Collecting, organizing, analyzing and interpreting data plays a key role in running a business in the Digital Age that we live in. This is true not only for large corporations but also for startups. It is clear to all entrepreneurs that data is a powerful weapon and, if used wisely, it can help them achieve their goals faster and more effectively and outrun the competition.
Big data changes the way startups channel their efforts and the way they create their strategies. Data-driven metrics allow entrepreneurs to make more-informed decisions, to create result-driven marketing strategies, to increase sales and understand better their customers and the way their products address the customers’ needs and pains.
Data gives the answers to many questions that are important to startups because it clearly highlights if the company is going in the right direction. This is why the demand for experts, who can analyze data, is high and will grow in the upcoming years. The power of data for startups doesn’t stay unnoticed, which is why more and more entrepreneurs seek employees, who have data analysis knowledge and experience.
So, if you want to work at a startup (which is a very good idea), you need to build strong analytical skills. It doesn’t matter if you are joining the startup as a marketing professional, sales or finance expert, bridging the analytical skills gap is important. The demand for data analysis training is growing, and so does the supply of such courses. The following three specializations are a great starting point, to begin with polishing your data analysis skills.
Business Analytics Specialization on Coursera
Created by Wharton
“Make Data-Driven Business Decisions. Achieve fluency in business data strategies in four discipline-specific courses.”
Including 5 courses: Course 1 – Customer Analytics
Course 2 – Operations Analytics
Course 3 – People Analytics
Course 4 – Accounting Analytics
Course 5 – Business Analytics Capstone
Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach Specialization on Coursera
Created by PwC
“Make Smarter Business Decisions With Data Analysis. Understand data, apply data analytics tools and create effective business intelligence presentations.”
Including 5 courses: Course 1 – Data-driven Decision Making
Course 2 – Problem-Solving with Excel
Course 3 – Data Visualization with Advanced Excel
Course 4 – Effective Business Presentations with Powerpoint
Course 5 – Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach Final Project
Data Science Specialization on Coursera
Created by John Hopkins University
“Ask the right questions, manipulate data sets, and create visualizations to communicate results.”
Including 10 courses: Course 1 – The Data Scientist’s Toolbox
Course 2 – R Programming
Course 3 – Getting and Cleaning Data
Course 4 – Exploratory Data Analysis
Course 5 – Reproducible Research
Course 6 – Statistical Inference
Course 7 – Regression Models
Course 8 – Practical Machine Learning
Course 9 – Developing Data Products
Course 10 – Data Science Capstone
