Segun Venturebeat, 'Every employee should know data analysis'
"I will wager that 99 percent of businesses in the U.S don’t need anyone proficient in C++ or Java.
The tech skills required by most employers are substantial but quite different:"
1. The basics of a scripting language.
Bash for Unix/Linux, JavaScript for web browsers, or Visual Basic for
Microsoft Applications are simple coding skills that are easy to learn
and valuable for workers across disciplines and levels. These skills
allow you to automate tasks, promoting efficiency in manipulation and
analysis.
For example, if you run a contest, you could write a simple
script to determine if people who’ve entered the contest submitted
their content to your site by the specified date. Looking up hundreds of
users manually would be very tedious, but this scripting language
know-how would make the process efficient.
2. Simple SQL commands. These commands are necessary to process raw data and turn it into information that you can analyze and apply.
Sure, the right people on your team should know how to code
– but most of them should be writing spreadsheet macros and pivot
tables to support your internal business processes, not agile algorithms
for entrepreneurial endeavours. They should know the basics of HTML
editing and how to set up folders and accounts with the correct security
rights for your team. That’s what the bulk of businesses need from
technology education.
3. Deductive reasoning skills. Being able
to look at various pieces of data and draw a conclusion is probably the
most valuable skill for any employee to have, and surprisingly it’s
something that’s too often missing from otherwise technically advanced
employees.
