Learn how to select the ideal analytics course (for beginners).
Are you ready to transform your life by learning a high-income life skill? And is data analytics on your skill development checklist? If yes, you are in for a treat.
Because I will be helping you compare 5 analytics courses suited for beginners so that you can find the ideal one for yourself and get started as early as today. As a data analytics consultant, I understand what skills are essential for delivering an end-to-end analysis project and can help you analyze the ROI of each course effectively.
In this post, I will be sharing my shortlisted analytics courses for beginners, including an analytics course comparison guide, what you should look out for in a basic data analytics course, and the best online course for data analytics (from my point of view, of course).
This post is all about choosing the analytics course for beginners.
Analytics Courses for Beginners
After surveying the market, I have shortlisted a total of 5 analytics courses that I believe can help you learn data analytics comprehensively. They are:
- Breaking into Business Analytics in Tech by Lillian Chiu [Read here]
- Business Analytics Accelerator Program (BAAP) by Jaslyn Lim [Read here]
- Data Analytics Bootcamp by Thinkful [Read here]
- Post Graduate Program In Data Analytics by Simplilearn [Read here]
- Data Analytics Short Course by General Assembly [Read here]
Before delving into the course comparison, I would like to outline the factors I am considering, which are essential for you to be able to deliver your analysis project after completing the course.
I have identified 3 factors:
- Pricing – This is self-explanatory. Every investment we make in ourselves must yield a return on investment.
- Content – I will be looking for specific skill sets that I consider crucial for delivering and managing an end-to-end data analysis project. These include project management, data collection, data cleaning & formatting, data visualisation, analysis, summarising, and data storytelling.
- Resources – Are there additional resources available to accelerate your learning? For example, question-and-answer segments, templates, demos, and more.
If you are wondering why I did not mention coding, it is because you do not need to know coding to complete a basic data analysis project.
As a data analytics consultant myself, I seldom engage in coding during an analysis project, unless it involves some form of data modeling, data extraction from databases, or if coding significantly expedites the process.
Yeah, I am a pretty lazy analyst 😉
At the end of the day, you just need to learn the skills that can help you get the work done. Isn’t that right?
Analytics Courses Comparison
This table summarises all the factors I am considering::
Breaking into Business Analytics in Tech by Lillian Chiu | BAA Program by Jaslyn Lim | Data Analytics Bootcamp by Thinkful | Post Graduate Program in Data Analytics by Simplilearn | Data Analytics Short Course by General Assembly | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PRICE | |||||
Pricing | USD 285 | USD 437 | USD 8,240 | USD 2,750 | USD 3,690 |
Payment Plans | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
CONTENT | |||||
Project management | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Data Collection | No | Yes [Excel] | No | No | Yes |
Data Cleaning & Formatting | Yes [Google Sheets] | Yes [Excel] | No | No | Yes |
Data Visualization | Maybe | Yes [Excel, GA4] | Yes [Tableau] | Yes [Tableau, Power BI, Excel] | Yes [Tableau] |
Analysis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes [Excel] | Yes |
Summarising | Yes | Yes [Excel] | Yes [Excel] | No | No |
Storytelling | Yes [Google Slides] | Yes [PPT] | Yes [PPT] | No | No |
Coding [optional] | No | No | Yes [Python, SQL] | Yes [Python, SQL, R] | Yes [SQL] |
OTHERS | |||||
Q&A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Additional Resources? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Lifetime Access? | Yes | Yes | Didn’t State | Didn’t State | Didn’t State |
Let’s break it down, shall we?
Factor 1: Pricing
In terms of pricing, Lillian’s course has the lowest pricing, while Thinkful’s analytics course has the highest pricing. The availability of payment plans makes sense – apart from Lillian’s analytics course, the rest of the data analytics courses offer payment plans.
Factor 2: Content
When considering content, I delved further into the tools and software you will learn, providing insight into whether the course aligns with your needs. Sometimes, you may be looking for specific skill sets in certain software or wish to avoid overly technical tools.
