5 Things You Must Know About Analytics Career Transition

So you have heard about the hot new analytics field, the crazy demand for well-trained analysts and the great salary. You’ve decided to throw your hat in the ring. But before you go too far, you must know these 5 key things.

  1. Analytics Aptitude is a must for success. Just because your best friend is an analyst and very happy with his job doesn’t mean you will be too. Make sure you were born to think analytically by testing your analytics aptitude.  If you score 16 or above in this test, you would likely be happy being an analyst.
  2. Analytics skill development is not optional. It is one thing to have an innate aptitude, it is entirely another to land a job and conduct analytics to drive a business forward. So once you know you have an aptitude, invest in developing hands-on business analytics skills at a bare minimum for any analyst or analytical role.  Additionally, having hands-on comfort in predictive analytics skills and A/B testing will come in handy for pure analyst roles. If you are serious about your career transition, I will personally train you when you enroll in our analytics career transition track, which includes the above courses plus real-time experience on a client project.
  3. Transitioning within your company or industry/function is easiest. Many would-be analysts I mentor have spent years in a particular industry. Often they look to move to a new industry when they make the transition to analytics. This strategy significantly decreases your odds of finding a job. If you have been a project manager in IT for a manufacturing company, try to transition to an analyst job at your current company. If that’s not possible, look for an analyst job in your industry, perhaps in IT. Once you have transitioned successfully to an analytics role and gained some experience, the whole world of analytics opens up for you and you can transition out of your industry and/or your function.
  4. Don’t leave your current job to transition. I can’t stress this enough. A few of my students have already left their jobs by the time they talk to me. That is unfortunate. Finding a job can take a long time and being unemployed only adds undue pressure. If your job touches data, learning analytics while having that access is awesome, because you can start practicing and building your chops right way. You can transition while in your current role. Most of my students complete their transition within 6 months while having a full-time job. You can do it, too.
  5. Yes, you need to redo your resume completely. You, as a project manager, need to demonstrate different skills than you, as an analyst. I often recommend starting from scratch and building your resume while keeping an eye on the roles for which you are applying. Check out my detailed blog on how to make a good resume.

 

More insights on this world of analytics can be found in my book, “Behind Every Good Decision”, or if you have specific questions, please book 15 minutes FREE on my calendar here.

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