As a certified data analyst, you can work in various industries with the potential for a competitive salary and career progression. Learn more about data analyst careers.
If you enjoy working with data to clarify issues and solve problems, you might consider a career as a data analyst. But, while data analytics is a rapidly-expanding field with plenty of job opportunities, it can sometimes be difficult to stand out from the crowded applicant pool when you're just starting out or trying to get to the next stage of your career
Enter data analytics certifications. As a certified data analyst, you'll possess a credential that demonstrates your preparedness for a potential role, continuing education efforts, or a unique skill set you may possess.
In this article, you'll learn more about what it means to be a certified data analyst, common tasks they perform in the workplace, and how to become a certified data analyst yourself. Afterward, if you're interested in gaining a data analyst certificate, consider enrolling in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate.
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A certified data analyst is a data analyst who has completed a certificate or certification program. These data professionals help organizations reach their goals by collecting, reviewing, and analyzing large amounts of "big data." Their primary job is to find patterns or trends in data so that organizations can set goals and develop a plan to improve their performance.
There are two ways to become a certified data analyst: (1) by completing a certificate program, such as the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate, which indicates that you've completed a particular course of study, or (2) by successfully completing a certification exam, such as the one you must take to obtain the Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification, which indicates your ability to work with a specific set of tools, protocols, or professional frameworks.
In other words, to become a certified data analyst, you either need to complete a job-relevant educational program that awards a certificate upon completion or take and pass an exam that tests your competency with specific data analysis tools or skills.
As a certified data analyst, you'll be tasked with analyzing data to identify trends and patterns that equip organizations with the actionable insights they need to make strategic decisions. While your day-to-day tasks will vary from one organization to another, some common responsibilities include the following:
Apply statistical models to analyze data
Create data visualizations to convey findings to stake holders
Build and maintain databases
Collect and organize data
Clean data
Communicate findings
Review and analyze data
Search data sets for patterns and trends
Use tools to display data
From marketing and sales to social media and investment banking, you can find data professionals in almost any imaginable field.
According to the US BLS, these are some of the industries with the highest concentration of data professionals: computer systems design and related services (11%); insurance carriers and related activities (10%); management of companies and enterprises (9%); management, scientific, and technical consulting services (6%); and scientific research and development services (5%) [2].
Data analysts are both well-paid for their skill sets and are in high demand from employers.
According to Glassdoor, data analysts earn an average base salary of $86,038 a year in the United States [2]. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), meanwhile, projects that the number of jobs for data scientists – the job category under which data analysts fall – will grow by 36 percent between 2023 and 2033. That's significantly higher than the just 4 percent growth projected for all jobs in the country during the same period [3].
Adding to this rosy outlook, research from the US BLS also indicates that certification can have a positive impact on a worker's earning potential and employment rate [4,5]. This means that certification may increase both your earning potential as a data analyst and your competitiveness within the job market.
Data analysts possess a unique skill set that could prepare them for a variety of other positions. At a glance, here are some of the jobs that some certified data analysts may also be able to pursue:
Business Intelligence Analyst: $101,695 per year
Data Scientist: $118,399 per year
Data Engineer: $106,636 per year
Marketing Analyst: $106,579 per year
Market Researcher: $62,805 per year
Operations Research Analyst: $68,025 per year
Note: Pay data is taken from Glassdoor and represents annual base salaries for each position as of February 2025.
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To become a certified data analyst, you'll need to build up your data analysis skills. Then, you'll have to deepen your ability to work with specific tools and protocols that align with your role. Below, we explore these steps in greater detail so that you can have a better sense of what to expect on your professional journey toward becoming a certified data analyst.
Although it's possible to get a job as a data analyst without a college degree, many data professionals have a bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or economics. However, some employers prefer candidates who majored in data analysis rather than these related fields.
In some cases, you may be able to qualify for an entry-level data job by completing a data analyst certification program. In that sense, the fastest path to becoming a certified data analyst is to simply complete a certification program. Nonetheless, keep in mind that many employers prefer candidates with a college degree, so lacking one may impact your job opportunities.
Read more: What Degree Do I Need to Become a Data Analyst?
To prepare for a career in the field and develop the expertise you'll need to pass various certification exams, consider building the following skills:
Critical thinking: Data analysts must be able to look at large quantities of data and decipher patterns while predicting future trends. This skill can help you look at things from multiple perspectives to see the bigger picture.
