Assignment 1 intro to data analytics PDF

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Assignment 1 for the class into to data analytics for academic year spring 2021...

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31250 Introduction to Data Analytics

As s i gnme ntTas k1: Dr e am Jo bs

Laura Snell 13532751

In the following report, four jobs within the field of data analytics have been selected from job advertising platforms. The skills and attributes required in these jobs have been analysed and compared with my own current status and future plan in relation to the attainment of these skills. It is the goal of this report to analyse my current standing and create a plan for the future in the hopes of attaining similar roles.

SECTION 1- DESCRIBE SELECTED JOBS Job One: Sales Data Analyst, Apex Laboratories Located on the Central Coast, Apex Laboratories is one of Australia’s leading manufacturers of veterinary pharmaceuticals and is a part of the global Dechra Pharmaceuticals Group. Apex Laboratories are currently providing an opportunity for a part-time sales data analyst to join the commercial team. Responsibilities: The responsibilities of the job include: the management of data through a variety of tasks and techniques. Gaining insight through the development of databases and dashboard. Working collaboratively to streamline processes. Assisting in CRM maintenance and analysing salesforce effectiveness measures Required Skills: Required skills for the role include prior experience. Communication, analytical and problem-solving skills. Expertise in PowerPoint and excel. Experience in CRM systems such as MS-SQL. Job Two: Junior Data Analyst, Slyletica Syletica is a full-service fashion agency specialising in activewear and athleisure brands through custom manufacturing and original design of garments. The main role of this job is to support the wider business whilst finding ways to streamline and improve the brand's system. Responsibilities: Responsibilities of the role include designing and maintaining data systems and databases. Mining and reorganizing data into clear, easy to understand formats. Creating informative and actionable reports to highlight relevant trends and areas where there are opportunities for improvement. Required Skills: Bachelor's degree in IT or computer science. Prior experience. Analytical, communication and problem-solving skills as well as attention to detail. Strong knowledge of Office 365, in particular excel and PowerPoint. Strong knowledge of programming languages and databases such as API, Python, CRM, SQL etc. Job Three: Data Analyst/Junior Data Scientist, Freelancer Freelancer is the world's largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace. The platform connects millions of employers to freelancers across the world every day in a huge variety of different fields of work. Machine learning is used in many places throughout the company. Responsibilities: Key responsibilities of the role include processing of structured and unstructured data. Analysis of

large quantities of data to discover trends and patterns. Presentation of information and collaboration with others. Required skills: Tertiary skills in maths, physics etc (a qualitative discipline). Excellent python, SQL and panda scripting. Processing complex data to make business decisions. Understanding of the internet scale system. Extensive knowledge and experience in statistics and as an analyst. Strong maths, analytical, problem solving, communication and presentation skills. Job Four: Data Analyst, Cube Online Cube Online is one of Australia's fastest-growing marketing and software agencies. Cube online develops marketing and reputation management software. They also provide creative service such as web design, e-commerce development, paid media, social content and SEO. Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include development of client performance reports. Decision. Making around product development and software usage. Development of reports to help the company better understand customer churn. Working with the marketing team to help better manage the data going into the CRM. Required skills: Relevant experience in the field. High proficiency in google and Microsoft suites, in particular excel. SQL database experience. Exceeding KPIs. Creative and analytical mindset. Problem Solving, organizational and communication skills. SECTION 2- L IST OF SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES The table below lists a variety of common skills and attributes among the four chosen jobs. These skills would be necessary for an individual to fulfill and exceed the requirements of the job. The table also includes my current status and future plan in relation to the attainment of these skills/attributes. Skills/attributes

Current Status

Future Plan

3-5+ years Australian Based experience in a similar role or experience as an analyst

No experience

Continue to improve data analytics skills and gain relevant experience through internships, volunteering and pert-time work.

Mid-level knowledge though using these problems throughout my schooling and day to day life. Knowledge and use of excel in particular needs improvement

Undertake Udemy’s course “Excel-from beginner to advanced” as well as goskills “Microsoft office Suite” course.

