How Analytics Professionals Build Job Security
So you don't have to fear losing your job.
I have an irrational fear of losing my job.
Maybe you're the same.
Analytics professionals face unique challenges. We can ride the wave of technology but AI can do parts of our job now.
How do we build job security in a challenging and changing environment?
Build skills in 3 pillars
If you want a job, you need skills.
Your skills should increase the surface area of jobs you can do and the projects you can manage. When your skillset is too narrow, you pigeonhole yourself. You build a career in which you can do only one job. Maybe you can do that job well, but what if that role becomes obsolete?
To increase your career surface area, build skills in 3 pillars:
- Technical skills
- Leadership skills
- AI skills
You need a baseline of technical skill. You need to know how to use the right technology to solve the problems of your industry. Most Analytics Professionals have this one locked down.
Next, you need leadership skills. The ability to work with people effectively to accomplish a goal is a timeless skill. If you have tech skills but can't collaborate with people to solve a problem, you have a problem. Gaining influence and enacting change in your organization will serve you well, forever.
Finally, you need some AI skills. You don't need to be an AI expert, but you do need to know how to use it as a tool to be more productive. Like it or not, companies are obsessed with AI and want you to have AI skills. Give them what they want.
Build knowledge in 3 ways
Once you have skills, you need knowledge.
- Domain knowledge
- Business knowledge
- Knowledge of how Analytics can support the two
Domain knowledge is required to be effective, but what you really need to know is how to learn a brand new domain. If you can pick up a domain from scratch, you make it easier on yourself if you need to pivot to a new industry.
Business knowledge is critical to job security. Know how the business makes money, because if you don't, you might be working on projects that are inconsequential. The closer you are to the business's process of making money, the more secure your job is.
Analytics Professionals need to blend these two sources of knowledge with their skills to ensure they are providing value to the business.
Understand how things work, then use your skills to solve important business problems.
Create career optionality
The combination of skills and knowledge is how you build optionality.
You want to be a high-performer in your current role and have the ability to bounce back quickly if you get laid off.
The ability to move in any direction gives you security.
Ideally, you want to have the capacity to be successful in any role:
- Data Analyst
- Product Manager
- Business Analyst
- Finance Analyst
- Data engineer
- Data Scientist
- Team Lead
- Manager
Full job security may not exist.
But you can always build "more" security.