If you’re new here, hello! My name is Elijah Butler, and I am a work-from-home data analyst. While I don’t think everyone should become a data analyst, I think many people would enjoy the work, or at a minimum, enjoy the benefits. Let’s talk about seven of them now.

1. You can work from home!

One of my favorite benefits about my job is that I am able to work from the comfort of my home. Because I don’t have to waste time getting ready and commuting, I am able to get more sleep which I need a lot of. Additionally, I don’t have to eat a 4-hour old sandwich or spend money eating out for lunch. I can listen to music and podcasts while I work, and I don’t have to do customer service. Seems like a good gig to me.

2. You can make good money!

While some estimates predict even higher pay, this Glassdoor report says that the average entry level data analyst makes over $71,000 in total compensation. While this will vary based on your educational and employment history, this entry level position is much greater than the average US salary of under $54,000 (according to Indeed). Further, data analytics can be used as a steppingstone to data science which pays even greater.

3. The demand is great and growing.

Every company needs data analysts and a lot of them. For many companies like Meta and Google, data is its greatest asset. As I discuss in a previous blog post, data is useless without skilled data analysts, engineers, and scientists structuring, cleaning, analyzing, modeling, and visualizing it. That’s why data analytics is in such big demand.

And this demand is growing. World Economic Forum’s 2020 Future of Jobs Report listed data analysts and data scientists number one in terms of increasing demand (see page 30).

4. Data analytics is interesting and important.

Even though I work a Fortune 100 company, I am not (nor do I feel like) just another cog in the corporate machine. My analysis informs high level decisions as do virtually all data analyst positions. When you’re a data analyst, your work will likely directly impact your company’s budget, strategy, and goals.

Not only is data analytics important, but it is also interesting. For the most part, it isn’t doing the same thing over and over again. You get to use your analytical skills to solve problems and your creativity to visualize data in a way that is aesthetically appealing.

5. You can teach yourself the skills to become an analyst.

To become a data analyst, you should learn the basic to intermediate functions of SQL, Microsoft Excel, and a visualization tool such as Tableau or Power BI. The good news is that there are many free tools out there to learn these skills. Start learning SQL now with this FREE course from Khan Academy.

From there, it’s crucial to build skills portfolios and create/optimize your Linked In profile. You can find tutorials on how to do both of these on YouTube.

For more information and specific steps to become a data analyst, check out my TikTok (imElijahButler) and Facebook group for aspiring data analysts.

You may be thinking to yourself: “I’m not a math genius. I have no interest in learning calculus. There’s no way I can do this.”

6. You don’t need calculus or advanced math skills to become a data analyst.

That’s right, data analysts don’t do derivations, integrals, and none that I’ve heard utilize the Pythagorean theorem. Decent high school math skills and a good understanding of statistics and probability is all the math you need to become a data analyst.

And if you still think these are subpar or you need a refresher, there are inexpensive courses out there you can purchase to freshen up your skills. I do recommend that once you get your first data analyst position that you never stop learning and improving your skills. Education is a lifelong process.

7. You can break into data analytics without a related degree (or a college degree at all).

The easiest way to break into data analytics is with a degree in business, economics, statistics, computer science, or a related field. However, you can teach yourself the skills needed for analytics (see step 5). This requires hard work, creativity, and determination, but it has been done and will be done again (hopefully by you!).

Getting your first job in data analytics will require some blood, sweat, tears, and learned technical skills, but once you’re in the club, you’re in. From there, you can work your way up to a higher salary and/or a company you like better.

Thanks for reading!

I hope you found this post helpful. If you did and/or you have any questions, check out my Instagram and TikTok below for more.

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