What are the Steps to Transition into Data Analytics?

One can always migrate to data analytics regardless of his/her field and educational background. But people often find the transition to be confusing. If you are also looking to change your career into data analytics, this article will help you in getting an understanding as to what to do and how. Many companies hire fresh graduates from the college and provide them in-house data analytics training at their cost.

As they are looking for new and unbiased opinions regarding their business problems as well as its solutions. Being a fresher relieves you from any baggage and allows you to mould your career in the field any way you want.

Also Read – What are the Salary Trends in Data Analytics?
Here are the steps to follow to transition into data analytics –

Identify Your Interest and Ideal Job

The first thing you need to do when you are changing your field of data analytics is to identify the perfect place for you to be here. There is a lot of scope in data analytics as you can choose to be a traditional data analyst or try some more exciting options such as data scientist, data engineer and so on. Conduct proper and thorough research into the field at first to have a clear basic understanding regarding it. You can do this while still at your current job and give yourself a head start for the transition as you won’t have to sit idle after leaving your post.

Acquire Proper Skill-set and Training

Now that you have settled down or are close to settling down on the ideal job option for you in data analytics, it is time to start training and acquiring the skill-sets needed to survive and thrive in the field. You have to brush up and strengthen your knowledge and understanding of mathematics and especially statistics as it is the essential requirement of the area. Then, you have to acquire analytics skills, tools skills, problem-solving ability and much more. It is better to join a professional data analytics training course for this as they will provide you with the all-round training required to prosper in the industry as a data analyst.

Get Data Analytics Certification

Although you may have acquired some or all of the skill-sets to be a useful data analyst, possessing a data analytics certification will boost your chances of getting into the field as a fresher especially since you are jumping in from a different one. Getting a certification will make it easier for you to start your data analyst career as companies tend to hire a certified professional as they come with a reputation attached to them.

You can get your certification by giving any recognised data analytics test which takes place both online and offline all the time. You must choose the examination carefully though as some of them are designed to provide certification for a particular job option only.

Get into a Company and Start Your Career

Once you have acquired certification for data analytics, you are now eligible to sit in the interviews organised by the companies and organisations to fill up the positions of data analyst in their ecosystem. Once again, you have to be careful regarding deciding as to what area you want to apply for. Companies may announce vacancies for data scientists, data engineers or other related job posts too. You would want to take up the position you were preparing for since the beginning. Although, it is always possible for you to change course mid-way. You must never take your job lightly though as there is a lot of stress coming with a=data analyst responsibilities and thus you have to prepare yourself vigorously.

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What Is Virtualization In Cloud Computing?

Virtualization is one of the most important aspects of cloud computing. It allows multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server, and it also helps reduce costs.

Cloud computing is just the latest buzzword for this technology, but many people don’t know that it has been around since the 1960s when IBM released its first mainframe computer and started to think about how to make more efficient use of hardware.

What is virtualization in cloud computing?

Virtualization in cloud computing can be described as running multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single computer with their own set of resources allocated to them. This makes use of resources more efficiently and reduces the cost for users who want to access these services.

The system allows sharing a single physical instance of resource to multiple users. Cloud Virtualization manages workload by transforming traditional computing and making it more scalable, economical, and efficient.

The benefits are many- everything from increased security, better back-ups, lower power consumption, and easier management.

How Virtualization Works?

Virtualization in Cloud Computing training provides a virtual environment in the cloud that can be software hardware or anything. In virtualization, server and software application are required by the cloud providers for which they pay nominal fees to the third party.

With the help of Hypervisor, which is software, the cloud customer can access the server. A hypervisor connects the server and the virtual environment and distributes the resources between different virtual environments.

Types of Virtualizations in Cloud Computing

Operating System Virtualization: In operating system virtualization, the virtual machine software is installed in the host’s operating system rather than directly on the hardware system. Its most important use is for testing applications on various platforms or operating systems.

Server Virtualization: In server virtualization, the software is directly installed on the server system. A physical server can be divided into many servers depending on the need and balance load. This software helps the server administrator to divide one physical server into multiple servers.

