Careers in the Data Field

Introduction

Data is as old as time. Don't believe that? Well time itself is data and it has helped us understand our surroundings e.g evolution which is change(insert a variable of your liking) over time. There have been practitioners who have mastered the art of harnessing data and making sense of it so it can inform the world we live in today. Only recently have they been named and specific roles attached to their titles. They form the backbone of research and business performance in industries across the globe such as logistics, health care, agriculture, and even fashion.

In this article, we shall explore some of the significant data practitioners, the roles they play, the tools they use, and the skills they have acquired that make them who they are in the data space. We shall also see the average they receive to motivate you to start your journey in the data field.

Data Analyst

A data analyst is a person who solves a business problem by collecting and interpreting data and communicates the insights effectively to the target audience e.g management of a company.

Roles

• They break down the business problem to understand the problem at hand.
• They gather the data from the necessary sources.
• They wrangle the data and clean it for analysis.
• The explore and analyze the data to find patterns in the data that relate to the business problem.
• They communicate the findings they derive from the data effectively with the use of visualizations and written reports to the target audience.

Skills

• SQL
• Tableau
• Microsoft Power BI
• Python or R
• Statistics
• Microsoft Excel
• Google Sheets
• Storytelling with data

Salary

$422.65

Data Scientist

A Data Scientist is a person who solves business problems and then decides how data can be used to carry out those objectives. They construct algorithms and prediction models to extract the data the organization requires, design data modeling processes, assist in data analysis, and collaborate with others to share insights.

Roles

• They look for patterns and trends in datasets to get insights.
• Create data models and algorithms to predict outcomes.
• They use machine learning to enhance the quality of data or product offers.

Skills

• Data Analysis skills
• Cloud Based tools e.g AWS
• Machine Learning
• Big Data

Salary

$633.98

Data Engineer

They are in charge of making sure that data transfer between servers and applications is seamless. The architecture used in projects involving data science is created and maintained. The task of storing and interpreting an enormous amount of data falls to data engineers. Expertise with data warehousing systems is important in this field.

Roles

• Use systematic techniques to design, build, and maintain data architectures.
• Data Collection from different sources.
• Automation of tasks.
• Identify trends using models they create.

Skills

• Database systems and tools.
• Data Processing with tools like Hadoop.
• ETL(Extract Transfer and Load) tools.
• Data Warehousing with tools like RedShift.
• Machine Learning.
• Cloud Based tools like Azure.

Salary

$2958.55

Business Intelligence Developer

A business intelligence developer creates intelligence products that aim to improve business decision-making procedures. These consist of query systems, apps for data modeling, interactive dashboards, and data visualization tools.

Roles

• They create visualizations and reports.
• They write and maintain technical documentation.
• They collaborate with other developers and business analysts to get data.
• They create, deploy and maintain Business Intelligence solutions.

Skills

• Data Analysis skills
• ETL tools.
• Business processes and procedures.
• Data Warehousing.

Salary

$1775.13

Database Administrator

A Database Administrator is in charge of managing the upkeep and security precautions for the company's databases. They maintain virus protection software, create account information for users who are authorized to access databases, and arrange databases so that users can quickly locate critical documents.

Roles

• Data extraction and/or loading.
• Putting cybersecurity safeguards in place.
• Data authentication.
• Keeping track of how well hardware and software are performing.
• Setting up databases and servers.
• Managing private information ethically.

Skills

• Knowledge of database queries.
• Understand database theory and design.
• Establish, administer, and monitor data networks in collaboration with data architects and other IT professionals.
• Server installation and maintenance.
• Database management.
• Database structure languages like SQL or SQL/PSM.

Salary

$591.71

Statistician

A Statistician is a person who gathers and examines data for a corporation. Statisticians analyze data sets for trends using both automated and manual data collection techniques, then present the patterns to corporate executives so that they can adjust their business operations.

Roles

• Gathering information from several sources.
• Finding patterns in various data sets.
• Collaborating with other staff members to guarantee accurate and thorough data collection.
• Executive reports that are simple to read and clearly state the conclusions that can be made from a company's data.
• Putting statistical models into practice and coming to conclusions after collecting enough data.

Skills

• Probability and Statistics
• Use a variety of statistical techniques to test hypotheses and make predictions
• Math, to turn complex sets of data into useful applications.

Salary

$612.84

There are many more data-related careers such as:

• Data Architect
• Data Journalist
• Machine Learning Engineer
• Data Miner
• Database Developer
• Data Curator

General skills data practitioners should all have:

• Programming
• Collaborative
• Critical thinking
• Communication skills
• Analytical thinking
• Business intuition
• Problem-Solving skills

Sidenote

The salaries provide in this article are as per the following and subject to change:

• Sourced from Glassdoor(may vary with employers).
• Date of writing the article, 14/07/2022.
• Monthly remission.
• Location is Nairobi, Kenya.

Until next time, may the code be with you.