In this blog, we will bring in some facts and data for you to decide whether you think pursuing a career in data visualization will end up being a good decision for you or not that much. Data visualization careers focus on taking complex data and communicating it in ways non-experts can comprehend. With a degree in this field, people can move into jobs as data visualization specialists, data analysts, and even data engineers or scientists.
The truth is that data visualization represents big data in easily digestible forms, such as infographics, graphs, maps, and scorecards to highlight trends. When visuals and data work together, storytelling is combined with analysis to convey the right message purposefully. Recent graduates with hands-on experience in visual analytics, basic data visualization, and visual data storytelling have an advantage over their competition in the workforce.
Is Data Visualization Really Important?
Data visualization's role is to translate data and communicate it via a visual representation of the information. A visual representation can be something like a graph, chart, table, or any other visual aid. By using data visualization, transmitting information can be done in an engaging way that highlights key insights without having a heavy presentation. Professionals can use the information to catch outliers, explore data structures, identify trends, evaluate model output, and present results, among other things. Insight gleaned from this type of information can help business leaders leverage their knowledge and make data-informed decisions.
Moreover, data visualization is used in business to track changes over time, determine correlations, spot audience groups and provide a means to distribute information. Specialists with data visualization skills help improve business outcomes by providing management with the actionable information needed to respond quickly to shifts in the market. When data is presented in a visual format that is simple to understand and interpret, decision-makers can make changes based on useful information that’s right in front of them.
The increased amount of data that is produced from apps, social media platforms, and blogs can be valuable to any professional who intends to analyze and compile information in a useful way. This is not just done for big organizations, but it is also a way for any business to make sense of its data and analyze it in a better way.
For example, a strong visual representation of data can help a company increase its bottom line by improving business decision-making. Since some people process visual information better than text, data visualization can help business leaders make informed decisions more efficiently, avoiding wasted time stomping through reports. Making sense of patterns in data can help businesses understand where they need to improve and where they are doing well or not. This understanding helps drive an organization forward.
Given all of this, professionals with data visualization skills are in high demand since businesses are increasingly reliant on big data, information systems and other advancing data technologies, so their position in the market is considerable.
Pursuing a Data Visualization Career
If you are considering being a data visualization professional, here are the skills required for the position. The people best suited for careers in data visualization enjoy using their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to take raw data and present it in a variety of forms. These experts must pay close attention to detail and leverage a combination of technical and communication skills. They also enjoy spending substantial time analyzing databases and working on computers as they complete their work.
It is also true that data visualization careers tend to come with high salaries. Often, these specialists can work from home, and they also benefit from opportunities available across many different niches. Careers in data visualization offer opportunities to earn competitive salaries while entering an enterprise positioned for job growth in the coming years. While an associate degree may qualify you for some entry-level roles, you will probably need a bachelor's degree to truly advance in your career.
Furthermore, securing an associate degree can help you find entry-level data visualization careers. Nonetheless, you should also look for programs focused on data analytics, database administration, and data science. These closely related disciplines focus on the skills and knowledge you need to understand and virtually analyze data. Also, a master's degree opens up even more opportunities for people looking to grow their data visualization careers. Professionals with advanced degrees often qualify for supervisory roles within companies.
These programs usually focus on topics like data structures, information aesthetics, advanced research methods, geographic information systems, digital product design, and digital analytics, principally. Professionals can continue to grow and advance within their careers in data visualization through a variety of means. They may seek certifications to demonstrate elevated skills and knowledge of the field or engage in other learning opportunities.
How to Be More than Average in Data Visualization
Although most careers with a data visualization grade do not require professionals to secure certification, there are still many opportunities to enhance your knowledge and demonstrate to potential businesses that you have a commitment to continually growing your skillset in the field.
Things like certified analytics professional credentials signify that a worker holds advanced knowledge in the field. This title opens up opportunities across a variety of data science, data analytics, and data visualization careers. Obtaining this certificate requires passing a rigorous exam that covers problem framing in the contexts of business and analytics, along with selecting the right methodology, model building, and deployment for analyzing data, but it is worth it if you intend to pursue a successful career in this line of work.
Final Thoughts
Now you have the information that you need in order to make a decision about a data visualization career, whether that you think might be plausible for you or not.