Communication: Not only do data analysts have to be able to review and analyze data, but they also must effectively communicate their findings to their superiors. Communicating your findings to others in an easy-to-understand way is essential.
Data visualization: Being able to take large amounts of data and conceptualize it in a digestible manner is important to the work of a data analyst. This includes learning how to choose appropriate data visualizations for specific audiences.
Mathematics: Data analysts work closely with numbers and data trends, making math an essential skill in your tool belt.
Microsoft Excel: Excel is a spreadsheet software commonly used in data analytics. Proficiency with this software can appeal to potential employers and help you in your day-to-day work as a data analyst.
Query languages: Data analysts' most common query languages include SQL and SAS. You use these languages to give computers instructions for collecting and analyzing data.
Programming languages: knowledge of various programming languages, such as R and Python, can be helpful with data visualization, cleansing, and analysis.
AI: A growing number of tools, like Microsoft Copilot, help streamline the data analysis process so you can glean quick insights.
Read more: 7 Skills Every Data Scientist Should Have
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Work experience is a great way to hone your skill set as a data analyst. In fact, many certificate exams either recommend or actually require that you possess a certain amount of professional work experience to take the test.
Early career professionals may consider gaining an entry-level data position or pursuing an internship. These kinds of experiences can help you build job-critical skills that matter to employers and certificate programs.
Read more: Entry-Level Data Analyst: What They Do + How to Get Started
You can choose from various certificate programs available to aspiring data analysts. Here are some certifications and certificates that you might consider exploring:
Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate
IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate
Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification
AWS Certified Data Analytics certification
SAS Statistical Business Analyst Professional Certificate
Microsoft Certified Azure Data Scientist Associate
CompTIA Data Analytics Plus certification
Read more: 6 Popular Data Analytics Certifications
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Once you have your certifications, it’s time to start looking for jobs!
Data analytics is a rapidly growing field with a high demand for workers, so there are numerous jobs available. However, consider what different data analyst roles will offer you in terms of growth and career progression.
You may start your career in an entry-level position where you can develop your programming and data analysis skills before moving to more advanced positions. Understanding the career progression of a data analyst can help you decide if it's a field you want to pursue. Here are some roles to consider:
Data scientist: This non-specialized field typically comes after an entry-level data analyst position. Data science will enhance and advance your knowledge of basic programming, mathematics, and machine learning skills to increase your overall confidence in analytics.
Specialist positions: Specialists work in more specific data analytics or science fields like health care or finance. Moving to a specialist position will allow you to develop a particular expertise after building a more general foundation.
Management positions: More than anything else, these are leadership roles. Management positions are more demanding than other data analyst positions and, therefore, may require a higher level of education or additional certifications.
Consulting positions: Have you ever wanted to be your own boss? If yes, consulting might be where you want to go. In a consulting role, you could work with various clients in different fields of expertise, mainly working freelance in a flexible, less specialized manner. You will need several years of experience to develop expertise in general analytic fields to do this work.
To become a certified data analyst, you'll need the right mix of knowledge, skills, and experience. Start building your data analytics abilities today through one of these programs on Coursera:
For foundational data analytics abilities, take the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate. In this beginner-level program, you'll gain an immersive understanding of entry-level data analytics practices and processes, explore how to clean and organize data for analysis, and learn key analytical skills and tools like spreadsheets, SQL, and R programming.
To prepare for Microsoft's Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification, enroll in the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate. There, you'll learn how to use Power BI to connect to data sources, create compelling reports and dashboards, and transform data into meaningful insights. Plus, you'll prepare for Microsoft's industry-recognized certification exam for Power BI.
For data analysis and visualization skills, explore the Microsoft Data Visualization Professional Certificate. In this beginner-friendly program, you'll learn how to prepare and transform data sets, create data visualizations, and build data models.
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Lightcast. "2023 Stanford AI Index Report, https://lightcast.io/resources/blog/demand-for-ai-skills-continues-climbing." Accessed September 16, 2024.
Glassdoor. "Data Analyst Salaries, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/data-analyst-salary-SRCH_KO0,12.htm." Accessed February 11, 2025.
US BLS. "Occupational Outlook Handbook: Data Scientists, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/data-scientists.htm." Accessed February 11, 2025.
US BLS. "Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by certification and licensing status and selected characteristics, 2023 annual averages, https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat50.htm." Accessed February 11, 2025.
US BLS. "Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by certification and licensing status and occupation, 2024 annual averages, https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat55.htm." Accessed February 11, 2025.
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