I feel lucky to be part of the data revolution happening around us. Because of the attention and the focus on Analytics / Big Data, there are quite a few people considering a late career switch.
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I get quite a few queries asking my advice on this matter regularly. Here are a few samples (after removing names):
I am an equity analyst (finance background) and have 10+ years experience. I don’t have any background in IT. I have a background in chemical technology (BE) and MBA finance.
After all these years and entirely different background; how easy/difficult is to pursue fresh career in these areas – Analytics and Big data. Will there be opportunities for such diverse background on immediate and Long term basis.
Here is another one:
I have 6+ years of experience in IT consulting, none of them is related to Analytics. But I want to move into analytics. Is there a way to do that? Please advise.
Yet another one:
I came across this site as a part of my quest to change my career track. I have 10 years of experience , out of which last 5 years is in institutional relationship management cum acquisition in banking sector. Prior to that I have 1.5 years sales experience in FMCG sales. I have done MBA(mktg) and B.E. Please guide me,
1. Would my existing profile be adaptable to career in business analytics?
2. How easy (or difficult) it would be to get job in business analytics?
3. Which course and from which institute would relatively assure me of a job immediately in analytics?
Thanks
Hence, I thought of expressing my thoughts for the benefit of a bigger audience. Also, through discussion with other people in this domain, I am hoping to pull in broader views on the subject.
Take the Test: Should I become a Data Scientist?
Please note that rest of this article assumes that you are looking for a hands on core analytics role (where you analyze the data yourself) and not a supporting role (e.g. Pre-Sales for Analytics products, Business development for a consultancy)
[stextbox id = “section”]A few facts you should consider:[/stextbox]
[stextbox id = “section”]Would your work experience be considered?[/stextbox]
The answer depends on the domain of your experience:
[stextbox id = “section”]How soon can you get a job?[/stextbox]
Well, bake in any where between 3 months to a couple of years depending on your learning agility, problem solving skills, communication and presentation skills. If you are outstanding on these attributes, you should get a job as soon as you get some technical skills under your belt. An average person typically takes 6 – 12 months after gaining necessary technical skills. If you take any thing more than 12 months, you should try and re-assess what is going wrong.
P.S. This would vary from geography to geography. The above answer is applicable in markets where there is big un-fulfilled need of analysts.
[stextbox id = “section”]OK, you have thought enough. You are absolutely sure that your life would not be complete without a shot at analytics. What next?[/stextbox]
In case you are absolutely sure, here are the next steps:
Once you have followed these blogs / communities for a while (say at least a month after your course at Coursera), you can look out for certification courses to begin your journey.
[stextbox id = “section”]My final advice:[/stextbox]
If you are not in deep love with data and can not spend hours slicing and dicing data in front of a computer, analytics may not be your cup of tea.
Take this up only if you tick all the boxes below:
Lastly, if you have family support in this move / decision, it will make the move less painful (or more enjoyable depending on the way you look at).
P.S. The aim of this article is not to dissuade people wanting to join Analytics Industry. I know a lot of people, who made this switch in middle of their career and they have not been more happier in their career ever before! Their passion for analytics and numbers comes across even if you spend 5 minutes talking to them.
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Nice job !!
Excellent article. A course on analytics from IIM/ ISB/ abroad could also enhance the probability of success.
Hey Tuhin, You pointed out an interesting thing, please have a look into this article if you missed it. :) http://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2013/07/advanced-analytics-certifications/
Hi Kunal, Very informative article but you missed mentioning some good courses on Coursera / eDX. Request to kindly mention the same in the article. Thanks,
Dheeraj, Have added them. Thanks for pointing this out. Regards, Kunal
Tnx for this useful article. I'm master student and really enthusiastic about this field of study. Could you please write some about new trends in data mining and machine learning and Ph.D opportunities in this fields?
Mehdi, Thanks for the idea. I will pen down my thoughts at some point in near future. In the meanwhile, if you have specific queries, feel free to ask. Thanks, Kunal
Hi Kunal, Nice stuff! Analytics Vidhya is providing Summer Training on Business Analytics. Is there any training on web anaytics also? what are the career opportunities for a web analyst in India? Do Software Companies also recruit Digital Marketer,Web Analyst? Thanks.
Kriti, Thanks. Currently we are not offering web analytics course. You can check out the one by Market Motive. I personally think it is a great course. There are quite a few openings available in web analytics. You can visit our Jobs page for getting a flavor of it. Not sure which companies are you referring to as Software companies. Kindly elaborate so that I can be more helpful. REgards, Kunal
Kunal, Thanks. Software Companies like IBM,Infosys,Cognizant etc. Do these companies also recruit web analyst or keep an eye open for digital marketers or web savvy? Web analysts are not in high demand this time but i think in the coming years everything would be digital. I visited your job page but all the recruiters demand experience. What if we need to start our career as a fresher?
Kriti, These software companies you mentioned are not the bulk recruiters for web analytics. However, cloud based startups, eCommerce companies and startups always look out for good web analyst / marketing people. You can also look for openings with Digital media agencies. The reason we have only experienced postings as of now is because that is the focus segment for us as of now. In coming months, we will add fresher jobs as well. Thanks, Kunal
Don't forget kaggle competitions. If you can participate in a few and have a couple of top 25% finishes under your belt you will have a great chance of attracting offers.
Fred, Good point! Kaggle competitions are a good way to knock the door when no one is hearing. However, you can only do so after you have earned Business Analytics skills. The article was addressed to people planning to start their journey. Regards, Kunal
I am 31, completed MBA. There are so many breaks in my education and career because of personal problems (in fact i have worked as a faculty for MBAs only for 4 months, thats my total career). I am good at analytic s, bad at marketing. So I have learned statistical analysis thoroughly. Recently I have also learned R language also. If I start applying for entry level jobs in R/ Data analysis, would any companies consider me seriously? Please advice.
Haarika, You should get consideration, as long as you are serious about the job. Thanks, Kunal
Dear admin. I've completed my M.Sc in Statistics with 84 % loyola college chennai. I would like to do one year course in Aanlytics to advance my career in Abroad . Could you please tell me the possibilities to do analytics related course that would fetch me job in abroad ? tahnk you ashok
If you are looking for a career abroad, best way is to do certification from abroad as well. Thanks, Kunal
Hi Kunal, @Coursera there is not much courses for Analytics, or i am looking at wrong side. Pls suggest. Regards, Sharan.
Sharan, Coursera has wealth of different relevant courses. Start by searching for the Data Science specialization. Thanks, Kunal
Kunal, thanks for the interesting article. I had to laugh when I read your mentions of Coursera/edX courses. That (plus some other things) is exactly what I have been doing on the side for the last year to gain deeper technical and mathematical expertise of Data Analytics. Incidentally, I highly recommend The Analytics Edge. It works mostly with the R language but is very hands on and covers a lot of different scenarios, including a Kaggle competition specifically for the course. The course just finished but the archived version remains open and available on edX. Question: Maybe I am being slow today, but what do you mean by "Individual Contributor"? By the way, other good learning sources along the lines of Coursera, edX, etc. are Udacity, which includes an Intro to Data Science course, as well as Stanford Uni's OpenEdx ( https://class.stanford.edu ) which has two archived but excellent Statistics courses.
Mike, Thanks for the comment and suggestions on the additional sources. I have seen the course on Udacity. Interestingly, they are focusing on delivering the experience on Python (as opposed to R, which is used in most of these courses). Will check out the courses with Stanford. I guess that is the beauty of MOOC platforms. They can cater to different audience at the same time. Even I have spent a considerable time on these platforms over the last year. With regards to "Individual Contributor", I was referring to a person working on a few projects hands-on (vs. guiding / mentoring or leading team members). Some of the people, I have interacted with are Senior in their current roles / hierarchy. They have not worked on projects hands on for some months (if not years). Getting back to hands on role might not be easy for them. Regards, Kunal
While this article shares some good advice on how to pick up skills and how some people might view career changes, I disagree with several of the conclusions. "1.The rosy picture (recruiters running behind you) you thought, would be at least 3 – 5 years away. The first few years would be very arduous. More so, if you don’t need to be an Individual Contributor in your current role." Not necessarily. A lot depends on what aspects you focus on. There are easy paths and harder paths. This is sort of recognized above when the author admits that his advice doesn't apply to analytics jobs related to business development, consulting, etc. "3.A lot of good companies believe in hiring smart people straight out of college and training them internally. These Organization would not think about hiring you." Most organizations build teams. Teams will have people with different skill sets and different backgrounds. "4.In an ideal world, there should be no bias against people with experience. They should be judged only on the knowledge and skills they possess and their willingness to learn / work. Sadly, this is not true. A career shift (especially late in career) is often looked suspiciously, until you have received outstanding recognition in your previous roles." The key is to understand how your previous job is just like your next job, no matter how different they are. Be prepared to explain how they are similar in interviews. Furthermore, be prepared to find work experience in the field you want however you can (volunteering for a non-profit, public speaking at industry events, write articles and books on the topic, etc.). Become the expert you want to become regardless of whether someone is offering you a lot of pay for it (money can always come later). "You are willing to spend a lot of time as Individual Contributor." It has been my experience that people who have prior work experience in a different field are much more likely to be promoted above the individual contributor level than people who have only been analysts. Breadth of experience counts more, and people will value the general management skills.
