(Art Credit: Karen Fischer)

As the world develops, data analysis continues to rise, operating at the helm of things across industries. Different companies across the globe are on the lookout to acquire data analysis experts to help them get the job done. Data analytics plays a major role in understanding customers trends, user behavior, thus predicting the future of the business.

You can become a freelance data analyst and work with different companies across the globe! Freelancing involves the process of working remotely despite your location in the world. A Freelance data analyst operates their daily duties from the comfort of their location.

What is Freelance Data Analysis?

Data analysis is combined with data science on most occasions, although the two aspects are completely different. Data science is considered a macro field that works as both programming and statistical analysis. Also, it incorporates building algorithms and other predictive mathematical models to process data.

On the flip side, freelance data analytics incorporates the statistical analysis of different data sets to develop actionable insights that companies and businesses can use. On most occasions, data analytics focuses on the areas of decision making, marketing, sales product development, and pricing using visualization such as Sankey plot, Likert scale analysis and Scatter plot.

Skills Needed to Become a Freelance Data Analyst

Most professional data analysts have a solid background in STEM. Note that the responsibilities of data analysts involve the cleaning of data sets, entering sets of data into various online systems, convert data into readable reports in the form of content and data visualization. It's recommended to learn at least one programming language, such as SQL.

Also, you need to have general knowledge in Mathematics, business acumen, statistics, domain expertise and develop an analytical mindset. A competent freelance data analyst has exceptional skills in entrepreneurship, have a good understanding of marketing, branding, lead generation, social networking budgeting, content writing, and accounting.

Currently, you don’t need to have a degree in data science to become a freelance data analyst. Tons of free courses and self-learners can help you gain the respective knowledge in this field.

Arm yourself with basic computer programming skills in Python, Unix, R, or Statistical analysis. In addition, go ahead and learn something from data analysis nerds, and you will be good to go!

How to Get Started as a Freelance Data Analysts

When you are dealing with anything to do with freelancing, you need to brand yourself and become unique from the pool of other freelancers. Build an online portfolio that will work as your marketing platform to get started. Update all other accounts such as LinkedIn profiles and ask for referrals from a potential employer.

To be safe, set up a website and list all the past projects that you have worked on. Also, include your clients’ feedback and recommendations. Register with different freelance platforms and search for gigs in your niche to find jobs easily. Some of these freelance platforms include:

Coding Ninjas

This freelance platform runs a fairly reasonable selection process involving a fifteen-minute English test to gauge your language skills. Besides, a live interview and a test project are meant to ensure that every freelancer who joins the platform is up to the standards. Coding Ninjas is mainly meant for individuals with impeccable design skills, data scientists, and web developers.

Kaggle

Kaggle is a famous online community explicitly meant for data scientists. The platform has different forms of competition that range from earthquake prediction to audio tagging, especially for sound beats. This platform gives you a chance to win different cash prices and potential long-term clients.

Upwork

Upwork is among the best performing freelance platforms, with millions of freelancers from around the world. The platform has more than 2000 listings for freelance data analyst-related jobs. To win the jobs posted, you need to submit an online cover letter and prove to the client you have all it takes to execute the job perfectly.

There are a series of stages before your account is finally approved on Upwork. You need to craft solid job titles to make your profile stand out and increase your chances of winning jobs.

Toptal

This site is popularly known for matching individual freelancers with big brands such as Pfizer, Airbnb, and Zendesk. However, the platform only accepts requests from freelancers with a proven successful track record and years of experience in the industry. To be safe, build your skills on other platforms before branding yourself on Toptal.

The screening process for joining this platform includes personality, language, and a communication interview that involves a live screening process. Before any freelance data analyst is accepted in the forum, they must prove to be excellent in their field of expertise.

Fiverr

Fiverr is a successful online freelance marketplace that offers a wide range of services at an affordable rate. The platform involves buyers and sellers with different job descriptions. This is a marketplace where freelance data analysts can secure potential clients searching for their services.

Why Choose to Become a Freelance Data Analyst?

This job position gives you a chance to be your own boss. You can work remotely and attend to different clients from various locations. This position gives you an incredible life balance and freedom of choice, as well as creating a flexible working schedule depending on the tasks you have at hand.

The main challenge is predicting the flow of work in the long run. This means you need to market yourself constantly to secure a good number of potential clients.

Bottom Line

A freelance data analyst is an entrepreneur at heart and can provide a healthy income with flexible working hours. Taking the time to acquire the relevant skills and getting started is step one. Once you have acquired the respective skills, the above hacks and platforms can help you sell your services.