PL-300: Power BI Data Analyst

If you still get anxious thinking about math quizzes and stay far away from numbers-heavy fields, then data analytics might seem way out of your comfort zone. But here’s the thing your math teachers probably never told you: You don’t have to be a math whiz or a “numbers person” to work with data.

Data analytics is all about the process of collecting and analyzing data for insights. A Data Analyst often works with numerical data and stats, but that doesn’t mean they’re doing complicated arithmetic in their head. “In fact, you’ll come to find that a lot of data science is situating numbers in their context,” explains Michelle McSweeney, Codecademy’s Data Science Domain Manager. A Business Intelligence (BI) Data Analyst, for example, is someone who uses statistics and analytics to write reports and build dashboards that help organizations turn data into actionable insights.

In other words, a Data Analyst’s job is to figure out the story behind the numbers, and then use those numbers to answer questions.

BI Data Analysts have to be able to interpret and contextualize numbers so that a wide range of audiences and stakeholders can understand what they mean. This requires a high level of data literacy — a term which may sound intimidating, but just refers to an ability to read, understand, and leverage data. “Numbers without a story don’t tell us much,” Michelle says. “So if you consider yourself a ‘words person,’ you are probably in the right place, because the best analysts turn numbers into insights and stories.”

Think you may want to work with data? The good news is that nearly every industry uses data to deliver business insights and inform decisions. And if you want to get started right away, Codecademy’s new BI Data Analyst Career Path is the quickest (and lowest code!) route to a career in data analytics. You’ll dive into the types and quality of data, and why human oversight and critical consideration is essential in the world of data. Plus, we’ll teach you how to use the technical tools and programming languages that BI Data Analysts use. By the end, you’ll be ready for an entry-level job in the field.

Most importantly, the BI Data Analyst Career Path is made for those of us who are not “numbers people,” and we’ll guide you through everything you need to know in a practical, data-first way, Michelle says.