Thanks for bringing out these points, Tom. This article is aimed towards the entire population considering the career shift. There is no such thing in this article, which can be treated as a "rule". All of these are guidelines basis my interaction with people seeking out change. 1. As I said, none of this is a rule. Smarter / More adaptive people will come up the learning curve faster. You mentioned rightly, that there could be easier paths available by focusing on common aspects with your current role. However, if you are truly seeking a change in work profile, these are the time lines people should keep in mind. 3. I think building teams and recruiting strategy in Organizations are 2 different teams. These Organizations I talked about, recruit people in Junior roles and then put them along with people experienced in the company. They also hire back a lot of people, who go out and gain experience in other domain / Organizations. But these Organizations don't believe in lateral hiring. Having siad that, this is a preference. With shortage of talent, it might be a matter of time, before they need to hire laterally. 4. Completely agree. In interviews you should focus on the parallels, but that does not change the inherent bias I was talking about. On Individual Contributor, I think that a person needs to spend that time, before he could be promoted up the ladder. Until and unless you spend time slicing, dicing and wrangling data, you will not appreciate the effort and skills required to be a data scientist. Once a person has spent that time, they typically move up the ladder faster due to breadth of experience. Thanks for making the discussion more meaningful. Really appreciated! Regards, Kunal
Hello Kunal, Thanks for the interesting article. I have Experience of about 13+ years and have in-depth knowledge on software testing and managerial skills. Have also worked as mainframe developer. Now unemployed for 2 years and have not received any calls from any company for my experience (10+ yrs) but found some on Big data. Will my change to new technology help me in getting a job? Will my earlier experience help me? I am planning to switch over to Big data technology... so planning to join some course related to Big data. Will this help me? Please advice.
Chaitra, Big data is definitely hot field right now, but people require experience in most of the postings. Your past experience might help, but not to a great extent. In order to do Big data course, you should first understand the fundamentals of Analytics. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal You are doing a fabulous job of spreading knowledge on data analytics. I was wondering if you can start special section on cv writing for career shifting people. Because i strongly feel that there is not much guidance on cv writing for career shifting people. It would be really great if i can get some guidance on this topic regards
Parindsheel. I already have a lot of initiatives on my plate right now. At this stage, my time is better utilized for guiding people on career rather than CV writing. Having said that, we are getting more active in the job alerts and this content becomes a logical extension. Hence, it is only a matter of time, before we start this. Thanks, Kunal
Hi Kunal, I am working in Data Warehousing industry as an SAP Business Objects and Oracle PL-SQL developer for last 6 years. I want to shift in hard core Data Analytics and I am more keen on the research or developers role rather than managerial role. What do you think about this switch? Will my whole of the experience get counted. And which of the course you would suggest out of your top 4 selection as ISB,IIM-C,IIT-Bombay and IIT-Delhi ?
Kuntal, ISB is the best course. Your entire work ex will not be counted as it is not relevant. If I was hiring, I would have considered you as 1 - 1.5 years of work ex. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal. I am working in Data warehousing platform primarily as an ETL analyst for last 8 years. I do experience on the tools and databases like Informatica, Oracle, Teradata, Business Object .I planning to move to the data analytic space . I do currently reside in CT,USA . I have come across various certification courses from different universities here, but got confused, which one to choose. Need your suggestion on that . Can you please help me here . Thanks Sanjib
Sanjib, You can check out details of various courses on kdnuggets.com I am not an expert at courses being run in the US, but if you provide me with details of 1 or 2 courses, I can provide my views after looking at the content. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, I am having 15+ years of experience in Software Development, with most of the projects in Banking Domain. Recently I have shifted into Consulting, and fortunately am working on Big Data Project, as a Banking SME. Looking at the opportunities lies in Data Analytics, I would like to gain more knowledge in this space, and keep myself equipped for the future opportunities. Having gone thru various courses offered by the premium institutes, I shortlisted following three: 1. IIM Lucknow 2. IIM Kolkatta 3. Great Lakes Institute. If fees is not a constraint as such, Which one would you suggest from reputation / knowledge / practical hands on perspective ? Your earliest response is much appreciated. Regards, Vikas
Between the three, I would go for Great Lakes. Remaining two have higher focus on theoratical concepts and have limited classroom interactions. If fee is not a constraint, why not keep ISB in the mix? Kunal
Hello, My daughter is looking for a career in analytics. She has done +2 in physics, chem, maths and biology. Now joined for B.Sc. Maths, Statistics & Computer science combination, is it a right decision, which course she join after B. Sc. Please suggest. Thanks
Ashok, They are definitely the right subjects. Which institute is she doing B.Sc. from? I would say that you should ask her to spend some time dedicatedly on the learning ecosystem of Coursera / eDX / Udacity. That will give her a lot of exposure outside of the theoratical knowledge. She can pick up masters / specialization basis her interest later. Regards, Kunal
Kunal, Thanks for that. She is doing B.Sc. from Christ University Bangalore. Is M. Sc. in Maths or Statistics more useful for Analytics jobs.
What are you comparing them against?
Hi Kunal, I have 6 yrs of work ex in market research/corporate strategy roles, and am conisdering getting into the analytics world. My experience has been in the automotive sector. However, I am more interested in knowing how to use analytics for functions such as marketing, market entry planning etc., rather than becoming a data scientist. In that regard, I would look to be in a brand manager, marketing manager role in a data incentive industry such as FMCG retail, car sales, etc. Would you suggest that I take 1 yr course by any of the following institutes: 1> Great Lakes 2> ISB 3> IIMs Thanks in advance, Sagar
Sagar, My recommendation would be in following order - ISB, Great Lakes and then IIMs Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, I am M. Sc. Chemistry and working as Scientist in a R&D with 4.5 years of exp. I am very much interested in Business Analytics but having 0 exp. and knowledge in the same. I am good in Mathematics as Maths and Physics were my principle subjects in B.Sc. Now, if I want to switch to BA then what would be the correct route for me? And which courses and expertise I have to do. I am 28. If I start applying for entry level jobs in R/ Data analysis or BA would any companies consider me seriously? Please advise me the stepwise approach for the same and all possible concerns and angles regarding the same. Also what would be the entry level salary if so. Please advise. Best Regards, Shiva.
Shiva, Best route would be to do a few certifications along with the practices mentioned in the article. You should be able to good entry into BA post initial certification. Entry salary varies between 5L - 12L depending on your skills and role. Kunal
Hi Kunal, Had a good read at your article above and also the comments following. Very helpful indeed. I could use some expert advice myself. I'm a BE graduate from Bangalore in 2009. I didnt take a job in IT following that. I did set up an Advertising firm a year and a half after that, it didnt turn out very well. (Lack of experience and guidance in the field). However after that i set up a business in my home town, a franchise of a very well known 2 wheeler company. I've been running this business successfully for the past 2.5 years. I have now passed on the business to my sibling and wish to get into the corporate world. (Most will think i'm out of my head but i have my reasons.) Anyways I've done a little research on Big Data Analytics and it's something i wish to pursue further. Firstly given my background, is this the step in right direction for me? Also i expect to move to States in a few years, after having built up the platform here(education and work ex) . I'm good with numbers and have a creative edge. How would you guide me on this. Kindly Advise.
Jay, That sounds like a lot of experience and plan. Given that you have already passed on your business to your sibling, I would suggest that you take up an intense short duration course. There are several courses on Udemy, which can be of help. Once you have gained some experience, you might find it easy to move to the US Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, No one would be more appropriate than you to address my concern. I'm a Physics M.Sc. from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, India, and graduated on 2008. Since 2008, I have been working in Scientific research field. In the mean time I have obtained my Doctorate degree in Nanotechnology last year, and presently I'm 29 + years old. I'm so far experienced with Matlab, Fotran, and beginners' level Java programming. it's the end of last year when I finished a paper (already published in reputed international journal) using Matlab, I re-realized my intrinsic inclination towards math and stats, and my happy hours in front of computers, though that paper is not related to analytics. also In recent time, I have been realising the importance of working areas like Business analytics. And having a reasonably good background on Statistics and mathematics, and by realising the huge potential of this field for future job market, I consider myself giving a try to switch my career direction towards analytics. But so far I'm not experienced with analytics. but i know i love data, i love solving puzzles related to data, and most of the time i can crack them. Do you think that if I obtain few relevant certificates (I'll follow your suggestion), then I'll be considered as a suitable candidate for analytics jobs? I'm ready to work hard and learn whatever is possible, I'll like to invest at least another 6-7 months to learn in parallel to my present job ( research fellow, dept of physics), and then i'll apply for job. DO YOU think already 30 years + (by the time i'll apply) is a kind of disadvantage for me? Will my phd get a positive consideration, though it's not analytics based, rather it's experimental nanotech. Please advise, Thanks in advance, Best regards, Arun
Arun, Here is some good news! You are very well placed to build a career in analytics. A lot of companies are looking out for people with Ph.Ds in various fields, because of the ability to research and build new algorithms. If I was in your place, I would quickly learn subject knowledge on analytics and machine learning, apply to jobs specifically meant for these kind of jobs and give my career a flying start. I think it is a matter of couple of years before you are at par with any experienced person in the domain - as long as you are determined to pick up a steep learning curve. Regards, Kunal
Hi kunal, I am economics graduate and mba marketing. After that i have. Around 3 yrs experience in banking in mortage based credit. After which i have around 3 yrs of experiene in cognizant in business operations where i need to do lot of data analysis using excel and sql. I have also completed my base sas global certification recently. Also have knowledge of statistical concepts. Is it possible for me to move internally to analytics vertical/look for analytics job outside?
