Data & Analytics careers
Data roles turn messy information into decisions. Analysts answer business questions, data scientists build models, and data engineers build the pipelines that make it all possible.
You'll like it if you're curious, enjoy spotting patterns, and like backing up opinions with evidence.
8 roles in data & analytics
Data Analyst
Collects, cleans and analyzes data to answer business questions.
SQL · Excel/Sheets · Python or RBusiness Intelligence (BI) Analyst
Builds dashboards and reports that help teams track performance.
SQL · Tableau or Power BI · Data modelingData Scientist
Uses statistics and machine learning to find patterns and make predictions.
Statistics · Python (pandas, scikit-learn) · Experiment designData Engineer
Builds the pipelines and systems that move and store data reliably.
SQL · Python · ETL pipelinesAnalytics Engineer
Transforms raw data into clean, tested models analysts can trust.
SQL · dbt · Data modelingDatabase Administrator
Keeps databases fast, secure, backed up and available.
SQL · Backups & recovery · Performance tuningData Architect
Designs how an organization's data is structured, stored and governed.
Data modeling · Cloud architecture · GovernanceQuantitative Analyst
Applies math and programming to finance, pricing and risk.
Probability & statistics · Python · Financial concepts
Start here
- 1
Learn SQL first. It's the single most-requested data skill and easier than most people expect.
- 2
Pick a public dataset about something you care about (sports, music, your city) and answer one real question.
- 3
Publish your analysis with clear charts and a plain-English conclusion.
Related guides
Common questions
Data analyst vs data scientist: which should I start with?
Data analyst is the more common entry point. It focuses on SQL, spreadsheets and visualization. Data science adds statistics and machine learning, and often expects more experience.
Do I need to be great at math?
For analytics, comfort with basic statistics is enough to start. Data science and quantitative roles require more math over time.
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