Marlborough Boys’ College
Data Analyst Kaitātari Raraunga
Data analysts identify and describe data trends using statistics and specialised software to help organisations achieve their business aims.
Data analysts may choose to become certified through associations such as the Institute of IT Professionals.
Data analysts may:
- find out what information clients need to make good business decisions
- gather or choose data for analysis
- ensure the data is reliable
- identify trends and patterns within data
- interpret numbers to gain business insights
- create written or visual reports.
Useful Experience
Useful experience for data analysts includes:
- previous experience in data-related jobs such as data entry and research
- on-the-job training through IT internships
- data-related study and projects
- volunteer work involving data.
Personal Qualities
Data analysts need to be:
- highly analytical
- curious and detail-oriented
- good at problem solving
- creative thinkers
- good communicators.
Skills
Data analysts need to have knowledge of:
- data analysis tools such as Excel, SQL, SAP and Oracle, SAS or R
- data analysis, mapping and modelling techniques
- analytical techniques such as data mining
- web analytics techniques and tools such as Google Analytics
- how to represent data in clear visual formats such as infographics
- the business they are working for, and how data can help it become more efficient and successful.
Conditions
Data analysts:
- usually work regular business hours
- work in offices or remotely
- may travel to meet clients.
Subject Recommendations
A tertiary entrance qualification is needed to enter further training. Useful subjects include digital technologies, maths and statistics.
For Year 11 to 13 students, the Gateway programme is a good way to gain industry experience.
Related Courses
Data Analysts can earn around $90K-$120K per year.
Chances of getting a job as a Data Analyst are good due to a shortage of people interested in this type of work.
Pay for data analysts and data scientists varies depending on skills, experience and where you work, with pay in Auckland usually higher.
- Data analysts usually earn between $90,000 and $120,000 a year.
- Data scientists usually earn between $110,000 and $170,000 a year.
Sources: Absolute IT, ’IT Job Market and Salary Report 2023’
Data analysts may progress into roles such as:
- data scientists, who use more sophisticated techniques to deal with higher volumes of data
- data engineers, who build the systems to capture data and the statistical analysis programs that data analysts use.
Data analysts may specialise in:
- business intelligence – using a variety of specialised software and methodologies to analyse data
- data assurance – checking for and correcting errors in data
- data quality – assessing how well the data is able to answer particular questions.
Data analysts may specialise in industry sectors such as:
- finance
- tertiary education
- marketing and sales.
Years Of Training
2-3 years of training usually required.There are no specific requirements to become a data analyst. However, employers usually prefer you to have a diploma or degree in a subject that requires statistical, business and analytical skills, such as:
- business information systems
- computer science
- information management
- economics
- maths or statistics.
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