Ever watched a movie/series on Netflix and wondered how this streaming service app recommends the perfect show for you? Or how Spotify curates playlists according to your taste? It’s the ‘data analytics’ working behind it. The power of turning raw data into powerful insights is a high-demand skill today. If you are seeking a career in this booming field, this blog dives into the complete data analytics career path you need!
The data analytics market in India generated $3551.8 million in revenue in 2024 and is projected to hit a whopping 21286.4 million by 2030.
These staggering numbers not only highlight the booming data analytics market but also point out that building a career in this industry can lead to impressive paychecks, promising growth opportunities, and job security.
“Data is a precious thing and will last longer than the systems themselves.” — Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web
This profound statement highlights that data is undeniably the present and future. When you master the art of turning raw data into useful information, nothing can stop you from building a flourishing data professional with limitless potential for growth and impact.
Today, data analytics is one of the top 10 IT skills in India, offering high salary packages, rapid growth, and a lot of scope.
So, if you are seeking a career in this field, you are already rocking it!
In this data analytics career path, you will learn all the essentials that will help you reach your career goal.
Let’s dive in!
What is Data Analytics? Why Is It a High-Demand Career?
Data analytics is the process of analysing raw data and extracting meaningful conclusions and obtaining actionable insights from it. This process includes gathering, cleaning, transforming, and modelling data to identify trends, discover patterns, and support informed decision-making for businesses.
Simply put, data analytics helps organisations understand the four pillars of their business.
- What happened (descriptive analytics)?
- Why did it happen (diagnostic analytics)?
- What might happen (predictive analytics)?
- What actions should be taken (prescriptive analytics)?
Let’s understand why data analytics is a highly demanded and sought-after skill today.
Why Is Data Analytics a High-Demand Career?
The demand for data analytics professionals is surging due to several reasons, including:
- Massive Data Growth: Today, businesses generate vast amounts of data from customer interactions, market trends, operational processes, etc. Leveraging this data is critical for businesses to gain a competitive advantage, which requires skilled data analysts.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Organisations across all industries, including finance, retail, technology, healthcare, etc., increasingly depend on data to make informed decisions, and skilled data analysts help them meet this very goal.
- Shortage of Skilled Professionals: Although the need for skilled data analysts is at its peak, there is a significant gap between the supply and demand. This surging demand allows skilled data professionals to command competitive salaries and rapid career growth.
- Evolution with AI and Machine Learning: Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly adopted by companies across industries. Data analysts are required to work with these cutting-edge technologies, which make them relevant and valuable.
- Rapid Digital Transformation: Industries are going through a rapid digital transformation as data is becoming more integrated into various aspects of businesses. This has immensely contributed to the demand for professionals with expertise to translate data into measurable outcomes.
Data Analytics Career Path: Essential Skills, Tools & Technologies
A successful career in data analytics requires a blend of essential skills and mastery of key tools and technologies in the field. Let’s discuss them in detail.
Technical Skills
Under technical skills come hands-on abilities to work directly with sets of data, as it is a core task of a data analyst’s routine work. For data analytics professionals, technical skills include
- Statistical Analysis: A solid understanding of statistics is crucial for identifying meaningful patterns in data. You need to learn how to perform hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and gain an in-depth understanding of topics like distribution and probability to extract meaningful conclusions.
- Data Wrangling and Cleaning: Raw data is often incomplete, meaningless, and messy. You will require skills to transform real-world data into a clean, understandable, and usable format. As a data analytics professional, you need to perform tasks like managing missing values, structuring data correctly, and removing duplicates.
Soft Skills
Although overlooked, soft skills are as important as the technical ones. It includes
- Communication: You should be able to explain complex data findings effectively to stakeholders. Translating complex terms and jargon into understandable, actionable insights through compelling presentations is a key skill for data analysts.
- Problem-Solving: Solving business problems is a required skill set for a data analyst. You need critical thinking skills to solve a problem with data and build a logical strategy to find a resolution.
Key Tools and Technologies
The following is the list of key tools and technologies that a data analyst uses to apply their skills.
- Spreadsheets: Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are fundamental tools for data analysts. These tools are used for quick data filtering, sorting, and doing basic calculations.
- Databases: SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a universal language for communicating with databases. You should be able to write queries to recover, manipulate, and handle large datasets stored in relational databases.
- Data Visualisation: Tools like Tableau and Power BI are crucial to creating compelling visual representations of data. These tools help transform raw data into appealing dashboards, charts, and graphs that help stakeholders understand and make quick decisions based on findings.
- Programming Languages: Python and R are powerful programming languages for data science, as well as advanced statistical analysis and creating more complex models. With its libraries like Panda and NumPy, Python is a versatile tool for data analysts, data scientists, statisticians, and academic researchers.
Data Analytics Career Path: From Beginner to Expert
The data analytics field is one of the fastest-growing IT careers today. Here is the step-by-step data analytics career roadmap that will guide you from a fresher to becoming a seasoned professional.
Learning the Core Skills
This is the first starting point for someone new in the data analytics field. You will be required to master the essential tools used in data analytics and techniques to manage and analyse datasets. This includes learning Python course or R for statistical analysis, Tableau or Power BI for presenting findings in visually appealing dashboards.
Advanced Data Analytics Skills
Once you gain a solid foundation, you can progress to more advanced/complex data analytics techniques. This second stage involves learning machine learning algorithms for predictive modelling, mastering big data technologies, and acquiring a deeper understanding of advanced statistics to handle more complex problems.
Specialised Roles
As you acquire expertise in data analytics, you can pick a specific specialisation. For instance, you can become a business intelligence analyst who focuses on creating compelling reports and dashboards. Additionally, you can become a data scientist who can develop models and algorithms to solve complex business problems.
