We throw back the curtain in our article Certificates vs. Certifications: 5 Data Analytics credential secrets you need to know for career success. As a company largely focused on training, certifying, and placing tech professionals, we know how much emphasis businesses are now placing on acquiring (and keeping!) certified data analytics pros. What’s more is that we have plenty of insider scoop we can share.Right off the bat, our article cites an important statistic that demonstrates why data analytics has become crucial to the data-based decisions necessary for a business’s smooth operation — “59% of businesses today would find it difficult to respond to a cybersecurity incident.” The reason for this eye-popping fact is simple: there are not enough certified data analytics pros in the workforce.Our article clears up the differences between a certificate and a certification (and why you need the latter), where you can get training, the reasons for choosing an instructor-led course rather than, say, self-learning with YouTube or other unstructured resources, and the essential skills you should already possess before seeking your data analytics certification. Whether you’re a new job seeker or if you want to advance your career in the tech industry, this article informs you of the lucrative opportunity that attaining your data analytics certification provides. And by “lucrative,” we mean the average annual salary for data analysts in the US is about $82,600.After reading the article, you’ll have gained important information to help you decide whether a data analytics certification is for you. You’ll also see how far down the path to certification you’ve already come in the natural progression of your tech career and how easy attaining a certification will be for you. For example, if you already have hands-on experience with skills like SQL, machine learning, Python or other programming languages, and predictive modeling, it’s wise for you to look into earning an advanced certification.We know that money is at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts nowadays, so you want to know what certification costs. Without going into specifics, the article gets real with you. After reading, you’ll know two things: One is that certification isn’t cheap and the other is that certification programs are much cheaper than (and superior to) attending a university to obtain a certificate. What makes certification better is that you learn from industry leaders in a structured environment that provides hands-on experience as well as instructor-led courses.The article also breaks down the different programs that lead to certification. Depending on your interests and skills, you can choose from CCS Learning Academy’s Data Analytics Bootcamp, any of CompTIA Data+’s vendor-neutral programs, the offering from Tableau Desktop Level 1, or CAP: Certified Authorization Professional. The article does a great job of breaking these courses down to help you choose what aligns best with your interests and skills. With this article, we provide you with robust information that clearly lets you know whether certification is for you (It is!). It also lays out the steps you need to take to get that certification so you can either beef up your resume if you’re looking for something new or, if you’re already working in the tech field, give yourself some much-needed job security in the extremely uncertain times in which we live. Need help choosing your data analytics certificate or certification? Contact us! Our experienced team of advisors are happy to help you craft the best learning path for your goals.