In the year 2021, around 79 zettabytes of data was produced globally. This valuable data contains important information that is highly useful to businesses. It offers insights into consumer behavior, market trends and a lot more but to extract all this information, data needs to be analyzed.
It is this essential step that makes data analytics such a useful and in-demand job field. Now, when it comes to data engineering and analytics, the question that arises is can engineers become data analysts?
The answer to this query is simple- becoming a data analyst is an easy transition for engineers who are already equipped with the necessary technical knowledge and have the required background in physics and mathematics.
An easy switch for engineers
Data analytics is a booming field that has sparked the interest of people from various sectors. A career in data analytics is professionally very rewarding and comes with excellent opportunities and good remuneration.
While professionals from various backgrounds are pulled to data analytics, this field is highly suitable for engineers. Students of mechanical engineering in particular are a perfect fit for this job role as they already have expertise in machine learning.
Engineers can easily switch roles and make a lucrative career in the field of data analytics which is growing 11% higher than any other occupation according to the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Engineers have an edge in data analytics
Data science is a field that combines various expertise such as statistics, domain expertise, mathematics, programming skills and more. These skills are used to extract useful information from large volumes of data and gain valuable insights that the business can use.
There is a wide range of tools that are used in data analytics which engineers will find easy to handle as they are used to handling tools for machine control, hardware design and more.
The field of data science is heavily influenced by technology which includes an update in software and also changes in artificial intelligence. Engineers also have an advantage here because they are more accustomed to using technology as part of their academic learning. Though, engineering technologies do not undergo frequent changes.
A great benefit that engineers can enjoy is that data scientists do not necessarily require a masters or doctorate to get ahead professionally. With a degree in engineering, one can ace interviews easily and be in a good position for suitable job roles.
Why choose data analytics?
Data analytics is a career field that is growing at an exponential rate. Given the role that data plays in helping businesses make all important decisions, it is no surprise that the demand for data scientists will continue to grow in the future.
From big brands to agencies and even startups look for data analysts whose skills can be used to boost business processes further. Every company collects data to find useful information on its customers.
This information carries insights that form a crucial element of business strategies. It is the work of a data analyst to identify patterns in the insights gained from data and look for useful opportunities that can help the company perform better.
In the changing business landscape, the role of data analyst has become very crucial as businesses depend on them to stay ahead in the competition.
by Nandita Kaushal