If you’re looking for an in-demand position that offers flexibility and growth, consider becoming a data analytics consultant, which combines two popular, high-paying fields — data and consulting. This career guide explores all aspects of this position, including typical job responsibilities, how to become an analytics consultant, skills you need to succeed and much more.
What Is a Data Analytics Consultant?
A data analytics consultant is a professional who gathers and analyzes information for a particular company or organization with the goal of helping to make educated strategic business recommendations and decisions.
In many cases, data analytics consultants are either self-employed or work for a third party and are contracted to help a company for a specific amount of time.
What Does a Data Analytics Consultant Do?
The specifics will vary depending on the position and contracted services, but in general, data analytics consultants are responsible for:
- Offering guidance on how to manage and govern data
- Designing and developing databases and data models
- Analyzing data and processes to determine what is (and isn’t) working
- Training staff and making process improvement recommendations
- Creating reports, dashboards and data visualization tools
- Providing guidance on how to properly store and clean data
- Recommending data use improvements
- Providing guidance on how to address potential problems and bridge any data gaps
Steps to Become a Data Analytics Consultant
The first step begins with the right type of education. In most cases, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field — such as math, stats or computer science — is preferred or required. If you want to set yourself apart from other candidates while increasing your earning potential, consider earning a master’s degree in computer or data science. Certain positions may even require additional education.
Besides relevant undergraduate and graduate degrees, one of the best ways to become a consultant is to gain work experience, either in the form of an internship or an entry-level job as a data analyst. These opportunities are a good way to build a portfolio that demonstrates your work ethic and ability to succeed.
Certifications are also beneficial and can supplement your education; they may even be required for certain positions. A few worth considering include:
- Certified Analytics Professional (CAP)
- Cloudera Certified Associate (CCA) Data Analyst
- Data Analytics and Visualization Certificate
- Tableau Data Analyst
Data Analytics Consultant Salary
Salary will depend on a number of factors, including the position itself, company and your experience. Here are some estimates for this type of position (please note that salary information may fluctuate depending on changing data):
- $94,945 ($45.56/hour) (Zippia)
- Base pay range of $78,000 to $125,000 (Glassdoor)
- Range of $93,631 to $167,686 (with an average of $113,172) (Salary.com)
Average base salary of $114,766 (Indeed)
Hard and Soft Skills Needed
Professionals in this type of position need to have the right combination of technology, analytical and communication skills. The following hard and soft skills were pulled directly from job postings on LinkedIn, which should give you a good idea of what employers are looking for:
- Strong academic background
- Programming language proficiency (R, Python, Tableau, PowerBI)
- Desire and ability to work in a team environment
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Technology savvy
- Strong analytical skills
- Able to work collaboratively
- Experience presenting business cases and strategy to the C-suite
- Ability to work under pressure and multi-task
Education and Experience Needed
The education and experience for data analytics consulting will vary depending on the position and company, but here are some examples from recent job postings:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as math, stats, engineering, social/physical/life science or business
- Experience with advanced analytics and predictive analytics
- Experience working with big data
- Project management experience
- Hands-on experience with web and mobile analytics metrics and tools
- Knowledge of geospatial technologies
Most positions seem to require around 5-8 years of analytical experience.
Companies Hiring for Data Analytics Consultants
Data analytics consultants, and data-related positions in general, are in high demand. From financial firms to educational institutions, data touches every industry. More and more jobs are being created to safeguard, analyze and manage the massive amounts of information companies and organizations deal with on a daily basis. (A search for the keyword data on the LinkedIn job board had more than 1 million results.)
But let’s narrow it down; recent search results for analytics consultant and data analytics consultant revealed that the following companies are hiring for these types of positions:
- Wells Fargo
- The University of California, Irvine
- Deloitte
- Capital One
- Cardinal Health
- New York State Department of Health
- Walmart
- Expedia Group
- Priceline
Job Outlook for Data Analytics Consultants
If job security is a top priority, look no further than a position in data. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of data scientists is expected to grow 35% from 2022 to 2032, which is much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. Employment of operations research analysts is projected to grow 23% from 2023 to 2023.
In today’s data-driven world, there’s ample opportunity for anyone seeking a career change to pursue data analytics consulting. As you advance your knowledge base and explore additional education opportunities, consider these seven questions to help you choose the applied science master’s degree program that’s right for you.
