Every company — from startups to banks — needs people who can turn data into decisions. That makes data analysis one of the most accessible tech careers for graduates from commerce, science, engineering or arts backgrounds.
What a data analyst does
- Collects and cleans data from different sources
- Builds reports and dashboards
- Finds trends and explains them in simple language
- Helps teams decide what to do next
Skills to learn – in this order
- Advanced Excel: formulas, pivot tables, charts
- SQL: SELECT, JOIN, GROUP BY, basic window functions
- A BI tool: Power BI or Tableau
- Statistics basics: averages, distributions, correlation
- Python (pandas): once the first four are comfortable
- Communication: explaining insights clearly to non-technical people
Beginner projects for your resume
- Sales dashboard from a public retail dataset
- HR attrition analysis with recommendations
- Cricket or movie statistics analysis — anything you enjoy
- A short write-up for each: question, method, insight
Typical career path
| Stage | Common titles | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | MIS executive, junior data analyst, reporting analyst | Reports, data cleaning, dashboards |
| Mid | Data analyst, business analyst, product analyst | Insights, stakeholder work, SQL depth |
| Senior | Senior/lead analyst, analytics manager | Owning metrics, mentoring, strategy |
| Specialise | Data scientist, data engineer, BI developer | Modelling, pipelines, platforms |
How to get your first role
- Put projects and tools at the top of your resume
- Apply for MIS and reporting roles too — they are great entry points
- Prepare for a practical SQL or Excel test in interviews
Related: Switching from non-IT to IT · Active jobs · For employers: hire data analysts