Yes of course! Moving internally should be preferred because you would have comfort of existing Organization. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, I am planning to shift my career to Analytics with focus on Big Data and Social Media Analaytics. I did my Bsc in Life Sciences and then MBA marketing. Did not study Maths/ Stats after 12th. Currently working for 3 years in Account(Client) Management role. Can you please suggest how can i shift my career to Analytics and please name some reputed institutes which would provide me online certified courses. Regards Mridu
Mridu, You can look at these articles to start with: 1. Advanced analytics certifications 2. How to start a career in analytics? You can also look at certifications from institutes like Jigsaw. Regards, Kunal
Mridu, The techniqies mentioned in the article are your best bets Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal I have 18+ years of experience in Sales in varied industry like , Industrial Product, Projects, IT, SW. Now I want to pursue career in Business Analytics domain that too as consultant. I am 43, do you think it would be right move? I am pursuing certification program at IIM. Thanks Ajeet
Ajeet, It might be difficult to get opportunities as a consultant just on the basis of theoretical knowledge. You should spend some time in industry (may be working for a consultancy) before you get a meaningful opportunity. If you can get that opportunity from your network (as the course does not provide placement support), you can start as a consultant. Regards, Kunal
I am joining IIML+Kelly certification program starting next month. Whats your take on this program, though I have seen some of your comments up in the chain. My intent for joining the course is to get some hands-on session in analytics, learn the subject & utilize my experience to evolve as consultant. How do you do see the future shaping up in terms of Job/free lancing opportunity in India & abroad? I am quite excited with opportunity Big Data could offer as it has to be integral part of Strategy for an organisation.
Hey, I am working as sap business intelligence and sap hana consultant with MNC.i have 2 years of exp . I was looking for a change into hardcore analytics. Please advice whether to stick with sap hana or to dive into analytics. I work as data hana data modeller along with few sap analytics tools like sap bo, sap lumira.
Hey, I am working as sap business intelligence and sap hana consultant with MNC.i have 2 years of exp . I was looking for a change into hardcore analytics. Please advice whether to stick with sap hana or to dive into analytics. I work as data hana data modeller along with few sap analytics tools like sap bo, sap lumira. Really in dilemma
Hi Kunal, Thank you for the wonderful post. It will be great if you can help me in the below regard. Right now I am working as a data management engineer in Tech Mahindra for an aero client. Work includes mainly with MS Access database, SQL, VBA & Excel. I could see that there is a great potential for data analytics & data scientists in the coming future. Having a keen interest in mathematics from school days, I would like to switch to this field. As an initial step I am refreshing my statistical knowledge and enrolled for a Data Scientist course from Jigsaw Academy. The course includes mainly statistics, R programming, Bigdata (Hadoop) fundamentals. Should I go for a SAS course also on top of this which they offer ? Also you mentioned about some courses in eDx etc. When should I go for those courses ? Is it after completing my existing Data Scientist course or parallel ? Also, I don't have much idea of how to switch my career into this field. How can I connect my existing experience (6.5 years in in data management) into this stream. Will you please guide me in this. Sorry for a chain of questions. Thank you Deepu
I have had a first experience with this. It was very difficult to even get an interview call. Most of the HRs never believed that I want to switch my career. It was difficult to go pass the recruitment team. Somehow reached the hiring manager and it seems I was committing a crime and had to confess that I really wanted to begin a new career. At last luck struck and I got an opportunity to work with a small consultancy which was in Mumbai as an intern. Trust me working in Mumbai as a consultant and on an intern package and especially if you are not from Mumbai, is the last thing you would wish in your life. It was very tough and finally I got weak and gave in. Though I was doing good at my internship but it is really tough to survive in these big cities. Most of the jobs in India are at Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Pune. As a fresher the chances to get a job are only in Mumbai where there are most of the corporate offices. So if anyone really wants to make a switch at a later age, think thousand times, not only analytic but any field. It is really tough to get an interview call also.
Hii Kunal, This article, like all others, was really helpful. I did ask you this earlier too, but am awaiting a reply. I am a Marine Engineer, and have primary knowledge about Statistics and Operational Research through my curriculum, but have no office experience,literally. I have been sailing on tankers for few years, but now am unable to continue due to health issues.I couldn't get a marine related shore job in India, with my current experience. I was good at computers and maths, and hence have taken up Actuarial exams from IAI, but that being a lengthy process, and the fact that I have been jobless for the past 2 years, want to take up a job related to Data Analytics.I am already preparing for SAS Base level certification. I would like to know whether you approve of my approach, or would rather want me to pursue those Certificate Programmes Best Regards, ATUL P.S. I know the message might look messed up, but I am totally out of sorts, and hence any advice would be highly appreciable
Your approach is right, but you need to aim to certificed predictive modeling from SAS. Certification programmes can accelerate your learning, depending on how comfortable you are with self-learning. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, I really admire your work in helping people to clear their doubts that are new to them with your vast knowledge in this Data Analytics domain. I'm currently working as a Manager in Networking with overall experience of 11yrs. I have been reading a lot about Data Analytics and feel like changing my career to Data Analytics which i feel will rule the job market few years down the line. I want to know whether my existing job experience would not help me as i read that i would be treated as a fresher in Data Anlytics, what i'm willing is to struggle for 1st one or 2yrs till i become perfect in Analysis. Later would like to know for getting into lead/manager position would my previous experience help me to get into these roles. Also would like to know how are my chances of getting a job after gaining knowledge on SAS/R tools and Statistics. Appreciate your advise. Thanking you in advance. Gopi
Hi Gopi, Making a career shift after such a long experience can be a difficult experience. You can read this article for more details: “Planning a late career shift to Analytics/ Big data? Better be prepared”. Hence, I do not recommend making a shift after such long experience. If you are still convinced that you want to make a shift, you can go ahead and do it simultaneously. But, I normally do not recommend career shift with so much experience. The experience would not be counted. You can be lucky, if an organization gives you some benefit of the work experience. Regards, Kunal
Hi This is Anil kumar we want to learn qlikview how is career and how is future which is the best qlikview or tableau please suggest me and which tool job have more general shift timings for india. Please suggest me .Please reply to [email protected]
Hi Kunal, This is madan, i have told 7+ years of experience in IT industry. My core experience is in quality, information security, six sigma and project mangement. I have done my masters in quality mangement. Is it a right decision to switch my career at this point of time. Which is the relevant course for me in Bid Data. Also pls let me know the name of good institute which offere course in Big Data. Regards, Madan
Madan, What is the reason for looking for a shift? As far as I know, information security is also an evolving and related field. Jigsaw has started a course recently - you can see the review here. Alternately, you can check out Edureka or bigdatauniversity.com Regards, Kunal
Hello Kunal, I am Nilesh from Pune. I am a B.Sc Chemistry graduate (All life science subjects) and MBA Marketing and Systems post graduate passed out in 2003. I have been switching many jobs since then due to inability in sales jobs. I want to move out of sales and go in business analytics. I am not good in programming. My experience is in equity markets as inhouse marketing manager. Will i be able to cope up with Analytics?
NIlesh, It is difficult to answer the question based on this one paragraph description. You need to look at what you enjoy and what are your strengths. Some of the strengths required for an analyst to be successful are: 1. Structured thinking 2. Problem solving 3. High comfort with numbers 4. Ability to perform deep research on a subject 5. High attention to details If you think, you are some one like this - you should take up a few courses on Coursera and see if you enjoy the subject. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, Im a senior manager in SOftware company on delivery side, I want to shift to Big data domain, Please suggest detailed course and steps to start about it. Im more interested in playing with numbers.
Hi Kunal hi i'm pruthvi raj from sastra university , am a 2014 passout called for interview from musigma....at bangalore as i'm tensed about the interview process as possible give some useful tips so that i clear the process....hopefully u help me out !
