoretical and practical experience.
- Look up the faculty members, make sure they are firmly set in the industry.
- Courses that mentor you on your way towards the goal should get some preference.
Remember, you are adding value to your career, you are taking a step towards a better future with improved monetary prospects, do not shy away from investing some time, dedication and when needed, some money.
