Career advice

Become a Data Analyst

Data analysts use technical skills to collect and analyse data, form data insights and come to meaningful conclusions that they express through visual, written and verbal communication. Companies need data analysts so they can learn about their audiences.

  • Average salary in UK

    £35,000 (technojobs)

  • Average salary in US

    $77,063 (Salary)

  • Average salary in Canada

    CA$56,767 (PayScale)

  • Average salary in Australia

    AU$110,000 (Seek)
Source: PayScale

What skills do you need to become a data analyst?

  • Numerical and analytical skills

    Being a data analyst involves a lot of working with numerical data, so you need to be comfortable with numbers and have an analytical mind.

  • Problem-solving skills

    The role requires you to find solutions to problems using technical skills, so you have to enjoy using your brain to solve problems and provide practical solutions.

  • Specialist knowledge

    Depending on which area of data analysis you want to focus on, you’ll need slightly different skills, but there are certain specialised skills you’ll definitely need. You need to be very comfortable with excel and spreadsheets, familiar with relational databases and have knowledge of data cleaning, modelling and enrichment.

  • Strong communication

    Data analysts inform colleagues of data insights and have to listen carefully in meetings to determine where to focus their efforts, so they must be able to collaborate and communicate well with others verbally and in writing.

Develop these skills. Start a short data analysis course.

ExpertTracks
5 ExpertTracks

A series of courses designed to help you specialise your skills. Start a free seven-day trial, subscribe to keep learning at your own pace, and cancel your subscription whenever you like.

CloudSwyft Global Systems, Inc. accredited by Microsoft

Data Analysis with Excel for Complete Beginners

Learn data analysis from scratch, including an introduction to essential maths and Microsoft Excel.

4 courses

10 weeks

Introductory

Find out more
FutureLearn in collaboration with Tableau

Data Analytics for Business

Build your business analytics skills and learn to manage, wrangle, and analyse data with Excel and SQLite.

3 courses

12 weeks

Introductory

Find out more
FutureLearn in collaboration with Tableau

Data Visualisation

Supercharge your business problem solving through better data insights, analytics, and visualisation.

3 courses

12 weeks

Introductory

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Courses
22 Courses

Learn new skills, pursue your interests or advance your career with our short online courses.

Accenture

Digital Skills: Web Analytics

4.7 (509 reviews)

Learn about the role of web analytics in business, the types of analytics and how to use different techniques.

2 weeks

2 hrs per week

Free digital upgrade

Find out more
Darden School of Business, University of Virginia

Marketing Analytics

4.7 (48 reviews)

Learn the basics of marketing analytics and understand how to use data to ensure your marketing is effective.

5 weeks

2 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

Find out more
Critical Mass & BIMA

Using AI to Gain a Competitive Edge for your Customer Experience (CX)

Gain a competitive edge by using AI-driven technology processes to enhance customer experience and business growth.

2 weeks

2 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

Find out more
FutureLearn

Data Analytics and Python Fundamentals

Learn the fundamentals of statistics and data analysis using Python

4 weeks

4 hrs per week

Find out more
FutureLearn

Data Wrangling and Ingestion using Python

Enhance your understanding of Python by diving deeper into functions including data wrangling, manipulation and transformation.

4 weeks

4 hrs per week

Find out more
FutureLearn

Python Packages: NumPy and Pandas Dataframe

Expand your advanced analytics skills using Python - you can explore data ingestion with CRISP-DM methodology.

4 weeks

4 hrs per week

Find out more
FutureLearn

Data Analysis and Fundamental Statistics

Gain an introduction to basic data analysis functions and statistical models to deliver insights for your business.

4 weeks

4 hrs per week

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FutureLearn

Excel for Data Analysis

Develop your capability to familiarise yourself with the working knowledge of Excel to wrangle, transform, and visualise the data.

4 weeks

4 hrs per week

Find out more
Show more Become a Data Analyst courses 

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The benefits of taking data analysis courses online with FutureLearn

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Develop valuable skills with a short, online data analysis course wherever you are. Start learning for free, on desktop, tablet or mobile.

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