No experience

Gain experience through relevant internships and working experiences

Basic knowledge of SQL through the completion of the subject “Database principles” and “Programming Fundamentals”. Basic knowledge of python.

Undertake the University of California’s coursera subject “SQL for data science”, or a similar online course. Knowledge to be gained through future planned subjects in university course as well as completion of online courses

High proficiency in Microsoft suites

Proven experience working with and processing large data sets Experience in CRM systems, MS-SQL, SQL, Python or similar

such as Udemy’s “learn python A-Z” Strong problem-solving skills

High attention to detail and strong organizational skills

Mid-level problem solving skills from both secondary schooling and university. I have also acquired these skills by personally designing and building a set of horse stables at my family home

Skills to be developed through subsequent engineering and problem-based learning subjects. Skills should also be developed through Internships, volunteer work, university society events and part-time jobs

-High attention to detail through designing and building aforementioned structures.

Skills to be developed through continued university studies. Skills should also be developed through Internships, volunteer work, university society events and part-time jobs. Listen to organizational based podcasts and reading of personal development books

-High level organisational skills through working two jobs whilst also studying full time at university Ability to work towards and exceed KPIs

Excellent communication skills both written and verbal

-Extensive retail experience has allowed for the development of skills to exceed KPIS

-Continued work in retail and part time employment

-I studied Advanced English and achieved a band 6 during my HSC studies

-Continuing to ‘put myself out there’ through attending many university events, networking with other engineering professionals as well as through class work and group work.

-During my schooling I always placed in the top of my region/state for public speaking and debating. I have carried these skills with me to my university studies and am continuing to develop them

A creative thinking mindset

Tertiary degree in Maths, Stats, Physics, Computer science or other quantitative discipline

Creative thinking mindset has been developed through engineering classes, designing and building structures and artistic hobbies. This can always be further developed.

-Research ‘dream companies’ KPIs

-continue to read books on the subject such as Dale Carnegie’s ‘how to win friends and influence people’

Continue creative and innovate attitude and mindset both inside engineering/data fields and outside of these areas. Research and practise creative engineering concepts similar to those developed in École Polytechnique de Montréal’s (ÉPM) creative engineers’ course

-Currently pursuing my Bachelor of Continue to work towards completing my Biomedical Engineering and University of engineering degree. This is planned to be Technology Sydney completed by 2023

Understanding of the internet scale system

No experience in this area

Research and study this method through internet research or related methods

Strong maths skills (especially statistics)

-I studied advanced mathematics and achieved a band 5 in my HSC studies.

-Learning of mathematics will be ongoing through the continuation of study in my engineering course. If ever I feel my mathematical skills are fading, I will begin an online course such as those offered through skills share, Udemy and khan academy (for specific areas)

- I am continuing to study many mathematical subjects during my Bachelor of Engineering including: Physics, mathematical modelling 1 and 2 and many others

proven experience generating technical process documentation reports and data visuals

No experience

Gain experience through relevant internships and working experiences

proven capabilities in project and user-testing management

-During my Engineering communications subject we designed and developed engineering solutions to solve real world problems in third world countries

Gain experience through future engineering and problem-solving based subjects throughout the duration of my degree as well as gaining relevant internships and working experiences

ability to work with partners for optimized system integration and data migration

-previous experience working in retail with variety of team members

Skills to be developed through continued study and group work assignments at university. Skills may also be developed through casual employment, internships, university societies etc.

-I am an active member of the executive team for The Big Lift society at university -Many years of experience as a part of sporting teams

If I feel these skills need further development at any point I may turn to informational reading or online course.

