This week, we’re sharing some key takeaways from our Q&A with Chris Brooks, an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan specializing in data analytics. In particular, he teaches students how data can be used to inform public policy and positively impact the public sector.
The idea of pursuing a career in data analytics can be vague. To gain some clarity on your long-term path forward, it can help to narrow down the type of data you’d like to work with or what you hope to achieve with that data. For example, perhaps you want to study shopping habits to help determine advertising decisions, or you want to use manufacturing data to help make supply chain processes safer and more efficient. Or maybe you, like Prof. Brooks, want to use data to make society better.
Your data focus area can become your niche, and as you progress in your career, you’ll likely use more advanced data skills and techniques to sharpen your expertise in your niche. You may also decide to explore higher education opportunities specific to your niche, much like the kinds of courses Prof. Brooks teaches.
Of course, the first step toward achieving your long-term data goals is to learn the foundations. Here, Prof. Brooks shares his perspective on what aspiring data analysts should explore and what they can do to continue growing in their niche.
Top data analytics skills
According to Prof. Brooks, it’s worth honing your skills in:
“The overlap between these kinds of skills should not be underestimated!” he says. “Data visualization, for instance, is often as much about computer programming and statistics as it is about communication and critical thinking. Having a good grounding in both technical and non-technical skills will allow public policy analysts to draw attention to their results in a more impactful way than just having technical skills.”
Top data analytics tools
Prof. Brooks suggests starting with R programming language in RStudio, then adding the following to your tool kit:
“Keeping abreast of the rapidly changing fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence is key for most knowledge sector employees, and tools such as R allow one to utilize advances from those fields without getting bogged down in the details of how each method or algorithm works internally,” he adds.
How to continue your career development
Prof. Brooks advocates being a proactive learner and engaging with emerging technical trends.
“Don’t passively wait for a course on the required topic to present itself, but proactively connect with communities of like-minded individuals, such as through meetups, on Reddit, or engaging existing communities and leaders on social media,” he says. “As you start to familiarize yourself with the terminology they use, like trend analysis or multivariate analysis, seek out online learning opportunities across various platforms. In this interconnected world, the options for growth are more accessible than ever.”
Keep learning
Read our full interview with Prof. Brooks for more of his sage advice.
Practice technical data skills with these top beginner-level Specializations from University of Michigan on Coursera:
Build toward your data niche with these intermediate-level Specializations: