Data Analyst Certifications

Each day, an estimated 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created. The demand is greater than ever for qualified Data Analysts to help analyze this information. The good news is that there are many educational options available for those who are new to data analytics, as well as seasoned Data Analysts hoping to switch industry focus or climb the professional ladder into management positions. Some Data Analysts elect to study in a formal educational environment, at the college or graduate level. Others choose to pursue a certificate or certification.

This article will take a closer look at certificate and certification options in Data Analytics, as well as the benefits of each of these paths.

Certificate in Data Analytics

If you are looking to add skills to your data analytics repertoire, one great learning option is to pursue a certificate in Data Analytics. A data analytics certificate program is generally a course offered by a training school in which the student receives a certificate upon course completion. Although most certificate programs don’t require students to sit for an exam, they do provide industry-relevant training in many of the skills, programs, and tools necessary for a Data Analyst to succeed professionally. Even though a certificate doesn’t lead to professional certification in data analytics, it indicates that you have received training and education in a specific area of focus.

Those who are interested in obtaining a certificate in data analytics often opt for this course of study for several reasons:

• Timeframe. Most certificate programs are twelve months in duration or less. This makes certificate study a good option for those learners who don’t want to spend four or more years enrolled in college courses but still hope to receive industry-relevant training.
• Coursework. Certificate programs are generally offered as one course or a set of related analytics courses that yield a certificate upon completion. For example, data analytics certificates sometimes focus on just one topic, such as R or Python programming languages, or provide a more robust overview of a topic, such as data visualization.
• Flexibility. Many certificate options in data analytics are currently being offered in the online format, which makes them a great option for learners who work, have family commitments, or may be traveling. In addition, because many certificate programs aren’t taught in real-time with a live instructor, students can study course material on their own time when it’s most convenient for their schedules. This format often involves recorded video sessions, uploaded course materials, and an instructor or reviewer who provides feedback on coursework.
• Skills. When employers see that a candidate has a certificate in data analytics or a related sub-field, it signals to them that the applicant has advanced skills that may be an asset to their workplace.

Certification in Data Analytics

For some learners, pursuing a certification in Data Analytics or a related field is a great way to

to demonstrate to employers that they have a solid grasp of data analysis and management skills. Data Analytics certification is a professional credential that’s earned either by a skills assessment or by passing an exam. Completing a certificate indicates to employers that you have the necessary, industry-standard skills to successfully perform a data analytics job. Some students opt to enroll in classes via a training school to brush up on commonly tested material. The assessment or exam is generally given by a third party.

While the CompTIA Data+ certification is vendor-neutral, others are offered by companies such as Microsoft and provide a more specialized training:

• CompTIA Data+ Certification: This is a popular introductory certification for Data Analysts. It is considered to be the only certification in this field that prepares students to work with core data analytic skills, provides hands-on training, and is also vendor-neutral. This certification teaches those enrolled how to analyze datasets and report on them. It also provides instruction on how to follow data quality and oversight standards, as well as training in data mining, data visualization, and data governance, among other topics.
• Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate: This certification teaches participants how to work with Microsoft Power BI to clean and transform data, as well as how to create scalable data models. In addition, skills such as data preparation and modeling, visualization, and analysis are also covered during this certification.
• Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst: This certification is geared toward those whose job involves extracting and creating reports in the Cloudera CDH environment. Data Analysts who use Cloudera, as well as Business Intelligence Specialists, Systems Architects, Database Administrators, and SQL Developers are good candidates for this certification.

Which is Right for Me?

When deciding between a certificate in data analytics and a certification, there are a few considerations. For the most part, certifications hold more weight than certificates because they indicate that a candidate has the required data analytics skills to be employable in this field. Certificates, on the other hand, can’t offer this same assurance, but are valuable in that they indicate to hiring managers that an applicant is committed to learning data analytics. When deciding which of these educational opportunities is best for you, understanding the needs of your employer, as well as your own professional goals, is a helpful first step.

In addition, it’s important to remember that not all data analytics jobs require certification or a certificate for employment. Some Data Analysts elect for other educational options instead.

Other Educational Options in Data Analytics

In addition to certificates and certifications in Data Analytics, there are also other educational options available for those who wish to pursue this field, such as undergraduate study or graduate-level work in data analytics, data science, statistics, or another related field. Free data analytics courses are also offered for those who wish to see if data analytics is a good match for them, as well as for those who aren’t fully ready for a deep dive into analytics. These relatively short classes span several hours or days of learning, and provide self-guided coursework for those who have little to no experience with analyzing data. Free data analytics classes are currently available through educators such as Springboard, CareerFoundry, and Harvard.

Hands-on Data Analytics Classes

There are many exciting learning options available for those who are interested in studying data analytics. These courses provide industry-relevant job training that can open many professional doors for Freelance Data Analysts, as well as anyone working with data. For those who want to learn more about how to process, analyze, and ultimately visualize big data, Noble Desktop’s data analytics classes are a great starting point. Courses are offered in New York City, as well as in the live online format in topics like Excel, Python, data science, and data analytics technologies, among others.

In addition, more than 170 live online data analytics courses are also available in data analytics and visualization from top providers. Topics offered include FinTech, Excel for Business, and Tableau, among others. Courses range from three hours to nine months and cost from $229 to $60,229. For those interested in pursuing a certificate degree, Noble has you covered as well. Their Data Science Certificate teaches machine learning models, programming fundamentals, and data analysis.

Additionally, Noble’s Data Analytics Classes Near Me tool provides an easy way to locate and browse approximately 400 data analytics classes currently offered in in-person and live online formats. Course lengths vary from three hours to nine months and cost $119-$60,229.