IIM Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur and Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata, have come together to endorse one course: Data Analytics. The only possible parallel to this event would be Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly all backing Anil Kumble for the post of India's head coach.
When there are giants championing your case, you must be special.
The enthusiasm of IITs and IIMs for this emerging field is only logical because Data Analytics is today more than just a subject of study. It is also a deciding factor in the success of many businesses.
Popular CEO-speak: This is all good. But what does the Data say?
In just the last 5 years, Data & Business Analytics has become a key component in the planning and operations of many businesses. So much so that this age is being touted as 'The Data Age.' Organisational decisions that were once taken on the basis of intuition and experience are today taken purely on the basis of solid data. This means that big universities that were, about 10 years back, so positive about a course such as 'Operations Management' today feel the same zest for 'Data & Business Analytics.'
Indian Data Analytics courses, too, now come with a distinct Italian Touch.
Inside Scoop: University Administrators know the pulse of businesses
Big universities have realised that Data flows across industries and sectors. Many of the big names in the big universities are themselves industry veterans, who have seen how data outputs from the Engineering Industry often become vital inputs from the Auto Sector, and so on. Foreign Universities also have started showing interest in collaborating with Indian bodies to launch Big Data Courses, offering international flavours to the curriculum.
Ever wondered what learning Analytics from an Italian professor would feel like?
Because they have first-hand experience of handling Data and know of its versatile uses, these university administrators also understand how a course in Data Analytics, can be a stepping-stone for professionals aiming to make it big in today's world.
Simply put, it is more Demand and less Supply
Leading companies today use Data Analytics to outperform their peers. Data-driven strategies are deployed in good measure to innovate and compete. In sectors such as Auto and Consumer Durables, Analytics is used to check how successfully test-models will operate in the real world. From creating new opportunities for growth to creating fresh categories of product and services, a Data Scientist's expertise is critical at all points of a business. The top universities in this country are waking up to this reality and their course modules are now reflecting their cognisance.
So, how to make McKinsey, PwC and KPMG interested in you?
Current trends suggest that leading MNCs such as Amazon, KPMG, CTS, MuSigma, TCS, Genpact, Filpkart, Fidelity etc. bulk-hire Data Analytics professionals from universities and academies that design their curriculum smartly and sharply. However, as someone planning to do a course in Data & Business Analytics, how would you choose from a plethora of courses offered by the big universities and academies?
Go for a course that's tooled to perfection
A good Data Analytics course will inevitably train aspiring data professionals in the usage of the most important tools of Data Analytics: from a comprehensive explanation of the tools' functionalities to how they can be used for decision-making. However, what separates a well chalked-out Data Analytics course from a mere assemblage of a course is the mix of Data Tools covered. Good courses offer training of the most relevant data tools and they don't cram up their courses with too many tools or irrelevant ones.
Remember, all theory and no action, makes Jack a dull Data Scientist
The best Data and Business Analytics courses tailor their curriculum to sharpen their students' data-driven decision-making with respect to businesses and business domains. These use case-studies from real life to supplement theories such as predictive modelling, data mining, big data analytics, marketing, operations, risk analytics etc.
Specific scenarios from booming industries such as retail, e-commerce and telecom are discussed and the relevance of data in these industries is illustrated. Making you technically-equipped is just one goal of the best Data Analytics courses. The other goal - the larger goal - is making you industry-ready OR business-ready.
When CEOs become teachers, courses becomes interesting
Top universities have realised that Data flows across industries and sectors. Many of the big names in these big universities are themselves industry veterans, who have seen how data outputs from the Engineering Industry often become vital inputs for the Auto Sector, and so on.
Because they have first-hand experience of handling Data and know of its versatile uses, these university administrators also understand how a course in Data Analytics, can be a stepping-stone for professionals aiming to make it big in today's world. Top Indian tech schools are tying up global management schools, to make world-class teaching faculty available to Indian students.