To address your questions, you decide to reach out to your mentor, Dan Alytics. Dan is currently a full-time data analyst at one of the top technology companies in North America. He also works part-time as an international consultant and often travels on weekends to meet with clients. With more than 20 years of experience in data analytics across several industries, Dan has a vast professional network and can be a great asset to you in providing guidance on career paths as well as connecting you with others in the field.
You decide to email Dan to inquire about the opportunities that data analytics presents for you. Dan recommends that you take initiative on your career exploration and independently research how data analytics is used. Dan would like to meet next week and discuss opportunities and answer any questions you may have. To make the most of his time, he asks you to prepare clear and concise notes on your findings to send to him prior to the meeting.
Directions
Your mentor, Dan, has suggested that you choose two industries that align well with your interests and career goals.
Select two:
- Banking and securities
- Communication and media
- Healthcare
- Education
- Manufacturing
- Insurance
- Consumer trade
- Transportation
- Energy
- Sports
Note: You are not required to select the same industry that you explored in other assignments or projects in this course. If you are interested in an industry that is not listed above, reach out to your instructor for approval prior to completing your project.
Begin your career exploration by searching how each selected industry uses data analytics. Use the resources in the Supporting Materials section below to search several job listings and employers in each industry. This will help you determine the relevant knowledge, skills, and tools you will need as a data analyst in each industry.
Take thorough notes, as you will organize them into one-pagers for your mentor. A one-pager is a single-page summary of content and a commonly used deliverable in business. Use the template provided to organize your notes and ensure they are clear and concise for your mentor to review. You should address the following in your notes for each industry you selected:
- Describe the roles and responsibilities of professionals who use data analytics in each industry. To guide your search, consider the following:
- What do data analytics professionals do in each industry?
Are the roles and responsibilities of these professionals clearly defined? - How do the roles and responsibilities in data analytics relate to each industrys needs?
- Are these collaborative roles? Would you mainly work as part of a team or more independently?
- What do data analytics professionals do in each industry?
- Determine which areas of data analytics are commonly used in each industryfor example, text analytics, fraud analytics, customer analytics, or others. To guide your search, consider the following:
- What types of data are collected?
- What tools and technologies are used to collect and analyze data in each industry?
- What does the process for applying each area of data analytics look like?
- Compare and contrast how data analytics can be used to address common challenges or problems faced by each industry you have identified. To guide your search, consider the following:
- What areas of data analytics might be used to address common challenges or problems in each industry?
- Does the process for using data analytics vary greatly across different industries?
- What are the industry-specific nuances? Consider the storage, management, and mining of data in each industry.