Hardware Virtualization: It is used in server platforms due to its flexibility. In hardware virtualizations, virtual machine software is installed in the hardware system. It comprises a hypervisor to control and monitor the process, memory, and other hardware resources.

Storage Virtualization: This process groups physical storage from multiple network storage devices to make a single storage device. Storage virtualization is implemented by using software applications and is mainly done for backup and recovery purposes.

Explore New-Age Careers with Imarticus Learning:

To gain insights into the technical aspects of virtualization and how it impacts organizations and their operations, one needs to take an in-depth study into it. Students opt for online distance MBA courses to learn how technology drives the industries differently.

Others opt for online MBA courses and undergo structured learning. Imarticus Learning delivers career-defining professional education while partnering with global leaders. The unique Ed-Tech expertise, industry insights, market acumen, operational excellence, the sprawling network has an extensive impact on learners.

Imarticus Learning offers the best online MBA courses in various streams and provides students and professionals an edge over the competition. The programs give you access to limitless opportunities related to career and networking that no other courses offer!

Since technology has taken organizations by storm, career landscapes have changed for professionals, and Imarticus Learning prepares candidates for the same!

Send us an inquiry now through our 24×7 Live Chat Support System and request virtual guidance from experts!

What is Difference Between a Quantitative Analyst and Financial analyst?

What is the Difference Between a Quantitative Analyst and a Financial analyst?

A financial analyst or a quantitative analyst is a great career option for you if you are someone who is great with numbers and has amazing analytical skills. The role of a financial analyst is to identify trends and predict their outcomes to help investors and clients make top-notch investment decisions. Organizations rely heavily on financial analysts and their reports before making stock, security and trading decisions.

The role of a quantitative analyst is slightly similar while being different. Quantitative analysts conduct data analysis which may or may not affect investment decisions of a company. Numbers related to sales, labor or productivity are often involved here. Organizing important data, up-to-date knowledge of computer skills is a must.

In spite of having similar job markets, required qualifications and skill sets, the actual differences in job role help you understand better if you are more suited for the role of a financial analyst or a quantitative analyst.

What does a quantitative analyst do?

As a quantitative analyst, you will have a multitude of responsibilities, starting from programming, financial research, trading knowledge, risk management to exhibiting top skills in data sciences, mathematics, statistics or software development. Data analysis will be one of the most important jobs you would need to perform; an understanding of algorithms and computing mathematical rules are required to predict working of models.

Quantitative analysts also often liaise with other departments, hence market prediction including risk of investments are also areas you will have to work in.

Here are a couple of responsibilities you will have to fulfil as a quantitative analyst of an organisation:

● Make modeling decisions based on market trends
● Develop complex working quantitative models
● Perform coding tasks and also work on analysis of daily statistics
● Plan and implement methods of data collection
● Work on testing new models and products
● Ensure analytical models are working fine
● Verification of data and results using analytical tools
● Work closely with other departments or teams , which include computer engineers, mathematicians and other data science professionals
● Liaise with software developers
● Work with finance professionals in understanding market trends, data and investments
● Present data, results and analysis to clients, investors and senior founders as required

What does a financial analyst do?

A financial analyst is someone who studies market trends and how these affect the performance of a company, its securities, bonds or stocks. As a financial analyst, you will be required to understand the financial fundamentals of an organisation and help in taking major investment decisions with regard to a company’s growth or finances.

While the best way to go about this is to sign up for a financial analyst course, you can also develop certain skills needed for the job on your own. One of the most chosen career paths by young professionals, this field gives you the liberty of working across varied industries and exposure to a relatively higher paycheck. If you are someone who has a knack for understanding the intricacies of finance, and you already have a business or a finance degree, this is the right career path for you.

As a financial analyst, you will be required to create financial models to predict the outcome of business decisions, which includes ideating suitable deals and mergers, along with providing the senior management with insights on revenue increase and management of assets. Some of the major responsibilities of a financial analyst include:
● Analysis of both present and past financial data.

