3 Online Resources to Help Sharpen Your Analytics Skills

by | Aug 9, 2016 | General BI

Reading Time: 4 minutes

analytics skillsData analytics is constantly changing, meaning your analytics skills that were up to date last year may not be current today. How can you keep up with rapidly developing technology?

Tweet: 3 online courses to sharpen your analytics skills

Thankfully, there are many resources that you can access to keep your analytics skills sharp. In this blog post, we will discuss three online resources that will help keep your skills current and enable you to supercharge your organization’s business intelligence and analytics efforts.

Online resources are quickly becoming a convenient and affordable way to continue one’s education. The following 3 websites have partnered with top universities and organizations worldwide to offer online courses and specializations. Among a vast array of topics, they boast an impressive variety of classes on data analytics, and have courses ranging in difficulty and specificity, with basic introductions to in-depth instruction for specific applications.

1. Coursera

Coursera has a wide range of courses, including classes in data science and analytics. These courses do not simply present the material but have you apply the skills you learn.

Coursera

For example, The Data Scientist’s Toolbox, course 1 of 10 in the Data Science Specialization, offers an introduction to the data, tools, ideas, and questions that data analysts and data scientists work with to gain insights from data. This course is therefore perfect for those who are new to R and software development. If you want to continue with this Specialization, you can expect to see more specific courses on getting and cleaning data, statistical interference and regression models. This Specialization also culminates in a Capstone Project, drawn from real-world problems, enabling you to demonstrate your analytics skills.

For someone who is constantly immersed in data, but perhaps not the visualization of it, the course Fundamentals of Graphic Design will help teach the fundamental principles of graphic design. As the first of the 5-part Graphic Design Specialization, this interactive course not only provides video instructions, but also presents numerous opportunities to make your own designs. Useful for those with little to no experience, or for anyone who wants to refresh analytics skills!

2. Lynda.com

Lynda.com, owned by LinkedIn, specializes in courses in the business, creative, and technology fields. After a free 10-day trial, you can become a member, receiving unlimited access to video courses in a variety of languages. Lynda.com enables you to better yourself and remain competitive in the data analytics field.

Lynda

As every good data scientist knows, data is useless unless you can effectively communicate it. The trouble is finding a way to share this data so that audiences understand and are interested. Lynda.com can help alleviate this struggle with the Data Visualization Storytelling Essentials course. This class demonstrates how to present data and information in story form. Bill Shander, founder of Beehive Media and author of this course, asserts the necessity of presenting data in a form the audience is comfortable with: storytelling. What sets this course apart is that it is useful not just for data analysts but for anyone who needs to communicate information.

Do you want to stay on top of the trends, but don’t want to commit to a full course load?  If so, check out Data Science Tips, #1. Each week the website posts a new (and free!) video, where the author explores data science and analytics tips to help data users refresh and update their skills.

3. edX

edX is an online learning platform created by Harvard and MIT, but other schools also offer classes on the platform.

edX

For those who have experience with data analysis, a potential program to enroll in is The Genomics Data Analysis XSeries. This advanced class will enable you to analyze and interpret data from modern genomics technology. (Note: not for beginners!) To effectively complete this course, you need training in high-throughput technology and knowledge of coding in R language. But if you are looking for advanced skills, this may be the brain teaser for you.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to sharpen your spreadsheet and data visualization skills, Data Analysis: Take It to the MAX() is the class for you! Specially designed to help you overcome daily data analytics struggles, this course encourages active participation and real-life problem solving. Use this course to impress your boss or professor with your newly found analytics skills.

Do you have a favorite online course resource? Let us know in the comments below.

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