How to Shift a Career From IT to Analytics?

Being a techie, I honestly feel this is the best time to be alive. I’m not talking about just the scientific advancements around us such as the new and improved gadgets but diverse technologies too. Big Data analytics, for instance, has grown substantially in the last couple of years that every company – from startups to tech giants are now incorporating the technology into their everyday operations.

Apart from analytics, its allied sectors like the Internet of Things, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence have gained significant grounds. Around two years back, these were just buzzwords that made rounds on the internet, fascinating people with their potential. Today, it still fascinates us, with the only difference being that we have seen the magic of the technologies at work.

From a $2 billion industry, the Big Data analytics sector has grown eightfold to a $16 billion industry today. As it kept evolving, it has influenced the way things have been working across industries and silently shaping our future. Tons of job opportunities have been created and today, reports claim that around 50,000 vacancies are waiting to be filled by skilled data scientists.

If you’ve been following the news, I’m also sure that you must be aware of the news on the layoffs and retrenchments in the IT sector. With the conventional skills in IT becoming redundant, companies are doing away with IT professionals for good. This brings us to a situation, where we need to upskill to a skill that is in-demand right now and the one that’s actually forming a crucial part of analytics.

Analytics has helped IT professionals break away from a stagnating career, less rewarding jobs, nonauthoritative job profiles and frustrating work environments by giving voice to their opinions and making them inevitable at a workplace. For those of you who’re serious about quitting your job or growing in your career, Big Data analytics is the most practical way forward. I’m sure you would have read tons of blogs and videos on why analytics will offer you the best pay checks, work-life balance, and a solid career path.

But what still remains unclear is the way to go about switching from IT to analytics. For most of us, this is a huge step and requires careful consideration of several factors. To help you deal with paranoia on mid-career shifts, we’ve compiled the simplest way to switch from IT to analytics. Check them out.

Understand your skills better

Not everyone has the same skill sets, strengths, and shortcomings. Each of us has a core skill set that we are a master at and it’s crucial for you to realize your strength before you actually decide to switch to analytics. Now, understand that the analytics industry is very niche. There are tons of different responsibilities available for you to take up. So, the more niche your skills are, the better your growth will be. If you feel coding is your cup of tea, you can become an SAS, R or Python specialist; if logical reasoning and statistics are your strength, focus on specializing in Data Science, where you’ll be responsible for talking to data, understanding patterns and finding insights on a myriad of things.

To understand where you would best fit in the industry, we suggest you go through our Analytics Industry report 2017. The comprehensive report will offer you insights on the right skills you should master, the best city to work for the skill, the paycheck, growth opportunities and more.

Think like a Visionary

When you’re working on the right skills for the industry, also consider the pace at which analytics is evolving right now. Do not take a tunnel-vision approach to learning analytics but see the bigger picture. As I said, besides analytics, IoT, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are also evolving. So, in future, look at the scope of your career beyond analytics. See which course will take you the furthest in the ladder and how you can lay the foundation today for a solid career path. Data is the new currency and the basis for everything today. Robotics, connected devices, neural networks and other complex technologies are built on data and that’s exactly why you should not just limit yourself to a career shift today but a career path for tomorrow.

Take up a course

You cannot switch to a career in analytics by just understanding where your strengths lie. You need to work on them, refine them and become industry ready. That can happen only if you take up an analytics course and learn analytics the right way. Taking up a course will allow you to understand the industry better, get to know more about the requirements, teach you the analytics tools, get a clear picture of the different job roles, and prepare you for your role. Besides, only a course can make you work on case studies and give you opportunities to get hands on with real-time industry data and work on projects like you would in the industry. The more practical exposure you get, the more familiar you become with the industry.

Since you will be working on data and information that will course the way forward for your business, you will have to get the right industry exposure even before you join. So, taking up an analytics course is the best way to switch from IT to analytics. When you learn, you will also understand how different the industry from IT is and fine-tune yourself accordingly.

The opportunities are right here right now. So, no matter if you’re a fresher or a professional with 10 years of experience in IT, don’t get stuck at where you are. Don’t miss out the biggest technological revolution of our times and instead, capitalize on it. Consider these points, switch to analytics, and take your career where it deserves to be. Good luck!

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