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What Exactly Does it Take to be a Data Analytics Consultant?
I’ve spent the majority of my professional career in various consulting roles working with data (in particular Tableau, with the goal of producing dashboards and visualizations). Throughout my time, I’ve been asked over and over “where do I start” and “what do I need to know?” So here’s my attempt to demystify the profession and give you some guidance on what you need to know (and what you don’t). This is tailored toward the use of Tableau and Alteryx, but you can easily swap out software to your liking.
What better way to start than an image? In 2022 I spent the year teaching fledgling consultants. To help understand and communicate what they’d be responsible for, I constructed a mind map showing a fairly exhaustive list of skills/awareness they’d need.
Now if you’re looking at this image and saying it feels daunting — you’re not wrong. There are several pillars here (major nodes) and their children are also very expansive. But over a series of blog posts, my goal will be to break those down into more detail.
To start, let’s dive into the major nodes and add some definitions.
Most people tend to start with Technical Skill. I think that’s because the role they want absolutely requires technical expertise and it also feels like the thing you “must have” when you do…