● Identifying market trends based on the current financial performance of the organisation
● Preparing financial reports based on identified market trends and presenting them
● Communicating insights to required persona of the senior management
● Developing long and short term financial strategies in consultation with other teams and management
● Preparing budgets
● Exploring more investment opportunities and their advantages to the organisation
● Forecasting financial trends based on developed financial models
● Looking out for any policy that may have a positive impact on the financial growth of the organisation

 

To fulfil your dream of becoming a highly successful financial analyst, it is advisable to get enrolled in a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) programme. A financial analyst course not only imparts relevant knowledge but also helps you understand and be at par with the highest professional skills required in this field.

What Are Some Good Resources About Learning Financial Analysis?

The spurt in the financial domain is instant, recognizing this trend people have started opting for a career in the finance industry. Building a career in such a competitive space where everyone wants a piece of the pie you have to have the added advantage to stand out from the competition. The Financial Analysis subject is best suited for a budding finance enthusiast who is aspiring for a successful career in this field.

Financial Analysis is a complex subject matter that involves different fragments. You have to gather knowledge about a wide range of subjects. Financial reporting analysis, corporate finance, economics, equity, alternative investments, etc. are some of the prominent topics you’ll have to spend your time upon.

The subject matter of financial analysis involves a comprehensive understanding of the company’s fundamentals to do data analysis and project the future trajectory taking into account the different variables that might affect a company’s overall performance in the short as well as the long run.

Where to Find Good Resources?

I am a firm believer of “learning can happen anywhere”, the catch here is that you got to have an open mind and a knack for learning the subject matter. Keeping attention to detail is a must in the case of learning finance.

Before deciding what resources you need to use for building your knowledge base in any domain, you have to figure out the ‘why’. Why do you want to learn financial analysis? The answers could vary from getting a job in a Financial firm to teaching others about the subject. When you have this answer then only you could establish the degree of knowledge that you need to obtain for your pursuit.

Learning is a continuous process and a subject such as finance is always evolving with the economy and the world so there’s no end to learning here. What you knew a year ago might be outdated today so it needs constant catching up.
Today you’ll find countless resources to learn about any topic in finance. The world of social media has made learning easier and much more convenient than traditional means.

The best resources can be found in the form of video channels on youtube, blogs, online courses, educational websites focusing on the finance niche, etc.

If you want to get a good job in the financial industry, getting validation for your knowledge is important, especially in the big corporate houses. You can opt for professional courses like CFA where you’ll get guidance on how to proceed in a structured manner for your financial analyst education. It is a course dedicated to financial Analysis, upon completion of the course and with relevant experience, you’ll get to use the charter title for a financial analyst.

If you break up a Financial Analyst course it contains two fragments one is involved with building your knowledge base in finance and the other is related to upgrading your analysis and presentation skills which include learning Ms excel and PowerPoint.

You can even focus on learning the two fragments in isolation. You can opt for courses that teach Excel and PowerPoint and other courses which help you with building your financial & accounting knowledge.

There are various books on finance by popular authors which teach financial education in a slightly unconventional manner. Some of the good reads are “Richest Man in Babylon”, “One up on wall street”. You can even find the ebook versions for the same on Amazon for a very minimal price if not free.

Conclusion
To learn financial analysis as a subject you need to figure out the details of the subject matter that includes topics from various subjects including economics accounting, financial maths, etc.

It is important to define your goal for learning financial analysis that will give you a direction and will help determine the degree of knowledge you need for your particular endeavor.

Big Data and Social Innovation

The world is excited about big data. it is hard, to avoid the discussions on big data and the impact it has on the world around us. The excitement is warranted not only because of the impact that it has on our surroundings. Even without being consciously aware of it, we are reaping the benefits of big data in our daily lives.

As technology advances, the data size and the sources through which data is collected are growing and will continue to grow exponentially. There is a certain rise in complex data. each passing year, due to the technological advances in collection and storage of data and also the querying technology, one is seeing an increase in the usage of business analytics tools.

Now, this is logical, purely because, how is an organisation going to make sense of the humongous volume of structured and unstructured data. Unstructured data collected through a variety of sources adds up to about 85% of information that businesses store, irrespective of the type and size of the business. Big Data analytics assists in extracting value from this data and uses the insight innovatively to create a positive impact and assists the business to get competitive gain.

