Business Intelligence Analyst

(Business Analyst, Financial Analyst and other similar job titles may fall under this job category)

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Why Business Intelligence is one of the Best Career Options today

Business Intelligence (BI), one of the most demanded domains in the current world. Recently LinkedIn said it was the second most requested skillset from recruiters using their platform.

Business operations are getting more complex with an overabundance of data that must be extracted and analyzed. However, with the increasing extent of untidy data, it becomes difficult to analyze it in real time. Companies and organizations need technologies that can analyze and do predictive analysis quickly to remain competitive in today’s market and Business Intelligence serves this purpose.

A Career as a Business Intelligence Analyst

What does a business intelligence analyst do?

The business analyst has the responsibility to identify the business needs of the organization and then use information technologies and other resources in improve productivity. With the explosive growth of business intelligence, they are now also expected to analyze data to identify areas where an organization can improve. They visualize the data using tools such as Power BI and Tableau to make this information easier to understand, easier to analyze and present, and ultimately for decisions makers to be able to make informed business decisions.

Average Salary for Business Intelligence Analyst

According to Ziprecruiter.com, as

of July 24th, 2022, the average annual pay for a Business Intelligence Analyst in the United States is $86,286 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $41.00 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,659/week or $7,190/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $133,500 and as low as $40,000, the majority of Business Intelligence Analyst salaries currently range between $69,000 (25th percentile) to $99,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $119,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Business Intelligence Analyst varies greatly (by as much as $30,500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, certification, location, and years of experience.

Technical Skills needed to be a Business Intelligence Analyst

For entry level, you will need advanced Excel skills, including use of pivot tables, power pivots and vlookup. You also need at least fundamental knowledge of SQL and relational databases. Then you need expertise in using a data visualization tool such as Power BI and/or Tableau

As you advance, you will need to add to your management skills and/or your technical skills. On the management side, project management and Product Owner are very marketable.

On the technical side, you should look at Python, Using Data Science Tools in Python, as well as Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate and/or
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate

See if you Qualify for a WIOA Grant

Are you unemployed? There is a little known federal grant program that can pay for you to get trained, certified and placed in your career at no cost to you. Availability and amounts are based on where you live. If you qualify, this program can pay up to $10,000 to get trained, certified, and then get help getting placed in their career. The amount and availability vary by county

This can be used to get certified in fields such as Cyber-Security, Information Technology, Project Management, Business Analysis, and more. Some of the most highly sought-after certifications include CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco, Project Management Professional (PMP), Scrum Master, and others.