Data is big, and it’s everywhere; from social media to online shopping platforms, there isn’t a single online business these days that doesn’t rely on data. This data boom has led to the rise of online data analytics courses, both from big-name universities and private organizations.
That said, the lack of a proper roadmap to follow when starting out can be frightening for new data analysts and scientists alike.
Now you may be wondering, how exactly do I learn data analytics from scratch, and what is the best course of action to take?
Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! This article will lay out an essential roadmap for your data analytics career. So keep on reading to learn about the best data analytics courses available online.
What Are Data Analytics
Naturally, the first question that may come to your mind is what exactly is data analytics. While there isn’t a straightforward, agreed-upon definition of data analytics, the field has a few standard features found in every definition.
The simplest definition is that data analytics is the science of processing and analyzing raw data to turn it into information. This process may include data cleansing, modeling, and transformation.
Data analysis has several applications in the domains of business, science, and social science. Essentially, with the help of data analytics, businesses can run more efficiently, and scientific research can become more accurate.
Data Analytics Vs. Data Science
A common source of confusion for newcomers is the distinction between data analysts and data scientists. Although data analysts and data scientists work closely with data, there are fundamental differences between the two.
Data analysts mostly process and model data. For example, they can create data visuals, clean up raw data for processing, and transform data sets to make them easier to work with. Data analysts need basic math and programming skills and usually work with more straightforward tools like Excel.
On the other hand, data scientists deal with the unknown using advanced data techniques for prediction, such as machine learning algorithms. Data scientists require more advanced mathematics and programming skills and may use more complex tools like TensorFlow.
For a more detailed breakdown of data analysis versus data science, check out this blog post.
Do I Need To Know Math and Programming For Data Analytics?
Yes, you need to have some math and programming knowledge to learn data analytics. Although the skill requirement for data analytics isn’t nearly as high as data science, you’ll still need a basic understanding of coding and math.
Most data analytics courses will cover some basic SQL, R, and Python. So don’t worry; you should have a solid foundation in the basics with enough practice, even if you’re not the best at writing code or solving math problems.
3 Data Analytics Courses For Beginners
Now that you’re familiar with the fundamentals of data analytics, you’re ready to start learning data analytics from scratch.
You need to take a good data analytics course to teach you everything you need to know. There are many data analytics courses out there, some of which are better than others.
In no particular order, here are three data analytics courses that we recommend for beginners:
1. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate (Coursera)
The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate will help you go from complete beginner to job-ready in six months. Anyone can complete the course as you need no degree or prior experience to take the course.
This course will help you visualize, organize, and clean data for analysis. You will learn all the tools required for data analytics from the course, including spreadsheets, SQL, R programming, and many more.
The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate course is free to enroll in, but you’ll need to pay a fee to get your professional certification from Google upon completing the course.
2. IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate (Coursera)
The IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate is another excellent course from Coursera that requires no background experience or degree and can be completed by anyone.
The course is 11 months long but well worth it as you will devote most of your time creating a hands-on applied learning project. What’s more, you can add the project to your portfolio or personal Github account to showcase your skills to potential employers.
The IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate is also free to enroll in but requires you to pay a fee to access your professional IBM certificate once you finish the course.
3. Learn Data Analytics From Scratch 2021 (Udemy)
If the Data Analytics courses above seem too long for you, you can always check out the Learn Data Analytics From Scratch 2021 course on Udemy.
Although the course is relatively new, it provides you with all the tools and resources you need to learn Data Analytics from scratch.
You can access the course on Udemy for a nominal fee of $89.99. One downside is that, although you get a certificate upon completion, the course certificate may not carry as much weight as that of Google or IBM.
If you’re not satisfied with the course, don’t worry; Udemy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and will refund you for your purchase.
What’s Next?
Once you’ve taken any of the courses above, you can practice further by building hands-on projects and adding them to your portfolio or personal GitHub. As they say: practice makes perfect. So make sure to practice as much as possible to apply what you’ve learned!
If you’re looking for some great beginner projects to build, check out 5 Data Analytics Projects for Beginners.
Final Thoughts
Although Data Analytics may seem challenging at first, it’s relatively straightforward once you know how to get started.
Start with one of the courses listed above, then build practical projects to polish your skill set and add to your portfolio. Of course, you’ll brush up on your basic math and coding skills in the process.
As long as you follow this route, you’ll be on your way to learning data analytics in no time!