Pruthvi, Have sent a small surprise for you in your mailbox. Do send us a testimonial if you like it :) Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, I found your article suitable for me as long as career shift after 35 goes. I am 35. I do play with numbers on the number plate of any vehicle which passes me just to find a patter between the number plates I have just seen or simply adding them to find a number. I have about 5 years of medical/general transcription experience. I have another 6.5 years of experience managing a team of transcribers, editors, vendors. Additionally, I have managed voiceover jobs. I also know basics of audio and video editing. Clearly, the above experience does not make myself relevant to big data/ analytics. However, look forward to hear from you on any advice simply because I was looking for such article for a long time, as a guide. My future plan is to work from home (utilizing my transcription skills) and learning big data/ analytics. Best Regards, Amit
Best advice is to start by registering for a few courses on Coursera and see if the domain excites you. Regards, Kunal
Sir...I am Sunil, BCA graduate-2008, Currently working in SMS/eMail Marketing Company as Data Analyst / SMS,voice campaign execution & CTC is 3.9L. I want to switch my career to Hadoop Technology. Now working in MS SQL Server 2008/12 R2, writing some basic T-SQL Queries,Stored procedure, Functions & Maintaining Database. I heard that Hadoop requires strong Core Java & I have learned java in college only. Can I learn Hadoop? Please guide me correct path. I like working on database. Where should I start to get in Hadoop Career.
Hi Kunal, I am a mechanical engineer having around 10 years of exp. in aerospace industry mostly technical and small portion of managing the small projects. . I am looking for career shift to analytics. I do not have any programming knowledge or SQL .Do you think I can shift my career to analytics considering my past exp? Can you suggest me some book also for me as a beginner. Thanks in advance.
Very informative article. I have done my M.B.A (finance). Although I worked for HDFC in the retail credit analytics division for 3 months, due to certain circumstances I had to join my family business for 3 years. I want to get back into analytics and wanted to know about edupristine's course offered on the same lines. Would it help in any way to restart my career in analytics?
Hi Kunal, Thanks for informative articles on analytics. I have done my masters in OR and Computer Applications. (Which had statistics and data analytics courses) from NIT Trichy in 2008. Later I landed in software job and working with mainframes technology for the past 6 years. Always I wanted to shift to analytics field due to my mathematics interest. Is it possible to make a shift now. I have already enrolled in machine learning course in Edx. I have recently resigned my software job. Wanted to make a decision before going into mainframes field again. What could be time period to well verse and get into analytics. Also suggest me courses which would help me to get a analytics job. Thanks in advance. Thanks Jeyachitra
Jeychitra, As mentioned in the article, there are no quick fixes to enter into the industry. Don't expect a magic pill like If I do this course, I'll get a job! It is somewhat similar to someone landing up on your door today and asking to work on Mainframes because he has undergone a few courses - you will struggle to find a role for this person in your team. However, given you background in Quant and the pedigree, you should be able to break into analytics industry in 6 - 9 months, if you stay focused & motivated for what you want to achieve. In terms of courses, you can find a few basic recommendations basis the tools you want here. You can also think of moving into Big Data jobs and architecture as an alternate - the learning time would be higher, but the long term returns might be better as well. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, Insightful article!! can relate to it well. planning to make a career shift from media sale to analytics. have around 5 years of exp in media sales. however i am really confuse on how should i make a start in analytics. have browsed through a lot of jobs but mostly all of them are looking for experienced candidates or candidates who have background such as BE, stats or economics. I am doing basic course in SAS from jigsaw academy, almost on the verge of completion. would be great if you can guide me on how to move further and grab a role in analytics domain. Best Regards Jaya
Hi Kunal I am working as Assistant manager in with Leading PSU Bank from last 3.5 years. Previously worked as MIS analyst with Print Media for more than 3 years. Having good experience with Excel and really interested in Business analytics. My location is a big constraint I cant go for short term courses for Business analytics. How can I start my carrier as Business analyst. 1) Do my banking domain Knowledge and MIS skills will be helpful for anlaytics industry and How?
Hi Kunal, I am PHP developer for the past 7 years and now I would like to get into the field of BIG Data and analytics. I would like to know what are the obstacles/disadvantages a experienced person faces when he/she has to shift to BIG DATA field, as we do not have professional experience in this field. Is the industry open for these kind of people? I am learning Python and plan to take a course in R and Excel as well. Can you suggest any other tool that would help me? I am interested in the DATA SCIENTIST role. Thanks -Swapna
Hi Kunal The reason for posting this email is to seek your advise before I start to get trained on Big Data. To give a brief introduction about my experience, I Currently work as a Delivery manager. In total I have 15 years of experience in various technologies predominently on VB, SQL, Cache, ASP.net and little experience in Java. As my interests in managing people and delivery are fading, I started to explore / think, why cant I move on to Big Data? I have attended IBM's training on InfoSpere and Big Insights, I understand like IBM there are several players in the market providing similar kind of Big Data platforms. After getting intial understanding I got questions like, Big Data is itself a wide area with several tools associated to perform relative tasks and there are several players who provides the same service, so where should I jump in?? Still exploring. Then I got to see your blog and several useful articles on Data analytics but got confused even more. Now I am not sure where to start and the best approach. Initially I was trying to understand the holistic picture of Big Data / Hadoop / IBM Big insights / Cloudera, from these platforms where should I start to get trained, among the various tools, modules and programming languages. After reading your articles I understand Data analytics is itself a wide area and this has huge requirement in near future. But unable to get to a conclusion, whether to start with the platforsms or data analytics. Please advise on where should I start with and what are THE BEST options to get trained [I am placed in Chennai]... Thanks for your help and for your time. Thanks
GKS, You are right - both the fields are vast and might take up years before you even know about the entire landscape. Even after reading up heavily on the subject for last few years, I still consider myself as someone with intermediate knowledge. Gven your profile, I think Big Data would be a better fit. You can start training on Hadoop / Cloudera / NoSQL (MongoDB) as these would likely give you the biggest break. Hope this helps. Regards, Kunal
Nice Article
Hi Kunal, I am currently an SAP Finance consultant with 3 years as SAP consultant and 2 years in semiconductor and wireless domain. Lets say I have a sure-shot chance of getting an analytics profile if am willing to take a salary cut of around 1 lakh. Is it a good option to take purely on financial terms, looking at the long term prospect? Specifically, in the long term, is it better to have 3 years work ex in analytics of 6 years work ex in SAP? My background - B.Tech, MBA Finance, knowledge of R, medium skills in statistics and machine learning, planning to give EMC2 data certification exam this month. Any advice will be extremely helpful?
Abhinav, The salaries for SAP consultants can vary signiicantly, so I can not make an accurate comment. Also, the pay cut you are mentioning feels insignificant in the long run. I feel that your decision should be guided by your interest and the path which continues to provide you growth in long term. I am not sure, how much growth you can have 5 - 10 years down the line with only SAP experience. On the other hand, you are treated as a wine with your experience in Business Analytics - the older, the better. That is my opinion - but it might be biased. Regards, Kunal
Kunal, your posts are super -informative, thank you! I'm one of those planning a mid career shift from banking to the world of analytics. I have done my MCom and only have elementary (HSC) level knowledge of Stats. I plan to do take up SAS Certification, but is it important to join a SAS- Accredited centre for the sake of authenticity? Since there are just a couple in Bangalore and going by reviews I'm not too sure they are value for money! Your advice and suggestions would really help, thanks a million! :-) Regards, Meera
Hi Kunal, I have completed MBA in Marketing.Currently, I am working as an SEO Analyst, I have 1.8 years of experience and few months of experience as Online Marketing Executive. I am planning for a career shift into Market Research/Business Analytic s. Does my experience count for a career in Market Research & Analytics? I just started to apply for jobs which are into Research Analyst/Secondary Research Analyst with 0-1 years, buy am not quite sure whether my experience would count. Do I have to pursue a certificate course in Analytics, If so, Which course would be helpful to start a career? Your advice would really help. Thanks, Regards, Rohini.
