infoTECH Feature

July 14, 2017

5 Best Skills for a Data Technician

Are you looking to become involved in big data by becoming a data technician? As big data companies continue to grow, data technicians will become even more in demand to handle all of it. To be successful in this field, they will be required to learn a variety of skills that could give them an edge over others. In this article we will be discussing the five best skills for a data technician to have.

1. Analyzing Data

First on our list of skills that a data technician should have is being able to extract and analyze data. In programming, this process is commonly referred to as data scraping. This technique involves extracting data from websites and programs so that it can be mined for information. Big companies such as Google (News - Alert), Apple and Amazon are amongst the top companies that participate in this method of data analysis.

From this information, things such as customer behaviors and purchasing habits can be better understood. Retrieving and analyzing this information is one of the main objectives for many data technicians.

2. Strong IT background

Having a strong background in information technology is another huge benefit when it comes to being a data technician. Those who are familiar with IT will be capable of both programming and handling information. This doesn’t mean that someone without an IT background would be unsuited for the job; it just means that the person with the IT background will be able to skip the basics and jump right into learning other things.

3. Programming

Being able to code is an essential skill for any data technician. You won’t have to invest time into learning every programming language, but it would help to know Python, Java and C++. Data technicians need to know how to code in order to conduct analysis with big data sets. Your programming skills will become better over time, so no need to worry about knowing them all right away.

Learning one language can easily speed up the learning process of other programming languages. Mainly, being able to think and problem solve like a programmer is a valuable asset when it comes to the data technician line of work. Python is one of the languages that many data technicians tend to learn first.

4. Quantitative Abilities

Another important skill set for data technicians to have are quantitative skills such as statistics and probability. Other quantitative skills that help substantially with this field of work are multi-variable calculus and matrix algebra. By putting all of these concepts together you will be more capable of understanding how neural networks and machine learning work.

5. Interpretation of Data

Last on our list of skills a data technician should be proficient at is the actual interpretation of data. For the most part, this career field involves verifying the accuracy of information that is found in a database. A good data technician would be creative and detail oriented when it comes to the interpretation of data. Another part of the job is making reports about your findings for others; this means that your understanding is even more crucial as a data technician.

And there we have it, five of the best skills for a data technician to have in order to be successful. By learning and applying these five skills, you are sure to become adept in managing data effectively enough to have many career opportunities available to you. Ultimately, being creative, detail oriented and having some programming knowledge are the key factors for being successful in this field.

Are there any other skills you would recommend to those who are looking to become data technicians? Please feel free to comment about them below.




 
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