Climbing the Ladder to Advanced Roles
With a strong portfolio and years of experience, you can progress into advanced or leadership roles. These top-tier positions include analytics manager, lead data analyst, or even chief data officer, where you will guide the team and build data strategies for businesses.
Continuous Learning and Professional Development
The data analytics field is continuously evolving, so staying abreast of the latest developments is crucial. Keep updating your skills through advanced certifications, follow industry-related blogs, and stay informed on emerging technologies, tools, and trends to stay relevant and competitive throughout your career.
Data Analytics: Top Roles & Offered Salaries in India
In India, the data analytics market is experiencing significant growth, which is greatly contributing to the soaring demand for data analytics professionals. While the exact salary depends on the location, company, expertise, and specialisation, here is a list of top roles with expected salaries in the field.
Data Analytics Roles | Salary Range (Per Year) |
Entry-level data analyst | ₹3,50,000 to ₹5,00,000 |
Data analyst | ₹4,00,000 to ₹8,00,000 |
Senior data analyst | ₹8,00,000 to ₹22,00,000 |
Data analytics manager | ₹24,00 000 to ₹26,00,000 |
Business intelligence analyst | ₹5,50,000 to ₹11,00,000 |
Data engineer | ₹6,00,000 to ₹15,00,000 |
Marketing analyst | ₹1,80,000 to ₹14,00,000 |
Data architect | ₹22,00,000 to ₹60,00,000 |
Data scientist | ₹4,00,000 to ₹29,00,000 |
Machine learning engineer | ₹8,00,000 to ₹23,00,000 |
Data analytics consultant | ₹6,50,000 to ₹24,40,000 |
Educational Requirements for a Career in Data Analytics
A career in data analytics requires a combination of practical skills and formal education, which we will discuss in this section. The key is to build a strong foundation in the field and keep your technical skills updated continuously.
Formal Education & Certifications
- Bachelor’s Degree: Most data analytics jobs at the entry level require a bachelor’s degree. Although a degree in any discipline is acceptable (with necessary technical training), a background in quantitative fields like mathematics, statistics, computer science, or economics can be highly beneficial.
- Master’s Degree: A master’s degree in business analytics or data science can give you a competitive edge. These field provides in-depth knowledge in advanced topics like machine learning, predictive modelling, and data analysis techniques, which are essential for leadership roles.
- Professional Certification: Earning an advanced certification in a data analytics course can validate your expertise and position you as an attractive asset to potential employers. Karmick Institute is one of the top IT coaching institutes in India, offering high-quality, practical training in data analytics with IIT Guwahati certification.
Start Building Your Data Analytics Career Today!
We hope this data analytics career path answered all your questions about the field, demand, salaries, and how to start your journey to become a successful data professional.
Now, it is time for you to take the right step towards building a rewarding data analytics career.
If you don’t know where to begin, we can help you every step of the way.
From a free counselling session to understand your career goals, giving you practical training on top data analytics tools, to helping you land your dream job through our 100% placement support, we can get you there.
Call us today to kickstart your data analytics career: 9836423755 | 6289562294 | 8910945693
FAQs
Are data analysts in demand in India?
Yes, data analysts are in very high demand in India. The country is going through a rapid digital transformation and is facing a significant skills shortage, which is contributing to a massive data analytics job openings across various sectors.
Is coding required for data analytics?
Although some level of coding knowledge is required for data analytics, you can start with spreadsheet tools like Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Note, handling large datasets and performing advanced analytics requires knowledge of coding languages such as Python, R, or SQL.
How do I become a data analyst?
You need to acquire key skills like SQL, Python/R, and data visualisation skills from a reliable IT institution like Karmick Institute. In collaboration with E&ICT Academy- IIT Guwahati, we offer an industry-standard data analytics course led by domain experts. We train you on real-world projects, offer advanced IIT Guwahati certification, and provide 100% placement assistance, transforming you into an expert data analyst in 5 months.
Will AI replace data analysts?
No, AI will not replace data analysts. Rather, this cutting-edge technology will help data analysts automate repetitive tasks and allow them to focus more on strategic tasks to extract high-level insights from datasets.
Which language is required for a data analyst?
SQL is the most critical language for any data analyst as it helps them to work with databases. In addition, Python and R are widely used for statistical analysis and building complex models.
Which course is best for a data analyst?
The best course for data analysts is one that includes a mix of theory and practical projects. At Karmick Institute, we follow a ‘learning by doing’ approach where we make every student work on real-world projects to strengthen their theoretical knowledge. Whether a beginner or a professional, our curriculum seamlessly navigates you from foundational concepts to advanced topics in 5 months.
How much does data analytics training cost?
The fee for the data analytics course depends on the program you select, i.e. TechMaster and TechMaster Pro. The TechMaster course is ₹50,000 (wherein you earn Karmick Institute Professional Certification upon completion), whereas TechMaster Pro costs ₹70,000, where you secure prestigious certification from E&ICT Academy-IIT Guwahati and Karmick Institute. We offer flexible payment options with a 0% EMI facility.
What is the best way to learn data analytics?
The best method to learn data analytics is through project-based learning, along with an advanced certification that validates your skills. At Karmick Institute, we not only train you on real-world projects to strengthen your knowledge but also offer IIT Guwahati certification to boost your resume and career prospects.
Should I learn R or Python for data analytics?
Python is recommended for beginners as it is a general-purpose language and more versatile, with a smoother learning curve. However, if you are interested in in-depth statistical analysis and research, learning R is beneficial.
What is the salary of a data analyst?
The salary of a data analyst depends on factors like experience, location, and the specific industry. However, in India, the salary range of a data analyst is ₹4 to ₹8 Lakhs per year, with experienced professionals earning more than ₹15 Lakhs annually.