Hello, I am B.com graduate and thereafter did MBA (Marketing) from Pune University, at the age of 33 I am feeling stuck as at this age also I am getting around 5 lack rupees only. I want growth and want to go ahead and do something for me in my career to take ahead my family. I have more than 8 yrs of work exp in the area of sales & marketing in product industry, product that can be sold and marketed to Architect / Interior Designer / Interior Contractor & Builders. Will you please guide me as what are the various options available to me to grow in my career. I'm awaiting for your reply and your guidance ahead. Please do the needful, as your advice would really help me to take decision and work on it. Kindest regards. Umesh, Pune
Hi Umesh, You almost need to start afresh. Making a career shift after such a long experience can be a difficult. Hence, I do not recommend making a shift if you have long experience. Which course are you referring to here? Regards, Kunal
Hi kunal I had done M.Sc computer science in 2003. I didn't start my career till now due to family. Now I want to start my career . I'm planning to join in Foundation course in Data Analytics in Jigsaw Acdemy. Now my question is Is this course is helpful to me to start my career ? Because I'm not a fresher and not experienced also.so please give ur valuable suggestion regarding this. Thanks Vasavi
Hi Vasavi, You will be considered as a fresher in Analytics field. For beginners, I would suggest doing certification in a foundation course in R. You can approach freely online training institutes Coursera, edx(for free) or you can join Jigsaw Academy (for a fee). You must be familiar with programming concepts in any language to learn R. You can also look at our learning path in R. You might need to put in some extra efforts to crack the first job. Regards, Kunal
Hi , Thanks for bringing such platform where we can discuss our queries. I'm currently working in an Health Care IT company as an Implementation Analyst.Here ,we used to configure an application according to clients requirements. I'm very much interested in pursuing the course for Hadoop Administration course. Could you please let me know what are the career scopes for me in that if I switch. Your valuable reply will be highly appreciated Regards, Ratul
Hi Ratul, Thanks for following us. I would also recommend learning big data tools includes Hadoop/Pig/HIVE/MapReduce. You will have good job opportunities in Big data Analytics after this course. The pre-requisites for learning Hadoop is to be familiar with Python or Java to leverage Hadoop streaming to perform computations. You can check out the Big data course from Jigsaw / Edureka Go ahead and best of luck. Regards, Kunal
Folks, good article,able to see lot of confusion, As a data practitioner and implementing atleast 20 models varying from inventory optimization/demand forecast/credit scoring /fraud detection/ claim prediction aka loss ratios/ Annuity survival model/Ontolology (text mining)nltk/web scraper To current model development for wealth management , using tools like MATLAB SAS R PYTHON The only skill which I coin the most important is"Problem Solving Attitude" Tools are secondary accquire this you will get everything that's for sure :) Cheers
i have done engineering in electronics and commnication in 2008 . from the past 4 years i have been working for bankofbaroda(nationalised bank) as retail credit manager and operations manager.i have no expereince in software .kindly suggest me some cosre in SAP which can boost my career?.whther my experience is valid if i do any sap corses?
Hi Ramesh, As of now, We have not listed courses in SAP on our training listing platform of Analytics Vidhya. Regards, Kunal
Hi Sir, I am 2014 BCA graduate and I worked as TSE for 1 year and currently working as Senior Analyst(IT Operations), in my present company after 18months one can jump to sql, sybase, oracle, storage, apache expert and lot more roles but they dont have bigdata roles like hadoop and cloudera, I'm planning to do Big Data Specialization Course as I want to switch my career to core Data Analytics, I just want to know about the job openings for freshers as I do not have relevent experience. Please advice me sir. Thanks.
Hi Santosh, Go ahead with your decision. Best of luck. You might need to put in some extra efforts to crack the first job. We are also running a job portal, a lot of Analytics jobs are posted on the job portal of Analytics Vidhya. Please continue to follow the job portal for new openings, I would expect you will get good job prospects from our job portal. Regards, Kunal
Please refer some good institutes other than jig saw in Bangalore, if jigsaw is worth the money than I am ready to do there itself sir.
Hi Santosh, Jigsaw Academy is one of the best options for courses in Analytics. You can look at our top 5 programmes. If you want to look at alternate course on SAS, you can also approach SAS Institute Banglore. They will cost you ~75k for a 5 day course. Regards, Kunal
Hello Sir, I have 10 years of experience in production planning & control in garments.Basically I am a B.E.(Mech) graduate. I want to change my career in the field of Big Data. Can u pls suggest some ideas. I am little bit confused. Pls tell me the best training institutes in Bangalore for Big Data.
Hi Radha, Making a career shift after 10 years of experience will be a difficult experience. You will be considered as a fresher. I don't recommend career shift. If you are still convinced, you can go ahead and do it simultaneously. Regards, Kunal
Hello Kunal, I have 7 years of experience in IT(Software Testing and implementation). I am a B.E.(Electronics & Telecommunication) graduate. And want to change my career in the field of Business Analytics domain. Do you think it would be right move in terms of career and Salary .Please advise.
Hi MK, You will be likely considered as a fresher. Personally, I don't recommend career shift, if you have long work experience. If you are convinced to make a shift, you can go ahead and do it simultaneously. In terms of salary, your past experience wouldn't be considered. You need to start as a fresher, Typically a freshers in analytics can get anywhere between 3L – 12L. You can be lucky, if an organization gives you some benefit of the work experience. Regards, Kunal
Dear Mr. Kunal: I have around 14 years of work experience in industry and academics. Currently with academics for last 7-8 years. Just submitted my Ph.D. in CSE with research focus on Machine Learning. I have good programing skills. I want to shift to Data Analytic industry. Kindly suggest and guide.
Hi Bapu, I would suggest you to start searching analytics jobs. We are also running a job portal, a lot of Analytics jobs are posted here. Please continue to check our jobs portal for latest openings available. I would expect that you will have good job prospects from our job portal. You can mail your CV to us on [email protected] and we will reach out to you, if we come across any good opening. Which programming language do you know and where are you based currently? Regards, Kunal
Hello Mr. Kunal, I have 1 year work experience as IT developer with IBM. I am a BE( Electronics and Communication) 2013 passout. Due to some personal reasons i have left job an its been 6 months since then. Now I want to look for jobs again and want to switch my career to core data analytics. I want to know what should be my course of action. Will companies be interested in me if i complete courses from cousera. In my earlier project i have worked on sql server. Please advice.
Hello I have 10 years of IT experience starting from technical support team and Project Manager for leading bank managing production environment in mainframe technologies . Now I wanted to change my carrier to Big data to advance my skills and knowledge. Please can some one suggest me how I can kick start to archive my goal. regards krish
Hi Kunal, I am a mechanical engineer having around 11 years of exp. in Automotive industry mostly technical and small portion of managing the small projects. I am looking for career shift to analytics. I do not have any programming knowledge or SQL. Do you think I can shift my career to analytics considering my past exp? Can you suggest me some course or the right part to enter this field.Thanks in advance.
Hi Kunal, I am 2001 BE passed out, currently Project Manager in a Publishing industry for 11+ years. I do not have programming knowledge, but seriously wanted to shift to data analytics. Do you think it would be right move in terms of career. Please advise. Could you provide some guidance to step up? Best, maha
Hi Mahalakshmi, Making a career shift after such a long experience can be a difficult experience. You will need to start as a fresher and might find it hard getting a job in industry. Hence, I do not recommend making a shift after such long experience. If you are still convinced that you want to make a shift, you can go ahead and do. But, I normally do not recommend career shift with so much experience. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, I am manohar, i am working as an SAP ABAP Developer for 4 years. I Want to Come out from programming which i am not enjoying much / and struggling sometimes. After a long R&D I feel TABLEAU doesn't need much coding skills. Is TABLEAU is right one for me? How is the demand for TABLEAU for next 3 to 5 years, Kindly suggest.
Hi Kunal, I have about 6.5 years experience in IT majorly in development, after which I am on a job break for the last 5 years. I want to restart my career in the field of analytics. What would your advice? What courses should I do in order to start over again? Should I go for a PG diploma in Business analytics or any other courses? Also, I heard about the CBAP certification. Will I be eligible to do that certification?
Hi Kunal, I have a diploma in mechanical engineering. want to get into SAS programming and analytics. i learnt SAS but not able to get entry level jobs. Is UG diploma a constrain? if i do SAS base certification will it help me? please suggest.
Hi Kunal, I am working as System Administrator(Windows) and have 10 years experience on this. Should i join (move) to Big Data . Is this right decision ? Please guide me.
Hi Kunal, I have been following the Data analytics thread and I appreciate the help that you are providing. A question from me too. I am Quality Analyst-Testing with 4 years of experience. I would like to know how will my current experience will be helpful to shift towards Analytics, Big Data. Also is there anything like Big Data testing? Request your guidance. TIA.
Hi Pratap, Thanks for following. If you want to shift your career towards analytics, you will get some benefit out of your past experience. No specialized field with the name “Big Data testing” exist in Analytics. Regards, Kunal
hi I m in 6th mca can I do the course of big data hadoop. . plz reply soon
Hello Kunal , I have 8+ experience in IT( CSE background ) . Have very good experience in programming ( C,C++ , Java , PL/SQL ) , developing and maintaining applications. Have held the roles of development lead and have managed small group of people as well.I have a deep interest in puzzles , data structures and algorithms and also I write codes to solve puzzles and mathematical problems. Of late I have been planning to shift to business analytics . I have applied for ISB CBA and have been short listed for personal interview. Do you think that a person with the above skill set will be able to sail through the world of analytics taking into consideration that I have almost no experience in statistics , data modelling , data warehousing and data mining. With best Regards, Karthik.
