7 data analytics certificates to know

Welcome back! 

As long-time readers likely already know, certification has been a recurring topic here on Career Chat. So far this year, we’ve looked at cybersecurity and IT certifications, as well as some of the top skills you should consider developing and validating with a certification this year. Today, we’re continuing that trend by taking a look at some popular data analytics certificates and certifications you might consider pursuing.

There’s a good, data-backed (😉) reason we keep coming back to this topic: time and again, career and skills-focused credentials have been shown to boost the holders’ employment prospects, potential pay, and overall job satisfaction. In fact, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals with a certification or license earn more and face lower unemployment rates than those without either.    

Want to know more about some of the data analytics certificates and certifications available today? Scroll on to learn more about these impactful career credentials. 

But first, want access to an extensive catalog of data analytics courses, specializations, and Professional Certificates? Enroll in Coursera Plus for just $25 a month (billed annually) from now until April 14, 2025. That’s a nearly $100 discount on more than 10,000 learning programs, expert-led courses, and job-ready certificates. 

🧑🏫Certificate vs. certification

Before you sift through the vast catalog of data analytics programs out there today, you should first identify whether you want a certificate or a certification. While these terms sound similar, they actually refer to two different types of credentials awarded for accomplishing two different kinds of achievements. 

Certificates indicate that you’ve completed a specific course of study, such as the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate. Certifications, meanwhile, demonstrate you’ve successfully passed a specific certifying exam, such as the one needed to obtain the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification. 

Both can help you achieve your career goals. While a certificate program can prepare you for a specific job, a certification validates your skill set so that employers know you have what it takes to do the job. 

📊Data analytics certifications and certificates

Depending on where you are in your career journey, there are different certificates and certifications you might consider obtaining. Here are seven to explore:  

1. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate. This flexible online certificate program provides beginners with a comprehensive introduction to data analytics in just six months. Learn how to clean, visualize, and analyze data, along with how to use spreadsheets, SQL, and R programming. 

2. IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate. Through this beginner-friendly, 11-course program, you’ll learn the skills needed for entry-level data analyst roles, including how to use Python, SQL, Excel, and IBM Cognos Analytics. 

3. Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate. This Microsoft certification demonstrates your ability to work with Power BI, particularly modeling, visualizing, and analyzing data for business purposes. You can prepare for the exam with the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Professional Certificate. 

4. SAS Statistical Business Analyst Professional Certificate. If you already have knowledge of SAS programming, this program covers how to model and program for business purposes. If want to boost your predictive and statistical modeling skills, consider taking this program. 

5. CompTIA Data+ certification. Early-career Data analysts with 18 to 24 months of work experience should consider obtaining this certification from CompTIA, which demonstrates the holder’s grasp of data mining, manipulation, visualization, and reporting. 

6. Certified Analytics Professional Certification (CAP). This well-regarded certification series demonstrates the holder’s ability to perform a range of analytics tasks. While beginners should try for the CAP-Essentials (CAP-E) certification, mid- and senior-level career professionals should consider the CAP-Pro (CAP-P) and CAP-Expert (CAP-X) certifications, respectively. 

7. Microsoft Copilot for Data Science Specialization. You’ll get a certificate for completing this three-course specialization from Microsoft, exploring how to use generative AI to boost your data science workflow, automate tasks, and generate code. 

🧑💻Grow your career with Coursera Plus   

Obtaining a certificate or certification can be foundational to your career growth as a data professional. Gain access to a catalog of 10,000+ learning programs, including all of the data analytics Professional Certificates and Specializations listed above, with a subscription to Coursera Plus for just $25 a month (billed annually) until April 14, 2025! 

Aaaaand, that’s all we’ve got for today! Before you start crafting your next data visualization masterpiece, let us know what data skills you’re looking to develop in the comment section below. See you next time! 

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