Education · 1 of 4

The path

Shorter and more flexible than data science. The tools matter more than the degree title.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Math, especially Data Management or statistics if your school offers it. Get good at spreadsheets now.

2. 2

   Diploma or degree

   1 to 4 years

   A 2-year college diploma (the British Columbia Institute of Technology has a Predictive Analytics option), a 1-year post-grad analytics certificate after any degree, or a 4-year degree in statistics, math, business, economics or data science.

3. 3

   Learn the three tools

   During school

   SQL (the language for querying databases), a dashboard tool (Power BI or Tableau) and Excel. Add Python if you want to move up.

4. 4

   Co-op or first job

   During or after school

   Banks, insurers, retailers and government hire analysts in large numbers. Co-op at a bank often turns into an offer.

5. 5

   Certify and specialize

   First 2 years on the job

   A Power BI (business intelligence) or Tableau certificate, then a specialty: marketing, finance, health or operations analytics.