Hi Kunal, I am working for a Top 5 IT services company in India at Chennai. Recently i have been admitted to Executive program in Business Analytics (EPBA) at MISB-Bocconi , a program, which is combination of Big data and business analytics. This program is 10 month certificate program which is focussed more towards hands-on tools for analytics & big data rather than theoretical ( taught at IIMs certificate program), and is a joint program between JIGSAWACADEMY training institute and SDA-Bocconi institute's only offshore campus - MISB, based in Mumbai. I have 17 yrs of IT experience, and have been a Project manager in the last 5 yrs. My objective to do the course is to enable me to lead a team of analytics professionals in any future Big data projects either here or abroad. (i have not been in any big data projects before). Is it worth pursuing this program for a profile like mine? or alternatively should i take up short courses on analytics which would be bare minimal to lead and direct analytics team. Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
Very Nice Artical. I am also interested to start my carrier in Analytics . Due to this i am doing training from simple learn in SAS & R. I have 7+ years experience of Telecom domain. Please tell me it will right choice or decision now. Thanks Hari
Mr. Kunal Jain , from your profile published under your blog, you seemed to have done masters in Aerospace engineering and then switched careers in to business analytics. Was this possible because of your IIT tag or in-spite of it ? I am curious because I want to do a masters in aerospace engineering and I am wondering whether any courses you took in masters helped you in gaining experience in data science industry.
hi Kunal, I am working for Oracle since 10 + years as a pl/sql developer in banking domain. I am good in maths and statistics. If I enroll myself for a data scientist course and get skilled at the same then what are the job opportunities for me in the banking domain? Will my experience be counted?
Hi Kunal , I am working as Test Lead and have experience in Insurance domain for 7 years. I have been working in Manual testing. I am good in SQL, maths, Insurance Business knowledge . I would like to shift my career to Analytics Could you please suggest me which of the below courses good to start. I am confused with the couses offered. 1) Mastering Python by Edureka 2) Data Analyst by Cloudera 3) Big Data Specialist by Jigsaw Academy 4) Analytics using R by Edureka 5) Data Science with R by Jigsaw Academy what are the job opportunities for me in the Insurance domain? Will my experience be counted?
Hi Kunal, I am currently working as a SAN storage administrator and have close to 5 years of experience. I have no knowledge on programing, will completing basic analytic courses on Coursera and courses on adobe insight help to start a career in big data. ??
Hi Kunal, I have just started my career in SAP. I am working as BI/BW Consultant for past 6 months with a good MNC. Now, I don't want to leave SAP as a whole but at the same time want to utilize all of the benefits of data analytics. So can you recommend a way to amalgamate my job and data analytics (or any related course for that matter) to come out as a top consultant that every one dreams to be. I also plan on doing MBA from ISB or IIM-C after 2 years. I feel that since I am just starting my career, I have the upper hand of choosing various ingredients to make the perfect recipe for my professional life. So I need your valuable and informed guidance in this cooking. :) Thanks in advance. SS
SS, SAP has its own set of products – SAP HANA being the latest addition, you can diversify on these products to get more exposure. Regards, Kunal
Hi Kunal, A very useful article. I am an economics graduate with 12yrs of research, market intelligence and business research experience. Currently a part of the strategy team. I am looking to gain some knowledge on the analytics front to enhance my skill set and gauge if analytics really interests me and if it does then gradually shift to a pure analytics career (I.e. if am unable to utilize the benefits of this area in my current role). What do you suggest as a starting point? Thanks Ridhima
HI, Kunal. i have 3 .1/2 yrs experience in sales and operation in FMCG.Now i shift my carrier in analytics.I took JIGSAW Data science with R.Preveiously i am working only with excel,now after using R tools and various data mining technique ,i fall in love this field. Now i am fully determine to jump this sector,and i already left my previous company.But when i search for a job,there are asking some prior exp on this field.how can i overcome this experience point. or go and attend the job interview? Or should i go for pgpba corse offer by greatlakes,isb,or iims.etc. Please guide me . Learn Data science with R is nice ,it reduce a lot of time for good content on R. A great resource......Thanks.
Hi Kunal, I am a Mechanical Engineer with 11 years of experience in the Energy sector mainly in the wind turbine industry(around 8 years) and currently based in Germany. My main interest in the analytics industry comes from the following two reasons 1. General insecurity in the wind turbine industry ( typical lifecycle of companies is 2-3 years those surviving mostly operate with huge debts) 2. Saturation in the current role - My principal responsibility is to estimate the loads on various components of wind turbine based on the different loading scenarios it could enconter in its lifetime. I am required to use extensive statistical methods to extrapolate the loads over the entire turbine lifetime based on limited sets of simulations.In course of time this job has turned to be routine and less interesting. My question are, 1. Is there a way I can apply machine learning techniques in my curent field where the turbines can learn from simulation or measurement data and deliver more value in terms of increased lifetime or enhanced power performance? 2. If i have to shift to core data analytics do you think I can leverage my current experience in any way? Is it still possible for me to shift to data analytics after long experience in a different industry? Regards Chandan
Hi Kunal, I am a Mechanical Engineer with 11 years of experience in the Energy sector mainly in the wind turbine industry(around 8 years) and currently based in Germany. My main interest in the analytics industry comes from the following two reasons 1. General insecurity in the wind turbine industry ( typical lifecycle of companies is 2-3 years those surviving mostly operate with huge debts) 2. Saturation in the current role - My principal responsibility is to estimate the loads on various components of wind turbine based on the different loading scenarios it could enconter in its lifetime. I am required to use extensive statistical methods to extrapolate the loads over the entire turbine lifetime based on limited sets of simulations.In course of time this job has turned to be routine and less interesting. My question are, 1. Is there a way I can apply machine learning techniques in my curent field where the turbines can learn from simulation or measurement data and deliver more value in terms of increased lifetime or enhanced power performance? 2. If i have to shift to core data analytics do you think I can leverage my current experience in any way? Is it still possible for me to shift to data analytics after long experience in a different industry? Regards Chetan
Hi Kunal, I have 7 + years of experience in IT. I have worked with Business Intelligence tools and I am proficient in SQL. I was planning to do a full-time course and have taken admission in an institute of repute. However will my age (35 by the time I complete the course) and experience be a factor ? I work as a developer ( a hands-on role ) in my present organization. So, working in a hands-on role will be no problem for me . Please advise.
Hi Kunal, After 16 years of software development experience, of which past 9 years were as Project Manager, I recently lost my job. Apparently, there are little to no jobs out there for people like me. I started out as a Java developer and had many years of experience in core Java before moving on to project management (I am a PMP). I am now thinking of re-inventing myself as a developer or technical manager in Big Data domain. My questions - 1. What should I start learning? I am thinking Hadoop and MongoDB 2. Will my past experience count? 3. Do I really need courses? I would rather do self-learning. Do certifications give any edge in job market? Thanks!
Hi Kunal, Thanks for all your inputs. I have 8 yrs of experience in Automation and Manual testing. I am planning to switch career in Big Data considering the future aspects. I am unable to take decision between Big Data developer or Analyst. Can you please provide few key points which can help me in making decision? Thanks :)
Hi Kunal, I am RF planning and optimization engineer in Ericsson with 5.2 years of experience. My day to day tasks involve planning capacity for nodes based upon their KPI analysis. Along with this it involves optimization of resources present at nodes to improve the network. These KPIs are developed using Excel, SAP Business Objects and Tableau. I did my B.Tech. in E&C . At the start of my career just out of college i was very good at C,SQL and data structures may be it was due to this i was able to secure jobs with major IT companies. But somehow due to my fascination towards telecom the moment i got selected for Ericsson i almost forgot all those IT companies and immediately joined Ericsson. Infact i really like to work in this sector. I have also been following many blogs and websites on data science lately and i really feel that using the data science tools and techniques will be the next best thing for me. It may sound like boredom from my current job but i seriously want to learn and implement data science techniques in telecom sector. I have sound knowledge of telecom and i am good at statistics. Can you please suggest how i can use my current experience to get into analytics domain? What can be the applications in telecom sector? What tools should i be focusing on to learn initially?
Hi Kunal, I have 7+ years of experience in web development (LAMP stack) and wish to move to Big Data. I have taken opinion from few others but all are different. Some said PHP to Big data is totally different, so have to start as fresher. Some said its fine to move with new trends and past experience will be considered. Can you please share your thoughts / opinion on the same. It may help me .. Thanks Rakesh
Dear Kunal, I am a mechanical engineer with 8+ years of work experience in avionics from a reputed public sector. I'd like to shift from my current domain to software industry. Please suggest.
Dear Sir, My Son Completed ICE 2013 Batch.Now He Is Working In INFOSYS Selected From Campus Placement,As A Java Developer.Now He Want To Core Line.In Between INFOSYS Trained Java Developers In Hadoop Technology Coming Septemper 2015.I Advice Him,Hadoop Technology Challenging Job And Interesting Wait And See.But His reply Infosys In Be gining Java Programme Very Interesting.Nearly Two Years Now Boring.Hadoop Also Same Like That. after one year boring what i am doing.He Is Very Interesing In Mathematics.Good Score Also In Maths.In This Condition What I Am Doing Sir.Pls.Give Me Advice For My Son Future Career Sir. THANKING YOU SIR, YOURS HASSAN AHAMED KABIR.
