Data analyst certificates are dead. The days of completing a course
and getting a job are over. But the truth is
that there's still a way to get a data analyst job like this one,
and it truly works without any experience or formal education projects are helpful,
but they're not the solution either. And that's not
what I'm talking about in this video. So first,
we need to understand the difference between a certificate of completion
and a certification. Many online courses come with a
certificate of completion like this one. That means that you get a certificate
after completing one or multiple courses. You can learn a lot from these online
courses and I highly recommend them. I mean, that's how most people start learning data
analysis nowadays and data science in general,
and it just works. But the fact is that these ones are just
certificates of completion. They're not devalued in the real world. And if you just really resonate
with these certificates and apply for a job,
there's a disaster waiting. Firstly,
because you can cheat in online courses and most of these courses don't have much
value on the real job market either. I mean, some of them will show
that you did something. They went out and learn the basics
on your own, but it's usually not enough. So why do these certificates exist? It's because on average, only
5% actually complete the online course. They signed up for certificates
after completion, or a great way to keep people motivated
and keep learning. And the course platforms know
that we like feeling like we're working towards something, a certificate,
and it gives us a feeling of achievement. Plus it's something tangible
that you can bring with you, and in some cases it can actually be worth
keeping on your resume. I still think that getting
these certificates are a great thing, but often these ones are only useful
for learning and motivating yourself. Luckily,
there's something else you can do. The other form are called certifications. Now please be aware of this. This is not a certificate
that you get after completing a course. I feel like I haven't made this
clear enough in the previous videos that certificates of completion
and certifications are not the same thing. Many aspiring data analyst fall
into the trap of certificates without looking for valuable
certifications. Certificates are more respected
because you get them after completing one or even multiple real exams
instead of just taking courses. This might sound like it's a lot of work,
but on a positive note, there are some affordable and fast certifications
that you can take to become a data analyst that will actually help
you learn the job like this one. The first one is called the Tableau
Certified Data Analyst. Why is this one so useful? Well, it's because Tableau and Power BI are some of the most important skills
that can show on your resume. If you have a real certification
in one of these tools, recruiters will instantly select
you over candidates that don't know. Tableau offers
a couple of different certifications. The easiest one is the Tableau desktop
specialist, but it's a very basic one and only about the tool itself. The one certificate you should take
is the tableau Certified Data Analyst. To get this one, you need a strong understanding of Tableau
and basic data analysis skills. There's even a learning path
that you can access as well. I recommend these study
using online courses both about data analysis
and specifically for Tableau. Before you even attempt this one,
you should have done some projects in Tableau, understand it well, and be aware
of all the fundamentals of data analysis because you know, you don't actually want to take an exam
and have to redo it and fail. Now there is a fee to take this one,
but the actual preparation is free. Using the learning path, for example,
I like the Tableau certifications, but I prefer the next one. Microsoft Power BI Analyst Certification. It's by Microsoft directly
and once you have it, you're certified. Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst. That's incredibly valuable
on the job market. If you want to become a data analyst. Power is owned by Microsoft, by the way,
just like Excel is. Now this one comes at a total price of 165 bucks, which is way
lower than the Tableau certificate. It's just one single test and contains
four different sections to go to data, model the data, visualize and analyze
the data, and deploy and maintain assets. And all of this using Power
BI as your tool, of course. To study for this one, I recommend going through the official resources,
but also some relevant online courses. You should have completed a data
analyst certificate, done some projects and focused on learning power
BI for quite a while, both the theoretical stuff,
but also doing some projects with it. For example, as a beginner I recommend guided projects
where you just follow along the split screen
and learn the power. BI. That's a great way of learning
how projects work and also how Power BI works specifically. My one piece of advice
is that don't stress too much about these certifications. When you're ready,
they'll be very helpful. But keep going with your learning as usual
and just see them as a goal, something that's there to help you
eventually. Now, don't forget about school. School is an absolutely essential tool. As a data analyst,
now that you're way stronger candidate might actually get an interview,
it's important that you're ready for some basic sequel questions. Don't worry, there's
no more certifications to get learn skills so that you can pass an interview
for your first job. The question is how well do you need to know sequel to do that,
you only have to learn the terminology and get a basic proficiency in sequel, but
it's not going to be the easiest thing, of course. Here's where online courses
or certificates of completion come in. I like data camp. They have lots of practical skill courses
at a really affordable price, and practice is really going to be key
when it comes to learning sequel. The next question is
should you be looking for jobs if you don't have any real certification,
if you don't have any work experience in the data field
and you only have, for example, data analyst certificates like this one, then
it would skip looking for jobs right now and come back when it was stronger. Foundation I will say that
if you have a great portfolio when you actually know your stuff,
then you could still do it without work experience or certification. It's not like these certifications
are the only way to get a job. It's just a way to make it way easier
because, well, getting them can be tough at first. Sending a thousand job applications
and getting ghosted can be pretty tough too,
maybe even mentally disturbing. Trust me, I've been there, so
my advice is to try to apply to few jobs, see how it goes,
and be honest with yourself about how strong your qualifications are. If you realize that there's work to do, I will try to work on my portfolio
or get certified or even better, do both. It's a very competitive market for beginners,
so we need to do what we can to stand out. Once you get your first job,
it's only going to get easier and easier if you want to do the analyst job
and this is the way to go, it's not the easiest thing to do,
but it will get you to that job. I recommend using online courses
and certificates to your advantage, so see as well and then look into taking
one of these certifications when you finally ready. I don't think
you should ever get into this. Make sure to build up your knowledge
first. Remember, it's not a sprint, it's
a marathon. This is a clear path that will help
you get a job more than anything else. As a new data analyst, all the resources,
including exact courses, are available in the description. If you want to learn more
about becoming a DE down the list, check out this video
right here and I'll see you there.
