HOW I BECAME A DATA ANALYST WITHOUT ANY COMPUTER-RELATED DEGREE Part I- Researching

Photo by Unsplash

A couple of weeks ago, I went back to school as an Alumni/speaker for a Career Chat event organized by the International Centre. It was my first in-person event to share my stories and experiences after the career change. I was so nervous to see the students' interest in my presentation. Along with some questions about my previous job as a chemical technician, I was surprised to hear more students asking for the data analytics career path. And yeah, they are not related at all but I did all the research and assessments to be confident that I made the right decision. Today, I will show you how I researched before completely diving into the data career.

I wrote this series showing step-by-step my process of 6-month-transition into Data World without any data-related degree. I hope you find useful tips to strengthen your confidence to be a future Analyst.

If you have not read my transition story yet, you can read it here.

To ensure the articles remain informative and practical, I will segment them into four parts:

Part 1: Researching- The Journey Begins

Part 2: Skills and Tools- Get the Right Weapons

Part 3: Show your work- Time to Shine

Part 4: Job Hunt Process- You Are Almost There!

Note: I will update each part weekly from now on, if you are interested in my story, feel free to subscribe and sign up for the email notification for the next post so you won’t miss out on any good tips and information :)

Enjoy reading everyone! 👩‍🏫

Switching careers is a big decision for anyone. After 5 years in the energy industry, I found my passion for working with data and I knew that I wanted to do more than just an Excel sheet. But it was not convincible to quit my job and leave my career behind for something I was temporarily interested in. It could be a hobby or a side hustle instead. I spent over 3 months thinking continuously about this decision to ensure at the end of the day, I am still a happy person without any regrets ( my slogan of life :D). You might wonder why it took me that long, because I know it won't be an easy path to be a data analyst without any degree in computer science, (the most common qualification for the job description) and I already had an established career for a few years. Therefore, having “deep and wide” research is essential before you waste so much time and effort on something that will not lead to any good outcome later.

To start my research, I imagined myself as an actual data analyst and questioned myself:

1. How does my day look like if I was a data analyst?
2. What are the pros and cons compared to my current job/career?
3. What are the main responsibilities I will handle as an analyst?
4. What kind of skills or tools do I need to know?

As always, my very first information source is YouTube. Below are my favorite YouTubers/Analysts that I follow:

• Alex the Analyst: Alex has experience as a data analyst and then became the manager. He not only shares his experience of becoming a data analyst but also the perspectives of a data manager on the hiring process for beginners.
• Luke Barousse: Luke was a former submariner. He shared his journey to become a data analyst after retiring from the force. Check out his website: https://datanerd.tech/ for some data information (salaries, skills, etc).
• Thu Vu Data Analytics: Thu Vu is also a career changer from economy to data. She is currently working as a consultant and for me, she is a huge inspiration for women in tech.
• Mo Chen: I first checked his video on the day working as a remote data analyst (My goal 🏆🎉). He also provides some good insights into the real-life (glory and struggles) of an analyst. It’s worth to check out!

LinkedIn is another good and realiable source of information, at least you can find real people with their real jobs and their opinions on their current roles. Connecting with people professionally with appropriate questions is a great way to start. However, there are 2 things I want to point out:

• LinkedIn User: “Being a data analyst is the best decision in my life. I can work on the beach and enjoy my favorite drinks while having the job done.”

One of the most attractive reasons for people to switch to data work is the ability to work-from-anywhere (as long as you have a good computer and fast internet). However, as far as I know, not ALL positions offer 100% remote, especially for a junior data analyst who needs significant mentorship from the trainers and sufficient interaction with stakeholders. Depending on the industry and the company policy that you work for, it can be on-site or hybrid as well.

• LinkedIn User: “ My salary has been increased by 130% since I switched to data analytics, I finally can make a 6-figure salary and afford a brand new house. I should have changed my career way earlier.”

The pay range in data analytics is quite large. According to Glassdoor (updated in March 2024), the base range salary for data analysts is from $ 52K to $ 76K annually in Canada and can go up to $100k per year for the US market. Along with the high demand, there have been a significant amount of jobs in data in the last few years which attracts more people to get into. It also means that the competition is always high. You will eventually reach the salary goal that you want but it also requires a notable effort for it.

And another great source of information is here: Medium. Unlike other technology web pages, Medium is created by people who are experienced and working in various industries. You can learn technical skills from schools, boot camps, or online courses but the most valuable keys that Medium brings to the readers are critical thinking and practical problem-solving skills. If you have no idea what to read, pick a random project on Medium and imagine yourself in it: how do you feel? Are you surprised/interested in the insights that the author presented? Do you want deeper knowledge about that topic? These questions might help you “validate” one more time that your decision is right.