Dear Sir, Good Day Sir, My Son Completed ICE 2013 Batch.He Is Working In INFOSYS Selected From Campus Placement,As A Java Developer.After Two Years Java Very Bore For Him.Now He Want To Core Line.In Between INFOSYS Trained To His Employees In Hadoop Technology.I Advised My Son Wait And See.But He Said Another Two Years Hadoop Technology Bore For Me What I Am Doing.pls.Help Me Sir.I Am Waiting For Your Favourite Reply For My Son Future Career Sir. THANKING YOU SIR YOURS, HASSAN AHAMED KABIR.
Hi Kunal, I am working as BI/BW Consultant/ developer for past 1 and half year with a good MNC and Client itself moving moving to SAP HANA so learning that as well. I also works on abap part . I am thinking of to move in anlytiscs or work as analyst rather than developer . can i switch tio hadoop ? will it consider my past experience in this technology.
Hello Kunal, Thanks for the Information. I have been a C++ developer for 4 years and now I learnt Core Java and now working in Testing (Manual and Automation using Selenium Web driver). I don't feel all that great to be in testing after being a Developer all these years.I have always fascinated Hadoop and I even learnt the Architect course at a local training institute. I don't feel very confident about the course but I want to learn more and move to Hadoop stream. Kindly guide me on best courses and certifications for me on Hadoop and how do I move into it. Thanks Shalini
Hello everybody, this is sandeep. i have completed my graduation in bsc comp(statistics) & doing my MBA 1st year.am some what confused to how to build my career.can u please suggest best course to select my professional field.. please help me friends..
Hi Kunal, I read your article and it's quite interesting. I work for a Multinational Bank in IT and have over 20 years of experience. There is a new direction by our senior management to actively start looking at effective use of data which includes big data and data analytics. Given this background, I was thinking about pursuing a 1 year post graduate diploma course in business analytics. I have primarily been in software delivery, which didn't include BI and data warehousing. Would you still recommend that i do that diploma course or would you suggest some other course? Look forward to hearing from you.
Hi Kunal, I have done PGDIE from NITIE and have good knowledge of supply chain/statistics/OR etc. I have predominantly worked in business analyst/ manager role in the IT industry with focus in implementing or supporting supply chain planning packages like i2/JDA etc. I have good exposure domain knowledge in Retail/SCM optimization during my experience. But I lack the hands on experience in core analytics work like data handling/ R/SAS etc. or that matter core analytics projects as I was basically implementing optimization packages. I am interested in moving to Analytics completely from my current role and want to know what options are available for me in Analytics/ Data science space.Will my current experience be counted in this space. What kind of profile/package I can expect and what are the core skills I need to learn. Thank you in advance. Thanks, Vaibhav
Hi Kunal, Nice article, its truly motivating and having deep insights about data analytics. I myself want to get into data analytics domain. I have 5 years of experience in HR recruitment but i want to get into analytics domain. I know that its very off track I am on but I want to come back to it as I don't find much monetary benefits in this domain. I have done Btech (Computer science & Engg.) and currently pursuing PGDM (IT) from IMT. I have knowledge and have done coaching in SAS having knowledge about Modeling Techniques also. Kindly suggest me how to get into Data Analytics. Also please suggest I should go ahead with which kind of profile in Data Analytics as there are lot of things in it. Regards Ankit Kumar
Other options for Data Science Learning: 1) Stanford's Mining Massive Data sets (MMDS) program - It is a super-intensive course consisting of 4 courses (CS 229 - Machine Learning (Famous Andrew Ng's course - watered-down version of it is available on coursera, CS 246 - Data Mining, CS 276 - Information Retrieval, Social Network Analysis) - It is very Math and Compute intensive but light on business knowledge/domain. Pre-reqs: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Optimization, Probability, Statistics. Takes 1-3 years to complete this program. Available online 2) Berkeley's MS Data Science Masters program (Not quite Math intensive as Stanford one, but it is inter-disciplinary and has more emphasis on business domain)
Hi Friends, Am reading all the information’s posted above for the past few months, Am posting this, seeking help from the group to guide me with right correction required in my career. Have 14 years of experience in Analytics and business Analyst in BFSI and business system. Core competency in Predictive modelling, Business Intelligence, Data governance and People Leadership Currently heading the Analytics team for a reputed company (Sorry not disclosing the name). Haven't done any certification from any reputed institution nor Am not B-school pass out. Here is requiring help in terms of what certification is required to enhance my career. Thru few people got the advice as BIG data is the scope for next 10 years; please help me with where big data classes can be taken or another certification like PMP or ITIL etc will help
hi, I have 7 years of experience in MS Exchange Server, Lync Server and Active Directory. I want to switch technology for career growth, Can you please advise me which course will be helpful for me for growth. Regards, Manoj
Hii Kunal I am Rajarshi . I have done my B-tech from NIT bhopal in Computer science. I have some working expereince with Big data ( especially in Hadoop ,Hbase). Now iam doing my mba from IIM with specialization in Operation and supply chain. I have knowledge of Operation research,statistics,data mining ,Linear algebra and I am learning R right now. So how should I approach for my career in analytics once I graduate.
Hi kunal, How is the market for Qlikview? Do u provide any training on this tool
Hi Kunal , I am working in Market Research and consulting company. Will Big Data course will help me in future.If not is there any other course I can do. I have completed B.E.(Mechanical) and MBA(Marketing) having 3 years of work Waiting for your precious response Regards Pankaj Deshmukh email id:[email protected]
Hi Kunal, I have 13+ Exp in IT industry . I have been working with .Net technologies and good hands on Oracle [PL -SQL ]. I have been working as Manager last 4 years . Now want to be a Data Scientist . Not because its a boom or upcoming technology but I always love to play with Data and I love to do analysis . I don't have any exp in R- Language or Data analysis .. nothing ... . I have done Big Data course , I have knowledge Hadoop , Map Reduce , Pig , HIVE , HBase . I have done small academic projects . Now want to learn Data Scientist technologies .. Please guide me How I can start . I gave Data Scientist test @your site and score 71 - 85 . Its means , I have some qualities to
Hi Kunal, I am looking out for a piece of advice. i am working as a business analyst ( Market research & analytics) and my current job involves data analysis, modelling, predicting, using tools such as SAS and Excel. My total work experience is around 8 years now, including around 4 years of work experience in Analytics. I want to now move on to some managerial/leadership role as i do have an experience of around 3 years in a team lead capacity ( not in analytics). Can you please guide me with some course/certification which can enhance my profile to leadership/managerial capacity ? Your Suggestion/guidance will highly be appreciated . Many Thanks Renu
Hi Kunal, I am Oracle Apps professional(10 Years) with over all 14 years of experience behind me . Will getting into BigData,Hadoop and certifications help me in terms of better job? Which stream will suit me better to sustain as far as Indian market is concerned? Awaiting your reply at the earliest.
Respected Sir, I have done my m.tech in computer science and engineering...i am in teaching profession..now thinking of doing phd....and after giving many interviews i found that it difficult to find a guide without a good n deep knowledge... i was in confusion in which area to work as i don't want to continue my m.tech thesis work in computer graphics.... So i am thinking of working in the area of big data...as this is emerging technology and can be applied in many areas... Sir, can you please guide me some technical area, languages, i should be aware of....as i want to perform well in interview this time in coming December....it will be very helpful...
Hi, I am 35 + at present I have more than five years of experience in Medical billing (U .S Healthcare BPO) and also I completed SAS programming and I have only theoretical knowledge. Now I want to change my career to SAS programming in healthcare . if it is possible , please tell me the way. thanks and regards gopi
Hi Kunal I am having 17 years of experience- largely on MainFrame and recently on project management. Getting a feel of not progressing or not adding any specific value to my career and hence thinking of learning something new. And also, I am great fan of numbers. Will you recommend I going for Big data? I may not get a chance to get hands on experience in my current organization though. Thanks and regards
Hi Kunal, This article is ray of hope for those who are bogged down by competition and availability of freshers with skill sets required in Analytics industry ( although freshers from premier institutes without skill sets are preferred - correct me if I am wrong!) . I am also mid age aspirant in analytics without any experience in analytics industry having only one outdated post-graduate certificate of statistics from mediocre university and handful of skill sets like SQL,Minitab,R and SAS. Should I remove my past experience of manufacturing industry from resume and apply as fresher to data analytics industry with these skill sets ? Your valuable suggestions will highly appreciated.
Hi Kunal, I am an IT professional at middle management level and I am considering a shift in my career to business analytics or business intelligence. I am not thinking of becoming a developer, but more of a consultant and in senior management role in organization working on analytics. Have read quite a bit and spoken to many people in the industry but didn't get confidence, if this is a good move. Wanted to know your opinion. Also, if I decide to go ahead, what are the good courses, which can help me achieve this goal. I am residing in Bangalore. Regards, Rahul
Hello Kunjal, Am from Bpo Operation background with around 17 years of experience. I want to do a business analyst course specifically in management domain or you can say non-IT domain. Could you please suggest me the right course and the institute and do you think that I should do this course or not. I love to play with numbers and reports and can spend hours. Please do let me know, would wait for your suggestions. Regards, Anirban
Anirban, What is your expecetation from the course? If you want a course which provides a goof overview, but not necessarily the details, you can check out Business Analytics for CXOs on Coursera. Regards, Kunal
i was complete certification in "big data analyst" course. i am a 2015 mca passout. but didn't get job in big data related. all company are expect only experience.....