SECTION 3 - CURRENT STATUS AND EVIDENCE Through a reflection upon the skills and knowledge gained across a variety of experiences, I am able to make an appropriate assessment of my current status in relation to the skills required for these jobs. These skills and knowledge have been gained across 4 key areas: University/education, personal experience, casual employment and self-study. I believe I have a good foundation to build upon as my educational and professional careers progress. However, it is still important to continue to develop these skills to keep up with a rapidly changing workplace. Across all jobs ads previous experience working in the field was a necessary requirement for a successful applicant. It was also clear that strong technical skills are a definite requirement to be successful in this field. Data Analysts require a strong understanding of a range of databases as well as a variety of coding languages such as R, Python, Java etc. Data analysts require knowledge and skills across a broad range of areas including data manipulation and analysis, programming and analytics. Through my degree, a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering, I have completed classes such as “Database principles” which provided me with an understanding of databases and manipulation of data through the use of SQL. Other classes such as “Programming Fundamentals” allowed me to form an understanding of the use of JavaScript and begin the basics of coding. Despite doing well and achieving high marks in both these classes, they are only basic introductory data classes and I thus still have a long way to go. However, I do believe I have laid a strong foundation to build upon with future studies and courses within this field. I therefore believe I have a base level understanding in this area which would benefit from further study and learning. A common requirement across almost all job ads was a requirement for strong communication and interpersonal skills. I believe myself to be very strong in these areas. These skills are also not easily learnt through online courses or the like making them all the more valuable. Through my employment history I have worked in a variety of fields including retail where a customer-based approach is vital. Through these experiences, my ability to communicate, deliberate and interact with customers/consumers has grown exponentially, providing me with excellent communication skills as

well as the ability to work within a group. During University and schooling situations I have always taken to group work very well and while I am happy to follow someone else’s lead I usually end up acting as the group leader to motivate and organize the group members to achieve tasks before deadlines. Participating in a variety of sporting teams has also allowed me to experience communication and group work in a variety of different contexts. Many jobs’ ads expressed a keen interest in candidates with strong communication, collaboration, problem solving and innovation skills. Through my studies in both secondary education and University I have had the chance to develop these skills through many group works projects. Courses such as Engineering Communication, Engineering practise preparation 1 and biomedical industry framework provided an environment to develop and grow skills such as these. The project based, collaborative nature of these subjects allowed me to build upon my already strong foundations and provided a real-world engineering like environment to gain experience in product development and implementation. These skills have also been developed through my casual employment where communication, problem solving and collaborative skills are of paramount importance. SECTION 4 - CREDIBLE PLA N It is important to formulate a viable plan which is not only achievable and viable, but which also aims to improve upon any weaknesses and pushes me to my full potential. My technical knowledgeable of data processes, manipulation and program in skills need development across the board. I also believe I could use experience in a professional setting in order to apply my current skills and knowledge to real world situations UTS offers a variety of subjects in the fields of data and data analytics which would allow me to build upon and extrapolate the basic knowledge I currently have. Enrolling in subjects such as “fundamentals of programming” and “Applications of programming” would provide me with a much deeper level of knowledge in programming and data concepts. This would set me up in a much better position to fulfil the requirements set by many jobs and internships in data analytics. Completion these subjects would also allow enrolment in “advanced data analytics” (for which these subjects are a prerequisite.) In addition, I may also take online courses specifically formulated to develop knowledge of programming languages, databases and data knowledge. I believe I would benefit highly from completing these subjects as my knowledge and skills in these areas need improvement if I wish to land a job in the field of Data Analytics. Towards the end of my degree, it becomes important to develop professional workplace skills. I plan on partaking in a 6-month internship in the second half of this year. I plan to use this experience to develop professional skills and apply my current knowledge and skills to a professional environment. This internship will also provide opportunity to develop an array of technical skills which are required in the engineering workplace. These may include programming skills, data analysis and software skills such as google and Microsoft suites. Partaking in an internship would also allow me to learn from experts in the field whilst also providing me with credible and tangible experience and knowledge to add to my resume which would be of extreme usefulness when applying for postgraduate jobs. Continued involvement in a variety of societies at UTS, especially in an executive capacity, will allow for the continued development of communicative, collaborative and innovative skills. These experiences also provided opportunities for networking which is of great importance in the field of engineering to access internships and job opportunities....