what is a data analyst?

As a data analyst, you spend most of the day organising data and helping various stakeholders draw conclusions from the information. Regardless of your industry, your job is to collect and interpret data. For instance, in sales and marketing, you translate sales figures into tangible evidence that helps the company make better decisions.

As an analyst, you examine historical data from an organisation, such as quarterly sales, monthly income or annual web traffic, and identify trends or spot patterns. You apply your knowledge in descriptive and diagnostic analytics to explain certain occurrences or outcomes in a business. Aside from understanding the past, you also assist organisations with forecasting. You can use descriptive data to detect tendencies and trends to base your predictions. Predicting the outcomes allows companies to take proactive actions to avoid adverse consequences.

When businesses want to determine a course of action, they rely on data analysts to provide data-driven evidence to help them decide. Using prescriptive analytics keeps you ahead of industry trends. As a data analyst, you use complex algorithms, statistical methods and machine learning (ML) technology to organise and evaluate data. Sometimes, you need proficiency in data visualisation and database programming languages to manage data sources and databases.

Would working as a data analyst suit your analytical skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a data analyst role.

data analyst jobs
1

average data analyst salary

The average salary of a data analyst in Greece is €48,000 per year. Υou can get an average bonus of €1,900. Your earnings fluctuate based on various factors, including education and work experience. When starting out in the role, you start with a salary of approximately €33,000 per year. When you have a higher level of education, you can negotiate a higher salary. The highest-paid data analysts in Greece can take home over €58,000 per year.

what factors affect the salary of a data analyst?

When you are new to the role, you earn a lower salary due to minimal experience. You can improve your earnings by boosting your level of education and professional expertise. Gain relevant work experience and improve your skills through industry certifications.

Consider working in a large city to increase your earnings. Big cities have a higher demand for data analysts. Working in a large organisation also boosts your salary prospects due to the complexity of the duties and the unlimited resources available.

download our salary guide
2

types of data analysts

Some types of data analysts include:

hand using a stylus to navigate a tablet screen showing data
hand using a stylus to navigate a tablet screen showing data
3

working as a data analyst

If you enjoy working with numbers and have good analytical skills, read on to discover the duties, responsibilities and work environments of data analysts.

4

data analyst skills and education

You require educational qualifications to become a data analyst in Greece. Some of the requirements include:

  • Educational qualifications: to work as a data analyst, you should pursue a bachelor's degree in statistics, economics or mathematics. Any course related to data science prepares you for the role. A master's degree in data also improves your career prospects significantly.
  • Work experience: you require extensive experience to work as a data analyst. You can improve your experience through internships and entry-level positions. Exposure to data analytics and data visualisation tools will improve your earnings. You also require knowledge in your industry to improve your job prospects. Consider getting professional certifications, like an AWS Certified Data Analytics, CompTIA Data+ or SAS Statistical Business Analyst Professional certificate.

competencies and characteristics of data analysts

Data analysts require the following transferable skills:

  • Programming languages: as a data analyst, you handle massive amounts of data and perform complex equations. Learning a statistical programming language improves your competitiveness. Python and 'R' are popular statistical languages, but you can find others that suit your role. You also need database management programming skills to organise and store data in databases.
  • Proficiency in using data visualisation tools: it is vital to present your findings convincingly. Using charts and graphs helps your employers understand your interpretation. Hence, you should learn data visualisation using various tools like Excel, Notebook and Tableau.
  • Maths and statistics knowledge: as a data analyst, you need knowledge of statistical techniques and mathematical concepts to interpret data. A solid grasp of maths and statistics helps you decide on the best tools to use and improves your understanding of results.
  • Problem-solving skills: as a data analyst, you should understand the problem that needs solving or the questions the information gathered aims to answer. Problem-solving skills assist you in finding patterns and trends in various data sets or identifying gaps and mistakes in your interpretation methods.
5

FAQs

Here, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the profession of a data analyst.

thank you for subscribing to your personalised job alerts.