Hi Kunal, I went through all the queries here, its really good to see that you have replied to all the queries. i have done PG in Microbiology, and have 2.5yrs experience in Insurance domain and currently working as Team lead in a company from 4yrs and both of these jobs are no were related to my previous work experience and education and i have no technical knowledge. I did courses on C++, SQL in 2011..now i have forgotten these languages and cant even think about refreshing them in the current work schedule, but i need to get into Big data. Do is still have scope of getting into Analytics/Big data. Please do let me know. Thanks, Vinu
Great Kunal! You are really doing a good job by helping people to choose their career. I have done BE (Computer Engg.) & PGDM (Part time) ; have been teaching in a College for 17 years. Wondering if it is really possible for me to shift my career into analytics at this age of 41 years & having no Industry experience. Yes it is difficult to get into an Industry now as the companies prefer fresh graduates and train them for the job. What is the path for me to get into an industry? As suggested by you will take up a course at edX on the Analytics edge. Is it possible to get few projects from small industries and try in a company or start a consultancy firm? Also which is better Web Analytics or Data Analytics?
Hi Kunal, I am an SAP Analyst (functional) and want to change my career to Big Data. Could you please advise on how to make this transition. I am planning to quit my current job and stay at home full-time to pursue the career shift. Would appreciate if i get some good tips on what courses to take ? As of now i am totally new to this topic
Hi I am b.com gradute completed mba in (finance&marketing) in 2015 iam intresting to learn big bata but i have no experience in programming languages how i can learnor please suggest me any other course foro commerce back ground student
hello, i am b.com graduate and currently working as an accounts executive.i am interested to make a career in business analytics. Please advice me how can i get into this field and its prospect considering my commerce background & a career shift at an age of 27 years and if it is feasible.
I have 4 years of experience in performance testing and Engineering, I have read about Performance and Data Analytics and Predictive Analytics is in demand these days, So If i wanted to change my profile to Analytics in Technology or as BA, what is the further Scope for me in this Field and how can I start my carrer in this field. Shall I join some College or institute which provides me knowledge in this field and It going to be right decision to move on. What should I actually Focus at, to get into Analytics or if you can suggest any further good options and scope for me. Kindly guide me on this.
Hello Kunal , I would say it is great Article .. same which I was looking for .. I started my carrier when I was 15 years old , started working in Cyber cafe as Desktop Engineer to learn Computer and get Job in IT . Then completed BCA (Computer Application) in 2012 and got job in IT (Dec 2012) which I thought it will give me a good platform to grow more . BUT as you know we should never stop learning so I want to learn more and get in this field (Analytics / Big data) Which course will be best for me ? waiting for your reply ... "It will be great if you any options for me to learn from Pune Institutes "
Hi Kunal, I am BE graduate in Biotechnology from Bangalore University and done Post graduate diploma in Bioinformatics. I am working on SAS technology (Base SAS ceritified) in a clinical domain since 2002. I am having more than 3 year of experience in research industry where my responsibility is to create SAS datasets and Reporting. I am good at some of the technical skills like SAS, R, SQL etc. Even i have learnt some concepts in Statistics as well. I am very much interested in analyzing data to make sense out of data rather than just report the numbers. Could you please direct me how i can switch my career from reporting to analytics and what are steps i should take to achieve the same.
Hi Kunal, your information was very good. I am vittu i completed master in computer science in 2013, i don't have good academic scores, i have around 2 years gap, i learned .NET TECHNOLOGY but i am bored on that because everyday new advance is coming , now i wish to move BIGDATA side, how it will help full to me ,how can i get better, can i try as a fresher even i have gap.. could you suggest me what i do .. which step is better to grow................waiting for your value suggestions ..
Hi Kunal, My Name is Baby Patel. I have overall 8 years of experience in Quality Assurance and Operations in ITES/BPO industry. I took a break in my career for 1 year and 3 months as of now. Currently I am doing R from Imarticus. My Questions are 1) what all challenges I will have to face to get in to Analytics as I do not have a background of it ? 2)Which all companies and Job boards do I need to refer to get into analytics ? 3) Do you think it is the right decision way to get into Analytics ? I have some exposure to statistics and Minitab. I am good in EXCEL and have good hands on SQL also. Regards, Baby Patel
Hi Kunal, Your article is definitely very helpful and provokes a thought about data analysis. Personally, I have been interested in numbers/maths and find this area very interesting. But professionally, I was into IT development until a few years ago when I had to quit since we expanded our family with 2 kids. I am looking forward to get back to work, with an additional qualification which would give me global opportunities(since my husband is a global employee and can be relocated internationally)...and also would not let my previous experience of 4 years of Java development go waste. I am ready to invest my time, effort and money as long as I am certain of the value of it. I was looking at the BDAP course from SP Jain, Mumbai. Not sure whether they will consider an application with a gap of almost 4 years in the resume. Do the private certification courses have equal value? Please advice if I am thinking in the right direction. Your guidance means a lot :) Thanks, Kanishka
I have almost 3 years of Experience as BA / ERP Implementation Consultant.Also Holding an ITIL Certification. .Now I'm looking forward to gain some technical certifications like Hadoop Big Data and all. After Doing this certification whether i would get some nice openings or they calculate my previous Industry Exp along with this new Certification ?
Hi Kunal, I found your article quite informative since it really explained the finer nuances of making a career shift into analytics. I am currently working as Senior Software Analyst and my line of work involves Java application development. I have a total experience of 5 years in IT domain. I have had exposure to web analytics in my current project and that's what got me interested into business analytics. I have experience in basic R programming as well. I also plan to make a career transition to analytics field. I have secured the admission for the GL business analytics course for the jan 2016 batch. I wanted to know your views on what kind of jobs can I expect keeping in mind the fact that I don't have any major prior experience in analytics industry. I am looking for roles that involve development/analysis since I have prior programming experience.
Hi Kunal, Nice information. Thank You. Need suggestion on my situation. 13 years in DWH industry, 3 years as PM. I am certified PMP. I want to get into Data Analytics as PM, not sure where to begin with. Kindly suggest. Thanks Amit Khanna
Hi Kunal, Currently i am working in Cognizant as a DotNet Developer and i am having an experience of 2 years in this job. i joined it as a freshers.Recently, i joined Big Data Analytics and Hadoop course providing by IVY ProSchool. so, Is it the right time to go for Data Analytics field or should i need to wait for some more time?. I am bit confused that i am doing right or not.
Hi, Currently I am working in Main frame developer.I have 4 years of experience. I already have a knowledge in Java,SQL and linux. I am learning hadoop via dezyre.com. Whether that learnings helpful me to change my career in big data ? I am little bit confused.
Hi Kunal I have 13 yrs of exp in defence sector dealing with electronics and Telecommunication systems. I donot have exp in Analytics but I have qualifications as Bsc Maths, B Tech Electronics and M Tech Electronics Design and Technology, MBA in IT. if I change my career towards Data Scientist will it be valued?
Hey! Great post again.. that's what I was looking for. I am planning to make a switch and this post is bliss for me to start with. Thanks again
I am currently working in BPO as Team Leader operations for 9 years , I have done my Bachelors Degree in Management Studies . I have no background in analysis/maths/stats . In my current job i like doing analysis with data and regularly keep recommending changes to business. I would like to switch my career to analytic s . I have started learning R and now want to take up full time course with Aegis . Iam 35 years now . Do you think i will be considered for getting opportunities after i complete the course . I am keen on joining july 2016 batch with Aegis .
I have 3 years of experience on SAS,SPSS,R programing, R analytics and Tableau- I have Btech +Pgdm qualification .I have good command over mulitiple domains .im working in a product based company now .less chances of sending me to abroad .I am looking for job in abroad .can you suggest me in any country and sources .i am 25 years old .
Is it a good time for me to shifts from my Video Editing Field and Social Media Marketing Field to Big Data Analytics.... mine age is 27.... is NIIT Digi nxt good for placements?
I am from Biology background. Technically a Bioinformatician (10 plus years). I have also done my MBA and have done good work with BD also. I got hooked to R through Bioconductor packages. Now expanding my analytics skills to analyze healthcare data as my understanding goes healthcare analytics is also going to take a leap in India. I have already done Coursera courses and closely following Kaggle, Kdnuggets and many more. What would be your thoughts on key skills I surely should have to make it big in Healthcare analytics. Thank you in advance.
hi I am ba graduate. non-IT background. I have experience 5 years in Bpo. Age is 31. .can I do analytics .And get job . Please guide me anyone if know best please. My email id [email protected]