Top 10 Data Analyst certifications to boost you analytics career
Data Analysis is one of the fastest-growing fields all over the world. Presumably, the worldwide Data Analysis market will reach $77.64 billion by 2023.
We are generating enormous amounts of data online every day. This data has no utility until a data analyst generates valuable insights from it. That can help in a better user experience.
The Data Analyst field is new. The technology and tools used in this field changes within a few years. So, there are very few 3 – 4 years university programs available for this field.
In the absence of a degree, it is a big challenge for employers to judge a candidate.
In that case, certification emerges as one of the criteria to judge a candidate. There are lots and lots of certificate providers out there. Some are better than others.
But do you really need a certificate to be a data analyst?
The answer is No. It is the skills that matter the most.
You can learn all the skills needed to be a data analyst separately too. Udemy provides excellent courses on MS Excel, SQL, R, Python, Machine learning, deep learning, etc.
For example, more than 1 million students learned these skills from Start-tech Academy, which provides over 40 courses on Udemy with 4.5 ratings on many of their courses. You will also earn the certificate by completing a course.
But having a certificate will not hurt your chances. To be certified, you have to learn the skills. You have to take the exam (generally a part of the certification) through which you will be able to test the skills you have learned.
If you decide to get certified, which certificate should you get?
Here are the ten most valuable certifications for a data analyst according to us:
- Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
- IBM Data Analytics Professional Certificate
- Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate
- Associate Certified Analytics Professional
- Certified Analytics Professional
- SAS Certified Data Analytics
- AWS Certified Data Analytics
- EMC Proven Professional Data Scientist Associate (EMCDSA)
- Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences (by Columbia University)
- Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst
1. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
Google designed this course to prepare you for a new career in data analytics from scratch.
You will get this certificate after the completion of 8 courses. Throughout these courses, you will gain skills that prepare you for an entry-level job. You will learn from Google employees whose foundations in data analytics served as launch pads for their own careers. At under 10 hours per week, you can complete the certificate in less than 6 months.
Required Skill Level: Beginner level
Organization: Google
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required (There are quizzes and tests between the courses. You need to complete those tests to get the certificate)
Duration: 6 Months
Price: 39 USD/month through Coursera (completing this course in 6 months will cost 234 USD)
Skill Learned:Google Spreadsheets, SQL, R programming, Data Cleansing, Data Analysis, Data Visualization (DataViz),Questioning, Decision-Making, Problem Solving, Metadata, Data Collection, Data Ethics, Sample Size Determination.
Other points to consider:
- Nowadays python programming language is getting more popular for data analysis. But this certificate includes R programming language, which is now less popular for data analysis.
- They work on Google spreadsheet but not on excel sheet.
2. IBM Data Analytics Professional Certificate
In this course, you’ll work with various data sources, project scenarios, and data analysis tools, including Excel, SQL, Python, Jupyter Notebooks, and Cognos Analytics, gaining practical experience with data manipulation and applying analytical techniques.
This Professional Certificate does not need any prior programming or statistical skills.
Throughout the program, you’ll complete hands-on projects and labs. You’ll gain a firm grasp of the technical skills.
Required Skill Level: Beginner level
Organization: IBM
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required (There are quizzes and tests between the courses. You need to complete those tests to get the certificate)
Duration: approx 11 months
Price: 39 USD per month through Coursera
Total: approx 429 USD.
Skill Learned:
Tools for Data Science, Data Science Methodology, Python for Data Science, Databases and SQL for Data Science, Data Analysis with Python, Data Visualization with Python, Machine Learning with Python, Applied Data Science Capstone.
Other points to consider: Duration of this course is 11 months and It is a lot of time to invest. There are other courses available which teach the same skills but in very less time.
3. Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate
Microsoft offers one of the leading data analyst certifications. The Data Analyst Associate is an ideal certificate for people who want to become data analysts. You need to pass the DA-100 exam to get the certification.
Required Skill Level: Beginner level
Organization: Microsoft
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required (Exam DA-100: Analyzing Data with Microsoft Power BI)
Duration: Self-paced. You can give the exam right away without spending any time on learning
Price: Price based on the country.
US: 165* USD.
Skill Learned: Get Started with Microsoft Data Analytics, Prepare Data for Analysis, Model Data in Power BI, Visualize Data in Power BI, Data Analysis in Power BI, Manage Workspaces and Datasets in Power BI.
4. Associate Certified Analytics Professional
The Associate Certified Analytics Professional is made for an entry-level analytics professional.
Required Skill Level: Hold a MA/MS in related area, Less than 3 years of professional experience
Organization: INFORMS
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required ( aCAP exam)
Duration: 4 months
Price for aCAP: 200 USD – INFORMS Members, 300 USD – Nonmembers
Skill Learned: Business problem framing, Analytics problem framing, Data, Methodology selection, Model building, Deployment, and Lifecycle management.
5. Certified Analytics Professional
The CAP certification is a trusted, independent verification of critical technical expertise. It also provides soft skills to accomplished analytics and data science professionals. Analytics-oriented organizations value this certification.
Required Skill Level: Hold a MA/MS in related area, More than 3 years of professional
Organization: INFORMS
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required (CAP exam)
Duration: Self-paced. You can give the exam right away without spending any time on learning.
