3 Critical Data Superpowers Your Company Wants You To Have

Do you have the data superpowers you need to advance your career in the fast-changing digital economy?

It is common knowledge that smart technologies have paved the way for the future. Technological tools have become a daily part of our life. They have led to extraordinary advancements in almost every job sector today. The ultimate by-product of the tools we use is the data we supply to our phones, laptops, and the other devices that keep us connected.
The concept of big data may not be new; however, the use of analytics within the big data realm has significantly altered how corporations choose to allocate resources and make business decisions. This rapid development by companies utilizing big data for their daily transactions and activities has sparked demand for employees who are aware of and understand the world of big data.

As an employee that has never studied data science or for someone curious, you might be wondering: what is big data? And what does my boss expect me to know of it? We break it down for you in the following paragraphs.
Although data exists in both structured and unstructured forms, the foundation of big data is the sheer volume of data from various sources, that are often real-time. Indeed, the size of the organization dictates how large the amount of data will be.

However, what is essential is a business manager’s ability to leverage these data sets and push business analytics to drive a much smarter and more productive decision-making process.

Superpower #1: Identify and tap into data sources

The first superpower that a company looks for in an employee is the ability to identify where big data sits within the organizational business model. Data surrounds every business activity. Thus, as an employee, it would be crucial for you to tap into these data sources and extract the data for further analysis. It isn’t as easy as one thinks. Data analysis can only happen if the question or purpose of finding a specific product is well-defined. Understanding what data you are looking for can significantly help identify the source of data. Thus initially, definitions are critical to this process.

Superpower #2: Analyze data to develop meaningful, and actionable insights

The second superpower a boss looks for in an employee would be analyzing, understanding, and discovering discrepancies within the data itself. Collecting the data is only the beginning of any genuine research opportunity. The ability to sort the information is vital because data provided or found are usually filled with data errors, duplications, and can even be absent. The ability to sort the data, decide what is useful and meaningful, and then bring insights to the data you found is critical to making the right business decisions.

Superpower #3: Influence with Impactful Data Storytelling

The third superpower that bosses want employees to have is their storytelling ability. Understanding the data for yourself is not enough! Making sure superiors within the firm can easily digest the information you have found and how that data can help the organization achieve better marketing or revenue results can lead to tangible outcomes. This step requires that you fulfill the role of ensuring that your business leaders understand and buy into the conclusions you produced, rather than devise their conclusions. Business leaders’ time is precious, therefore staying concise and coherent with your answers are incredibly important.

How to Get the Superpowers?

We recognize that the above superpowers may be daunting if you’re an employee who’s starting from scratch.

We are committed to providing people with the tools and skills to navigate the continuously evolving world of data science and ensure that people are upskilled with data science, business analytics, and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Our past graduates are known for their readiness to take on any business challenge and solve it with a data-driven business decision-making framework. Our data and AI professional learning path comprises 8 to 28-day learning programs that groom data professionals.

View our learning tracks in detail here.