This is the 1st article of a 3-part series. At the end of the 3-part series, we would have answered 3 potential questions a junior data analyst might have.
With all the hype on data related roles in recent years, it can get overwhelming as an aspiring junior data analyst looking to break into the industry. One commonly asked question – Is picking up soft skills more important than choosing the “right” visualisation software? Here are 3 reasons why picking up transferable soft skills is more important than choosing an appropriate visualisation software.
- Employers value transferable skills more
A junior data analyst should always strive to improve his/her understanding of the dataset and how best to visualise a particular dataset to serve various business goals. This comes with being familiar with the characteristics of different visualisations. This skill is much more value-adding compared to telling your employer which visualisation tool you have picked up because these soft skills can be used across different visualisation software. Ultimately, employers are looking out for adaptable employees and focusing on transferable skills demonstrates one’s adaptability.
- The “right” visualisation software does not exist
For most companies, a junior data analyst would likely use a visualisation tool that has been decided by the company. The top few visualisation software includes Tableau, Qlik, MicroStrategy and Power BI. Whether it is user-friendliness, proper access control capabilities or ease of data connectivity, each of these products offer differentiated features at the organizational level. There is no “right” visualisation software for a junior data analyst to learn, just like how there is no “right” car to use when learning driving.
- Different tools generate similar visualisations
The popular charts – Bar graphs, line graphs, pie charts are similar across tools. For example, the basic components of a bar graph such as title, axis and labels would all be present in Tableau, Qlik, MicroStrategy and MicroStrategy. To an uneducated audience, a bar graph generated in Tableau would be like one created in MicroStrategy. Hence, generating majority of charts would be identical across all tools. Look at the following diagrams to see if you can tell the which is from Tableau and which is from MicroStrategy, you would realise that they are very similar!
Hence, the focus should not be on the specific functionalities of these tools but rather it should be on the problem-solving mindset towards creating appropriate insights for the company. Appreciating how best to represent the data would go a longer way than memorizing specific features of one “right” software.
At VI, we strive to impart important data analysis concepts while using one of the most widely used visualisation tool – Tableau. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
What are you waiting for? Learn more about Vertical Institute’s Data Analytics Course and sign up for our next available classes here before our slots run out again!
*Singaporeans and PRs can receive up to 70% IBF Subsidy off their data analytics course fees. The remaining fees can be claimable with SkillsFuture Credits or NTUC UTAP.