Price for CAP Exam: 495 USD for INFORMS members. 695 USD for nonmembers; team pricing available for organizations
Skill Learned: End-to-end understanding of the analytics process, From framing business and analytic problems to acquiring data, Methodology, model building, Deployment, and Model lifecycle management.
6. SAS Certified Data Analytics
For individuals who want to analyze big data with a variety of statistical analyses. And who uses predictive modeling techniques.
Successful candidates should have experience in the following areas:
Machine learning and predictive modeling techniques, Application of machine learning and predictive modeling techniques to big, distributed and in-memory data sets, Pattern detection, Experimentation in business, Optimization techniques, Time series forecasting.
Required Skill Level: Advanced level
Organization: SAS
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required
- SAS® Certified Predictive Modeler
- Certified Specialist: Advanced Predictive Modeling
- SAS Specialist: Text Analytics, Time Series, Experimentation and Optimization
Duration: Self-paced. You can give the exams right away without spending any time on learning.
Price:
The fees for the three mandatory exams mentioned above are:
250 USD for the first one and 180 USD each for the others, bringing the total to 610 USD.
Skill Learned: Machine learning, Modeling techniques, Optimization techniques, Time series forecasting, and other core areas.
7. AWS Certified Data Analytics
AWS Certified Data Analytics is for individuals who have experience in AWS services. It is for individuals who can design, build, secure, and maintain analytics solutions.
To earn this certification, you’ll need to take and pass the AWS DAS-C01 exam.
Required Skill Level:
2 years of experience with AWS. Additionally 5 years of experience with data analytics technologies
Organization: Amazon
Exam: Required (AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam)
Price: The certification exam costs 300 USD.
Other points to consider: Amazon AWS doesn’t provide any training as a part of the certificate.
8. EMC Proven Professional Data Scientist Associate (EMCDSA)
The course in this learning path provides practical foundation-level training that enables immediate and effective participation in big data and other analytics projects.
The Data Science and Big Data Analytics course prepares you for Data Scientist Associate v2 (DCA-DS) Certification.
It is not mandatory to enroll in their course to earn the certificate. You can independently take the exam.
Required Skill Level: Advanced
Organization: Dell EMC Education Services
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: DEA-7TT2
Duration: Self-Paced. There are on demand classes for preparation.
Price: 230 USD for exam voucher, 1500 USD for on demand classes.
Skill Learned:
- Introduction to Big Data analytics
- Data Analytics Life Cycle
- Basic data analytics methods using R
- Advanced analytics theory and methods
- Advanced analytics—technology and tools
- Data visualization techniques
Other points to consider:
- Nowadays python programming language is getting more popular for data analysis. But this certificate includes R programming language, which is now less popular for data analysis.
9. Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences (by Columbia University)
This program is offered by Columbia University.
You need to complete at least 12 credits to get this certification. It is a non-degree, part-time program.
It include four required courses:
1. Algorithms for Data Science
2. Probability and Statistics for Data Science
3. Machine Learning for Data Science
4. Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization.
Required Skill Level: Beginner level
Organization: Columbia University
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required ( There are quizzes and tests in the courses. You need to complete those tests to get the certificate)
Duration: 12 credit hours (roughly 1 semester)
Price: 2,196 USD per credit + a technology fee of 395 USD per course, which is non-refundable.
Total: 31,092 USD
Skill Learned:
Algorithms for Data Science:
- Prerequisites: Basic knowledge in programming, a basic grounding in calculus and linear algebra.
Probability and Statistics:
- Prerequisite: Calculus.
Machine Learning:
- Prerequisites: Background in linear algebra and probability and statistics.
Exploratory Data Analysis and Visualization:
- Prerequisites: Programming.
Other points to consider: This is the most expensive certificate in this list. You can consider other options if you don’t want to spend this much money on this certificate.
10. Cloudera Certified Associate Data Analyst
In this course, you will learn data analytics and business intelligence skills. You will learn to access, manipulate, transform, and analyze complex data sets. You will perform these tasks with the help of SQL and familiar scripting languages.
Required Skill Level: Beginner level
Organization: Cloudera
Course Delivery: Online
Exam: Required (CCA Data Analyst exam)
Duration: Self-paced. You can give the exam right away without spending any time on learning.
Price: The exam price is 295 USD. It will cost you 3,195 USD for virtual classes and 2,235 USD for on-demand.
Skill Learned:
- Apache Hadoop Fundamentals
- Introduction to Apache Hive and Impala
- Querying with Apache Hive and Impala
- Common Operators and Built-In Functions
- Data Management
- Data Storage and Performance
- Working with Multiple Datasets
- Analytic Functions and Windowing
- Complex Data
- Analyzing Text
- Apache Hive Optimization
- Apache Impala Optimization
- Extending Apache Hive and Impala
- Choosing the Best Tool for the Job
Final thoughts:
All these certifications have a few things in common.They are all provided by reputed organizations. You can’t go wrong by choosing any of them. You should make your decision based on
- Where you want to be in your career.
- What area(s) of data analytics interest you
- Your experience level
- Your budget
If you do not want to be bound by the fixed curriculum and tools offered by the above programs and wish to curate your learning path by yourself, learning from Udemy is the best option. Udemy provides multiple courses taught by the best instructors around the world. To learn industry-relevant analytics and machine learning, you should consider Start-tech Academy’s analytics courses on Udemy. We have already taught more than a million students and have a 4.5 instructor rating on Udemy.
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