Podcasts are my last recommendation. I spend “house-chores” time listening to a podcast so I use my time more efficiently.

Note: For more information about the job market, you can refer to this article from Luna (Van) Doan.

Skills and Tools: I will have more notes on the skills and tools for the next Medium post but there is something you should start thinking about: the industry. If you are already working for a few years, do you want to continue to work in the same or different industry after being a data analyst? There are some pros and cons:

Industry comparison

In my case, I had worked in the energy industry. I already contacted the Analytics team and joined them for small activities. However, during the Covid-19 period, the energy sector did not perform very well and has fluctuated since then. That is the reason why I wanted to switch to another industry and I am currently working for a retail company. It was a challenge for me but I have been learning tremendously and still improving myself every day.

Job titles in Data You Might Not Know (by Avery Smith)

Back to my questions from the beginning, I would like to share some works that I am experiencing:

1. How does my day look like as an analyst?

My company is medium-sized with a very small analytics team supporting the entire operation. It means that I will be an analyst for ALL departments including: marketing, finance, HR and operations. Because of it, I am required to work closely with the stakeholders to understand their scopes of work and requirements for the reports.

• Daily, I create and manage all reports to the stores and directors to track on their performance. To reduce repetitive tasks, I focus on building automation and scheduled jobs on the data tools.
• Depend on special events during the year, I will receive the ad-hoc requests to analyze and present to the stakeholders for decision-making. Sometimes, I will need to meet up with stakeholders again to clarify my understanding and update the progress to them.
• I have been learning about database structure which helps me optimize our work flows and better data extraction recently.

2. What are pros and cons compared to my current job/career?

If you freshly graduated from school, you might not need to consider about this question. However, I was working already and my life was up-side-down after being an analyst (in a good way tho :)).

• As a chemical technician, my job required bending and standing most of my working time, except reporting period (which is about 10% of my work). Some days I can reach 30000 steps in 1 shift :)
• As a data analyst, I mostly sit at my station for a really long time until I need to talk to someone (but I also use Chat a lot); therefore, I need to go for a walk during my break just to relax my eyes plus my brain from the screens.
• As a chemical technician, I worked away from home. 84-hour shift is alright for me now but not so sure when I reach my 40s.
• As a data analyst, I still have to go to work but also can offer working from home in some occasions (hopefully fully remote in the future).
• As a chemical technician, I know exactly how my day will be. It was a very repeatative job to maintian the qualifications. It can be boring someday but in return, I did not feel too much pressure with the workload.
• As a data analyst, it is more challenging for me. Technology in general is always updating and improving. I will be required to continuously learn to keep up with the trend and information.

Above are just a few examples that I listed down when considering to switch my career. You can try to do the same way to see if you will be happy with the changes or you should need more time.

3. What are the main responsibilities I will handle as an analyst?

As I mentioned above, my main responsibilities are:

• Create and maintain different reports for all departments.
• Ensure the reports are sent out based on timing manners and right locations/persons (confidential issues- information security).
• Monitor the data flows and ensure the data integrity.
• Complete the data requests and present the insights to shareholders for decision-making.
• Optimize the automation process to reduce manual work.

4. What kind of skills or tools do I need to know?

Technical skills: Advanced Excel, SQL database, Python and data visualization tools (Tableau/Power BI).

Soft skills: Communication (asking the right questions), problem-solving (identify the root of the issue and provide solutions), detail-oriented (data validation and verification) skills.

I have a request for you: do your homework today. If you are considering to switch your career, spend a week to do some research about data analytics. You can follow my steps above or other ways. As long as you have a clear vision for what you want because the journey just begins, more challenges are waiting for you ahead. Next week, I will show you the tools and skills that I used to get my first job and how I enhanced those skills by working daily with them.

Hi friends,

My name is Tris, and I have recently switched my career from a chemical technician to a data analyst. I wrote about my experience, my projects, and the lessons I learned in this Medium. I hope my content somehow strengthens your journey to get better tomorrow.

Starting this Fall, I came back to school to continue my studies in Bachelor of Science while working as an analyst. I know it will be a challenge again but I prepared for it :) I created a YouTube channel to motivate myself and maybe YOU to reach our goals. Enjoy the music and please subscribe for my future content.

👩‍💻Let’s connect: My LinkedIn

Have a Good Day!