If you are thinking, my business is too small, or that Big data might not be of value to my industry now, think of it this way, ‘do you take quick and agile decisions to be at par with the competition?’ And if your answer is positive, then Big data analytics might help you gain a competitive edge in the way you conduct your business.

Travel and Hospitality use the advantages of big data to improve customer experience, big data allows these companies to collect data, apply analytics and identify problems almost in real time, so that time appropriate solutions can be applied.

Healthcare benefits from the data collected through patient records, insurance information and other various kinds of reports and data, that can help in getting key insights once analytics is applied. Insights from this data can help predict or offer an immediate resolution, based on historic information, trends can be identified in diagnosis.

Retail, Big Data analytics helps retailers meet customer demands, they can come up with effective promotional offers for the right target audience. Study their buying patterns, will help them reduce costs by managing inventory according to the demands. It positively impacts profitability.

Analytics widens your scope as an entity, giving you the option of doing things you never thought were possible, for example, it offers you timely insights, which help you in making better decisions, about fleeting opportunities, it also assists you in asking the right questions and supports you with extracting the right answers as well. With all the available insights, you are thus able to see new opportunities, manage and increase productivity, by putting your efforts in the right direction, and better utilizing your time and energy.

Looking at the advantages, most industries are hiring talent with big data expertise.

You can see all sectors are warming up to the benefits of big data analytics, whether you understand the impact or not, or if you want to embrace the technology or not, build a career in big data analytics or not. One thing is for sure, Big data analytics will fundamentally change the way business operate.

How to Succeed as an Analyst in Investment Banking

Investment Banking is not just about horsepower, if it was then the smartest people in the room would be PhD holders. Most successful Investment Bankers are not CA’s and neither are they CFA’s. Most Investment Banking analysts around the world are armed with degrees in History and Philosophy and often law because most Analysts are graduates fresh out of university. So what does it take for an Analyst to perform successfully during the first crucial three years?

Hard work

This is a given but after three years of doing a Bcom where you skipped classes and had weekends to yourself, 90 hour weeks can be hard especially if you’ve never done finance before. Most Investment Banks are happy to have you learn on the job but that means doing it on your own time. So while you spend your days building tables, research companies and filling up power point templates, you need to spend your after hours, think skipping that episode of Suits and take out your Damodaran on Valuation.

Investment Banking does not allow for weekends or free time during your first two to three years. You are wedded to your job. That means getting in at 9 am and working till 8 pm after which you’re probably going to have to come back to work on Saturday and Sunday to finish that pitch if you want a coveted bonus.

But beware of face time. Staying in and playing brick breaker at work won’t score you any points primarily because it’s very unlikely you’ve finished everything you need to do. There’s always something more to do in IB. The financial analyst prodegree program is an intensive program that prepares you for the harsh reality of Investment Banking.

Deadlines: Getting stuff done on time is something we have noticed students find very hard to do because they are not used to doing assignments. They think extensions are permissible. There are no extensions in Investment Banking or Equity Research because a meeting or stock calls cannot be postponed. The financial analysis prodegree ensures that assignments have strict deadlines through our state of the art Learning Management System.

Groupwork: for many of you, this will be the first time you work in groups and have to put up with someone else’s style of working. A team will always create better work than an individual because it has the added advantage of multiple inputs, which get validated by your peers, and it also ensures that mistakes are caught at various levels. But group work also means working your leadership skills, learning to delegate, learning to accept someone else’s weaknesses and bringing the best out in the team.

It can also mean learning to work with someone who doesn’t pull his or her weight. This is a common interview question. How would you deal with a team member not working on their deliverables? The Imarticus School of Investment Banking prepares you for group work since almost 40 percent of the course is group work which means you work with people who live 2 hours away from you and come from different backgrounds.

You learn to work in coffee shops and crowded environments and realize that working in a group is much better than working alone.

While the financial analysis prodegree program prepares you for Investment Banking by equipping you with technical skills such as Financial Modeling, Pitch Book making as well as Financial Analysis training, we also focus on developing your soft skills, which include Business communication skills, group work and Interview Preparation.
So to boost to your career in finance and enroll now!