Whether it’s intentional or not, digital marketers tend to get a lot of the limelight. They are often credited with finding innovative solutions to consumer problems that boost the bottom lines of organisations. They’re the glitzy rockstars of a company.
But. As with all great bands, every member plays their part in creating a classic. What could be considered the unsung heroes of the marketing world, are the data analysts working hard behind the scenes. If you’re naturally curious, have a strong mathematical brain and enjoy solving problems, well, becoming a data analyst might just be the best decision you’ve ever made!
Data analysts are hugely in-demand. All-size businesses are heavily reliant on data to measure performance indicators and strategise their marketing efforts. Plus, data analytics is a field that boasts very competitive salaries and as of 2022, you don’t need a degree to get started, so there’s nothing stopping you!
We’ve compiled a list of the best online data analytics courses that you can start today, but before we jump into that, let’s recap on what data analytics is and how it’s used.
What is data analytics?
Data analytics refers to the methodology of extracting raw data and transforming it into actionable insights. These newly comprehensible insights are then used to inform decisions on company strategies, such as marketing or production.
For a deep dive into data analytics and the different types, check out our Ultimate Guide on Data Analytics.
How is data analytics used?
Data analytics is used across almost every industry, from the financial sector to healthcare and retail. Anywhere that data is being collected will require the need for skilled analysts to interpret, organise and present it.
The job of a data analyst is to find trends, answer questions and draw conclusions to help companies meet consumer-related objectives like targeting or retention. Read this guide on data analyst career paths to find out the types of roles you can expect to find across different sectors.
Courses for Data Analytics
Now that we’re all caught up let’s look at our picks for where you can learn to become a data analyst and get a headstart on your new career path.
Growth Tribe’s Data Fundamentals Certificate
This flexible online course teaches students the fundamentals of data analytics and acts as the perfect starting point for beginners looking to change or advance their careers.
Over 5 modules you’ll learn about:
- The different types of data, algorithms, data citizenship (ethically gathering, using, sharing and managing data) and data transformation.
- You’ll touch on data warehousing, various experimental methods such as A/B testing and how to design experiments.
- Finally, the course takes you through what it means to visualise data using design tools and how these are used in the wider business operation.
The 5 modules total around 15 hours of learning and cost €995 upfront or you can choose to pay via instalments.
Request for more info or enrol on the Data Fundamentals course here
Want to take your learning further? Check out our courses for Data Visualisation & Storytelling and Business Analytics courses too.
(Note - for eligible EU citizens, you may be eligible for STAP governmental funding which pays for the entire cost of this course! Find out more here)
Coursera: Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
Google offer a robust learning programme to grasp the basics of data analytics and how to use data analytics platforms and tools such as SQL, Tableau and R Programming. This beginners course shows the day-to-day processes used by junior analysts, equipping you with the skills to start an entry-level position upon completion of the course.
Over the 4 modules, you’ll learn how to:
- Use key analytical skills such as data cleaning and data visualisation. You’ll learn about data analytics tools like R, SQL and spreadsheets.
- Explore real-world business scenarios to understand how the right kinds of questions produce data-driven decisions.
- Finally, the course will take you through the different types of data and how to identify patterns and relationships between data sets and clean data for reporting.
The course contains over 180 hours of mixed learning including practical assessments and video tutorials and estimates the course length at 6 months with a 10-hour weekly commitment.
Although the course is free to enrol in, Coursera does charge a $39 monthly subscription fee.
Find the course here
Udacity: Data Analyst Nanodegree
This course from Udacity is aimed at students with prerequisite knowledge of Python and SQL looking to advance their programming skills. The course contains 4 modules spread over 4 months at 10 hours of commitment per week.
You’ll learn about:
- Data analysis processes such as data wrangling, analysing and presenting data through the exploration of weather trends, curated using NumPy and Panda.
- Learn statistical analysis methods to interpret large data sets
- Use Python to gather, assess and clean data (wrangling) for analysis.
- Use data visualisation methods to find insights that tell a story
The course has an active community for support and you’ll benefit from 1-1 mentoring from the instructors, as well as access to Github’s portfolio review for career advancement.
The course costs around €1499 but they do offer a fixed discount if you opt for upfront payment rather than instalments.
Find out more about Udacity’s Data Analyst Nanodegree here
Thinkful: Data Analytics Bootcamp
This intensive course from Thinful is designed to take you from beginner to job-ready in 4-6 months with the support of academic and career coaches to aid your job search. Although there are no prerequisites to join the course, you will however need to have some spare cash.
This course is one of the more expensive offerings, with options to pay for full-time learning upfront at a cool $12,250 with a 50-hour weekly commitment or part-time learning at $8,000 and a 20-30 hour weekly commitment.
The price is reflected in the depth of content here, throughout the course you’ll receive 1:1 coaching and mentorship across 7 key areas:
- Excel foundations
- Storytelling with Data
- SQL Foundation
- Tableau
- Business Research
- Python Foundations
- Capstone Phase (building a final project and assessment)
The course materials are text-based so fans of video tutorials should consider this when applying.
Find out more about Thinkful’s Data Analytics Bootcamp here
Coursera: Excel to MySQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization
Offered via Duke University, this beginner course is designed to teach students how to solve business challenges using the tools and methods of data analytics. The course can be taken at a more flexible pace with a suggested 4 hours per week over 7 months.
Over 5 courses you’ll learn:
- Best practices for how data analytics drives business growth and revenue, as well as the different roles of analysts
- Design and implement predictive models using foundational Excel methods
- How to analyse and communicate data using data visualisation methods with Tableau
- Complete a Capstone project for a real estate company
Interestingly, the official sponsor for the course is no other than Airbnb, where the top 10 students each year will have the opportunity to present their work to senior data scientists for feedback. Pretty cool.
Although the course is free to enrol in, Coursera does charge a $39 monthly subscription fee.
Find out more about Excel to SQL: Analytic Techniques for Business Specialization here
LinkedIn Learning: Become a Data Analyst
This course from LinkedIn is perfect if you’re curious to know more about data analytics but aren’t quite ready to fully commit. It’s free and teaches students the fundamentals of data analytics right from the definition itself to understanding what tools and methods are used by experts.
There are 13 courses in total rolled out over 38 hours of content.
Some of the topics covered include:
- The non-technical skills required for effective data analysts
- Using Excel to perform analyses and how to visualise and describe data
- SQL and managing data sets
While there are no hands-on projects, there are quizzes to assess your knowledge and a Q&A section to ask questions to the course instructors.
Find out more about LinkedIn’s: Become a Data Analyst course here
Other resources
Udemy offer plenty of courses on data analytics, these tend to be much shorter (as little as 1 hour) but their low-cost means you can bundle a few courses together for effective learning.
We’ve mentioned Coursera and their data analytics courses but you can explore their full library here.
If you’d prefer to read up on data analytics to get a feel for it, check out this article ‘The 10 Best Data Science Blogs to Follow’, from Tableau.
CareerFoundry provides an introduction to data analytics on their Youtube channel, see it here.
Wrapping up
We’ve covered some of the best online data analytics courses here that offer different methods of learning, price points and course lengths. Hopefully, we’ve helped narrow your search as you look forward to an exciting future!
Data analytics continues to grow as one of the most in-demand professions and the skill gap means businesses are crying out for talented analysts. Will you be the one to step up?
