I feel blessed being a techie in this era when the technologies are evolving at the supper speed. It is not just the technology is getting improved, but also the corporate mindset changing a lot and going towards more technology to make their business bigger and more successful. Big Data analytics, for instance, has grown substantially in the last couple of years that every company – from startups to tech giants are now incorporating the technology into their everyday operations.
However, given at the same time, this is a two sided sword, as the technology is improving and evolving, if the person is not able to keep up with same, this can be fatal. The recent news suggests the layoffs and retrenchments in the IT sector. With the conventional skills in IT becoming redundant, companies are doing away with IT professionals for good. This brings us to a situation, where we need to update our skill that is in demand right now and the one that’s actually forming a crucial part of analytics. However, I feel this is in a way blessing for those who believe in improving their skills and self. Analytics has helped IT professionals break away from a stagnating career, less rewarding jobs, legacy job profiles and frustrating work environments by giving voice to their opinions and making them inevitable at a workplace. For those of you who’re serious about quitting your job or growing in your career, Big Data analytics is the most practical way forward. I’m sure you would have read tons of blogs and videos on why analytics will offer you the best paying job and a firm career path.
Now as we know, the career could be very bright in the new field of data analytics and the big data field, however, when we just toss the two very vast word, “Big data” and “Analytics”, there are many sub-branches and divarication inside. And every branch within it needs special skill. Not everyone has the same skill sets, strengths, and inadequacies. Each of us has a core skill set that we are a master at and it’s crucial for you to realize your strength before you actually decide to switch to analytics. Now, understand that the analytics industry is very niche. There are tons of different responsibilities available for you to take up. So, the more niche your skills are, the better your growth will be. If you feel coding is your cup of tea, you can become an SAS, R or Python specialist; if logical reasoning and statistics are your strength, focus on specializing in Data Science, where you’ll be responsible for talking to data, understanding patterns and finding insights on a myriad of things. All of them fall in the same bucket, however, they are very different but of equal importance.
Get Trained and Certified
You cannot switch to a career in analytics by just understanding where your strengths lie. You need to work on them, refine them and become an expert who can stand apart in the industry. That can happen only if you take up an analytics course and learn analytics the right way. Taking up a course will allow you to understand the industry better, get to know more about the requirements, teach you the analytics tools, get a clear picture of the different job roles, and prepare you for your role. Besides, only a course can make you work on case studies and give you opportunities to get hands-on with real-time industry data and work on projects like you would in the industry. The more practical exposure you get, the more familiar you become with the industry. Since you will be working on data and information that will course the way forward for your business, you will have to get the right industry exposure even before you join. So, taking up an analytics course is the best way to switch from IT to analytics. When you learn, you will also understand how different the industry from IT is and fine-tune yourself accordingly.
Here are some of the best courses available on SAS technologies,
Complexity Lever of the SAS Base and Advanced Certification Exams
SAS Institute Inc. provides some sample multiple-choice questions to illustrate some of the various types of questions that will not appear on the SAS Global Certification Program exams for sure as these just sample questions to check to give a feel of the real exam, Practice exams available through SAS,
- SAS Certification Specialist Practice Exam: Base Programming for SAS®9.4
- SAS Certification Practice Exam: Advanced Programming for SAS®9
You can get a taste of the level of difficulty of the certification exams by practising above sample test but will not be preparing for the finals. To more accurately gauge the certification exams' level of difficulty and your level of preparedness,
- A00-231: SAS Certified Specialist Base Programming for SAS 9.4
- A00-232: SAS Certified Professional - Advanced Programming Using SAS 9.4
The opportunities are right here right now. So, no matter if you’re a fresher or a professional with 10 years of experience in IT, don’t get stuck at where you are. Don’t miss out the biggest technological revolution of our times and instead, capitalize on it. Consider these points, switch to analytics, and take your career where it deserves to be. Good luck!