Thinking Like An Analyst: Getting Started with Data Analytics
I have a confession to make:
I’m a marketer who has never taken a single data analytics course.
Learning something new is universally intimidating, and I’m certainly not the exception to that rule!
- I’ve avoided Google Analytics like the plague, which is laughable as a digital marketer who has managed multiple websites.
- Spreadsheets make me cringe and I arguably can’t even utilize the basic functions of Excel and Sheets; I mainly use them for lists and organization.
- I routinely use dashboards and analytics software that is automated for me, and I can tell you what I’m looking at and why…but the thought of pulling raw data and doing everything from scratch is overwhelming.
None of this is to say that I’m incompetent; I know that I’m good at what I do. But there is an element of overwhelm and an intimidation factor that exists, and now I’m choosing to overcome that barrier so that I can become even better.
So today I’m putting aside the imposter syndrome and diving in. I hope you’ll come along!
My Personal Baseline
Everyone has their own lived experience.
Every person who starts a learning journey will start at a different level of familiarity with the vocabulary and concepts applied in their industry of choice. Some people might be brand new to everything, while others could be looking to build on the knowledge they’ve already gained, whether just a brief introduction or a well-established career.
In my case, marketing is all about psychology and data. You need to understand both people and numbers to be successful in my field.
People? I understand people.
I’ve spent my entire life reading books and living the lives and experiences of fictional people, and I’ve spent plenty of time observing the people around me. I even studied anthropology in college, which at its root is the study of people!
Numbers I am pretty okay with…but there’s plenty of room for improvement. It’s been nearly a decade since I took any kind of formal math or statistics class, and I very much feel like those wheels are a bit rusty.
So, what “data” knowledge am I already bringing to the table as I start my learning path?
- Reading basic charts & graphs (mathematics & science classes)
- Basic understanding of statistics (Stats 101)
- General understanding of trends (marketing career)
- Ability to use and understand reporting software (retail management & marketing career)
I’m starting my data learning journey with the “Thinking Like an Analyst” course from Maven Analytics.
As I move through different courses, I’ll be sharing my own experiences and takeaways here on Medium…and maybe some on my LinkedIn.
So…let’s get started!
Why I Chose This Course
I chose to start with “Thinking Like an Analyst” for a few reasons:
1. It’s easily accessible.
Anywhere I have access to the internet, I have access to this course!
I also find it incredibly convenient that this course is part of a subscription model and that Maven created an awesome learning path to fit my needs.
This means I won’t have to hop, skip, and jump around to different learning platforms and the courses will all build off of the knowledge I’ve gained in previous ones!
2. Its comfortable length and content.
“Thinking Like An Analyst” is actually fairly short; it’s only a 5–6 hour course and is meant to be an introduction to the world of data analytics.
This feels like a great building block as someone who is a little nervous about exploring something new.
3. It’s flexible for my schedule.
Nothing is better for a busy schedule than online, self-paced learning!
The Maven platform makes it super easy to pause my work on a course when something comes up and return to it later.
4. The Instructors are approachable.
Possibly one of the best things about Maven courses? All of the instructors actually feel like real people.
It’s clear that they are experts in their field and tools, but nothing about learning with Maven feels forced. And if you follow any of them on LinkedIn, you know that they really are just good people trying to empower others.
5. And yes…I work for Maven Analytics.
I promise that this will not bias what I share here in my articles; if something doesn’t click for me, I’ll always be straightforward about that! But I do have to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
Yes, I want you to love Maven Analytics as much as I do. No, I don’t just like the company because of my job. No, I don’t HAVE to write these articles. And I’m actually uniquely positioned to give you a peek behind the curtain!
It also means that when I said above that the instructors are real people who only seek to empower others with knowledge? I can personally vouch for that.
So I hope you’ll stick around!
Course Contents
One awesome thing about Maven: they provide a course outline in your sidebar so that you can track your progress and get a high-level overview of what you should be able to take away from the course!
For “Thinking Like an Analyst”, the main modules look a bit like this:
- Why Analytics?
- Data Analysis Workflow
- Measurement Planning
- Data Prep & Analysis
- Visualization & Dashboards
- The Analyst Toolkit
- Tips for Success
Note: this course does NOT teach the technical skills to conduct analysis.
