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7 In-Demand Data Analyst Skills to Get You Hired in 2026
Transitioning to a career in data analytics can mean stable employment in a high-paying industry once you have the right skills.
April 16, 2021
Article
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Start Your Data Analyst Career
Explore articles about data analysis, data collection, and visualization. Learn about careers in data analytics, Excel, SQL, and Tableau, and how to organize and interpret data for real-world business use cases.
![[Featured image] A data analyst sits at her desk in front of a laptop computer, looking at the camera.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/3CkaYYRYdzir3oglOF6NKR/60e881fd66eb9c1706ec2f28d2873de9/how_to_become_a_data_analyst.jpg?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
![[Featured Image] A person in a light blue button-down presents data to their coworkers using insights gleaned from edge computing technology.](https://images.ctfassets.net/wp1lcwdav1p1/4MMsMZFpIvPomLErQITptf/d55957aa168f230bb52dc3953f135f3e/GettyImages-1308902708-converted-from-jpg.webp?w=330&h=216&q=60&fit=fill&f=faces&fm=jpg&fl=progressive)
Learn the basics of data analysis
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Rmarkdown, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Data Ethics, Data Cleansing, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Validation, Ggplot2, R (Software), Sampling (Statistics), Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis, Stakeholder Communications, LinkedIn, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), File Management, Web Presence, Data Structures, Interviewing Skills
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Dashboard Creation, Dashboard, Data Presentation, Plotly, Data Visualization Software, Web Scraping, Data Visualization, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, SQL, Plot (Graphics), IBM Cognos Analytics, Data Analysis, Professional Networking, Analytics, Excel Formulas, Data Import/Export, Python Programming, Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Wrangling, Data Presentation, Big Data, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Analysis, Statistical Visualization, Data Cleansing, Apache Hadoop, Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Import/Export, Apache Hive, Data Mart, Data Processing, Data Warehousing, Data Transformation, Apache Spark, Data Science, Microsoft Excel
Data analysts collect, clean, and interpret data sets to drive better business decisions. They can work in many industries, including business, technology, finance, science, medicine, and government.
As an entry-level data analyst, you’ll be expected to know the basics of data collection, modeling, analysis, and visualization. You’ll need to know how to use software tools like Microsoft Excel, SQL, or Tableau to pull data sets and organize them before synthesizing the insights for a business use case and presenting them to stakeholders.
Similar roles include data scientist, business analyst, market research analyst, and business intelligence analyst.
Read more about entry-level data analyst careers and tips:
Find your career track: Data Science Career Paths: Explore Roles & Specializations
Watch on YouTube: 7 Steps to Become a Data Analyst
Ready to start learning? Explore our catalog of data analysis courses or accelerate your career growth with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses.