I have identified 7 essential skill sets, with a bonus one – coding. This indicates the number of skill sets covered by each course:
- Breaking into Business Analytics in Tech by Lillian Chiu – 4
- Business Analytics Accelerator Program by Jaslyn Lim – 7
- Data Analytics Bootcamp by Thinkful – 4 + 1
- Post Graduate Program In Data Analytics by Simplilearn – 2 + 1
- Data Analytics Short Course by General Assembly – 4 + 1
From these numbers alone, you can learn the most from the Power of Analytics Course. However, there are other things you may want to consider:
- Depth of explanation of each skill set
- Your objectives for taking the course (ie What do you want to get out of the course?)
- The level of support you have (eg Availability of demos, templates, and resources)
#1 Depth of explanation of each skill set
Some courses may cover minimal content but provide in-depth explanations. These courses are ideal for those who want to master specific skill sets. Alternatively, if you aim to transition into tech or upskill, a course covering a broad range of basics might be more beneficial.
#2 The objective of taking the course
Additionally, it is crucial to consider the underlying reasons for enrolling in a course. Are you seeking to upskill, secure a promotion, transition into tech, or enhance the value of your services?
- If you are an employee aiming to transition into tech or enhance your skill set, a course delving deeply into specific skill sets would be more beneficial.
- If you are self-employed and seeking to augment your value to clients or expand your services, a course covering every single step would be more advantageous.
Among the five courses mentioned, the Power of Analytics course is the most comprehensive, covering all fundamental aspects of data analysis. It focuses on delivering effective end-to-end analysis projects, making it particularly suitable for the self-employed. Whereas, the other courses primarily aim at facilitating career advancement in the analytics field.
#3 The level of support you have
Lastly, consider the level of support you will receive from the course team and whether they inspire trust. This factor will significantly impact how fast you learn and how fast you can reach your goal, ultimately affecting your ROI.
An effective support should either accelerate your learning process or enable fast application in real-world scenarios. These ensure you realise the full ROI of your investment (ie course’s price).
I would prefer to go for the first 2 courses as they are created by individuals with real-life experience and a nuanced understanding of essential concepts. They are also likely to provide prompt responses to questions that you may have. On the other hand, courses hosted by larger institutes may not prioritise swift responses, potentially affecting your learning progress.
Factor 3: Others
In terms of the opportunity to raise questions and the availability of extra resources, all of them offer these features. However, when considering whether you will have lifetime access to the courses, only the first two courses explicitly guarantee this benefit.
Personally, I find having lifetime access incredibly valuable, particularly in this day and age. With trends constantly shifting and technology advancing fast, having lifetime access allows me to revisit the course whenever updates or improvements are implemented. It’s like a membership to an academy for my entire life.
Resource for you: Analytics Blueprint | Business Analytics Accelerator Program for Beginners
What is the best online course for data analytics?
This rating chart simplifies your selection process, allowing you to choose the analytics course that best suits your needs. For me, return on investment (ROI) is KEY.
From the chart, I would recommend the “Business Analytics Accelerator Program by Jaslyn Lim” because it covers more content in terms of running an end-to-end analysis project. Although its price is not the lowest among these courses, it is very worth considering given the amount of content and the level of support. At $437, it is reasonably priced, especially considering that most analytics courses are over $1,500.
“Breaking into Business Analytics in Tech by Lillian Chiu” would be my second choice mainly because of its lower pricing and the content it covers. Similar to the BAA Program, Lillian’s course teaches you how to conduct an end-to-end analysis project, but it doesn’t provide business use cases, which are great for strengthening any analytics portfolio.
Another difference is that Lillian’s course doesn’t provide as much support and hands-on exercises, which explains the pricing gap between these two courses.
This recommendation takes into consideration the following reasons:
- Lifetime access to both courses.
- Clear transparency regarding course creators.
- Both courses cater to beginners with minimal to no tech background.
- Each course effectively serves its purpose of teaching a new skill to help you achieve your desired goals.
With all these considerations in mind, which analytics course will you choose?
This post is all about selecting the best online analytics course for beginners.
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