Just like the title suggests, it’s more of a general course to help you approach analysis and visualization smartly and effectively.
My Learning Experience
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this course!
It was VERY approachable, and the concepts being broken down into bite-sized pieces made it easy to understand and review as needed. I also found the teaching style of all instructors to feel very uplifting and inspiring, which is a level of comfort that is often lacking in online courses.
I really appreciated that it was possible to download the slides at the start of the course; this gives the option to save the materials for later or print and annotate for notes! (This is SO important for folks depending on their learning styles, and makes it possible to briefly review the material later without logging into the course.)
I also loved that the course could be completed in one sitting if I wanted to…but it was also incredibly easy to break at the end of a video and then pick back up between other priorities.
The case studies throughout the course are well utilized to help illustrate the basic concepts the instructors are teaching; they show the processes in practice, rather than just telling you the steps and leaving you to figure it out on your own.
Helpful Hint: This is also where the downloaded/printed slides will come in handy for you to reference!
I will say that the course took me more time than I anticipated — I’m one of those people who takes time to think through and digest EVERYTHING as I learn, and time blindness as a person with ADHD is very real. It can be hard for me to gauge exactly how long any task will take me, but there’s no point in rushing your learning journey.
That said, don’t be afraid to re-watch videos or take your time so that you get the most out of the course! I know that I’ll be coming back to this one as my understanding of data grows.
My Main Takeaways
Here are just a few highlights from my notes while taking the course:
- I’m personally more inclined to a business intelligence path (data viz and a focus on descriptive analytics; my goal is to identify trends) rather than a data science path.
- The Analytics Trifecta = how strategy, communication, and technical skill blend together to form the base skills of a good analyst!
- You should build expert-level skills in a few areas rather than mid-level skills in everything.
- Data skills are highly transferable; analytics is valued across many industries, and you’re likely to stumble across these tools even in places you don’t expect. (Looking at you, Excel!)
- “There is no right or wrong textbook definition of a workflow.” = Flexibility!
- That being said, the Analytics Workflow laid out by Maven is intuitive and a natural fit. Approaching a project with your audience in mind (the business owner/person you’re answering the questions for) is always a great place to start!
- You must understand your main objective from the start of any project. (What are you looking to get out of the analysis? What KPIs are your priorities? What data do you need to get the full picture?)
- Super important: think like the business owner FIRST! (What are their needs and motivations?)
- When providing insights, it’s important to provide context and an action plan. The data tells you WHAT happened, so don’t forget to share WHY and what steps should be taken next.
- There is actual brain science behind data viz! Your audience should be able to glean valuable insights from your visualization after viewing it for only 10 seconds.
- It’s important to understand what kind of data you’re working with and what you’re trying to communicate to craft the right visualization.
- Skills > tools; find the toolkit that works for YOU and what YOU need to be more effective!
- Learn one tool at a time, don’t divide your attention.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an introduction to the “why” of analytics, “Thinking Like an Analyst” is a great place to start!
If you are:
- A data professional
- A business owner, manager, or administrator
- Working in sales, marketing, finances, research, healthcare, education, engineering, any science field, etc. (any person who works with data will benefit from this course!)
OR if you are aspiring to do any of the above, then it’s absolutely worth your while to work through this course.
You’re going to walk away with a new perspective and even more clarity on how to approach the data that you are working with every single day.
Chris Dutton says it best:
“Data is everywhere. It surrounds us. It’s central to the business world. But the thing is, without analytics, it’s nothing but numbers and noise.”
I’m getting ready to dive into the next step of my data journey, and I hope you’ll join me!
Follow my personal Medium handle to be the first to know when I share my next article.
Until then, feel free to ask questions or start a discussion here in the comments — I keep an eye on them regularly and am happy to chat about my experience!
And don’t forget to follow Learning Data for some awesome data content every week!
Until next time,
-Dakota
If you liked this, we’d love for you to subscribe to our publication, and please drop us a comment letting us know what you’d like to see next!
You can also submit your own writing for us to promote, so don’t be shy if you would like to become a contributor.
Find even more from us at Maven Analytics.
Happy learning!
-Team Maven
