Career pathways for data professionals

Businesses are using data to improve decision-making and boost performance. Data helps business owners understand their consumers, predict behaviour patterns, spot trends, and improve the quality of services. Because of this, there is a strong demand for data professionals, and this will only continue as the world becomes more digital.

We've put together some of the different career paths you can take if you want to become a data professional.

Entry-level data jobs

Data Administrator

Data Administrators are responsible for providing up-to-date data to marketing, sales, finance, and operations teams. You will help produce reports on data analysis, forecasting, and other investigative tasks that influence company decision-making. This is an entry-level role where you can learn technical skills on the job.

The skills needed to be a Data Analyst include:

• Data entry
• Communication skills
• Organisational skills
• Quality assurance
• Microsoft Excel
• Problem-solving skills

The average salary for a Data Administrator is £21,000

Junior Data Analyst

A Junior Data Analyst’s responsibilities include finding and gathering important data, as well as recording how the data will be used. You will also need to be able to analyse data and help more senior team members to create reports in order to share findings with the wider team. There are qualifications you can take to learn the basic skills to become a Junior Data Analyst.

The skills needed to be a Junior Data Analyst include:

• Python and SQL
• Analytical skills
• Power BI
• Business intelligence
• Communication skills
• Data visualisation and cleansing
• Process improvement

The average salary for a Junior Data Analyst is £30,000

Data Technician

A Data Technician is in charge of keeping the organisation's data management systems and making sure that the stored data is secure. You are responsible for preparing data reports, extracting relevant data, and properly discarding outdated data in accordance with the guidelines of the business.

The skills needed to be a Data Technician include:

• Problem-solving skills
• Data centres
• Communication skills
• Analytical skills
• Data collection, and security
• Backup Exec

The average salary for a Data Technician is £32,000

Mid-level data jobs

Data Analyst

After a couple of years of experience as a Junior Data Analyst, you can work your way up to a Data Analyst role, where you will find insights and trends within numbers and data, and then use this information to solve problems in business. You need to determine the best way to represent the data visually to managers and stakeholders.

The skills needed to be a Data Analyst include:

• SQL
• Power BI and Tableau
• Analytical skills
• Business intelligence
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Decision-making skills
• Data quality, management, and visualisation

The average salary for a Data Analyst is £47,500

Data Scientist

Similar to Data Analysts, Data Scientists find patterns and trends in data, however, they tend to have more responsibility and are considered more senior than Data Analysts. Data Scientists must develop their own questions about the data. Additionally, you may be required to create models, using machine learning, or sophisticated programming to locate and analyse data.

The skills needed to be a Data Scientist include:

• Machine learning and artificial intelligence
• SQL, Python, and R
• Statistics and algorithms
• Decision-making skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Analytical skills

The average salary for a Data Scientist is £65,000

Data Engineer

Data engineers help to build systems that collect, manage, and convert raw data into usable information for Data Scientists to interpret. You are responsible for making sure data is accessible so that organisations can use it to evaluate and optimise their performance. The skills needed to be a Data Engineer include:

• SQL and Python
• Extract, transformation, and load (ETL)
• Data warehousing and modelling
• Business intelligence
• Azure, AWS, and Apache Spark
• Analytical skills
• Communication skills

The average salary for a Data Engineer is £67,000

Senior data jobs

Data Architect

Typically, Data Architects learn on the job and work their way up with years of experience in data design, data management, and data storage work. Data Architects are responsible for defining policies, procedures, models and technologies for collecting, organising, storing and accessing company information. They must be able to focus on high-level business intelligence relationships and data policies to create the organisation's enterprise data management framework.

The skills needed to be a Data Architect include:

• Data modelling, strategy, governance, management, and warehousing.
• Azure and AWS
• SQL and Python
• Roadmaps
• ETL
• Business intelligence
• Big data
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills

The average salary for a Data Architect is £85,000

Data Migration Manager

As a Data Migration Manager, you need extensive knowledge of data, data migration and data implementation. You will be responsible for overseeing the whole migration process from start to finish which means you need excellent organisation and leadership skills. You are responsible for developing the tools, processes, teams and governance required to effectively manage the creation, movement and management of data on an ongoing basis for the organisation.

The skills needed to be a Data Migration Manager include:

• Migration
• Agile
• Data transformation and cleansing
• Quality assurance
• Stakeholder management
• Project management skills
• Business intelligence
• Leadership skills

The average salary for a Data Migration Manager is £70,000

Data Analytics Consultant

As a Data Analytics Consultant, you need to be knowledgeable of all aspects of data so you can help advise businesses on the best possible strategy to obtain optimal data. You are responsible for creating and implementing strategies to optimize the data systems and technology in use. Therefore, you need to have up-to-date knowledge of current data tools and industry changes in order to analyse big data. You will need to evaluate processes and technology and create detailed reports to present to stakeholders.

The skills needed to be a Data Analytics Consultant include:

• Data analytics
• SQL
• Data management, warehousing, modelling, governance, analysis, visualisation, quality, and integration
• Business intelligence
• problem-solving skills
• Communication skills

The average salary for a Data Analytics Consultant is £75,000

 A career in data is ideal for those who are inquisitive and enjoy problem-solving, you also need to be confident in communicating your findings to people whose knowledge of data and analytics ranges from expert to novice. Data is a growing field and there has never been a better time to learn the skills required to become a data professional.

Did you know Technojobs has a site dedicated to helping data professionals find their perfect role? Find out more here.