So, my DS will be leaving the military in a few months and plans to use the GI Bill to complete his degree. Currently he has AA degree in general studies. In the military, he is in Intelligence and does “analysis.” He enjoys weighing intelligence information and presenting his findings to commanding officers. (He can’t give many more details!) He wants to continue with “analysis” as a career post-military.
I know there are Financial Analysts, Business Analysts, probably Computer Analysts. I’m guessing you start out in the particular field (Finance, Business, Computer) and move up to the point where you are an Analyst…something like a consultant? How can that be an entry-level career? He’s thinking of majoring in English (something he has always enjoyed) and Economics. I’m wondering about a major like Information Science, which seems to have an analysis component.
Any insight on the path to a career as an analyst and the best major to pursue?
Seems like he takes information and tries to figure out what it means. That seems to be a common task in almost any field (business, social sciences, natural sciences, etc.).
Yep, this is a really broad field that many numerate undergraduate options can lead into. (Heck, I even know someone who majored in languages but is now a financial analyst.) Economics would be a perfectly fine route if that is what interests him. The best analysts can also explain their findings in a clear and concise way, so English is certainly useful too.
Broad field. Experience is the key. I’m in Big Data/Analytics. I’ve seen a lot of different backgrounds be successful. It really depends on the area of analysis he likes.
Econ, math/stats, industrial engineering would be good starts. Even philosophy might work with logic classes. If he’s interested in finance then any good business school would work. Military analysis also depends on geography and/or weather so those might be options if he still wants to consult with government/military agencies.
Regardless of major computer skills and the ability to communicate are critical.
My daughter is an analyst (not a data analyst- not considered a CS person). She does exactly what he enjoys - analyzes data and presents the results. She has a joint degree in math and econ. I would recommend that route. Switch out for stats (or applied math) instead of regular math if the college offers that . The math background will teach him the tools he needs to do analysis and the econ background will help him learn how to think like an analyst.
My kid who is looking at CS or engineering also has a bent towards analyzing data but never really looked into career options. This is a great thread. I’ll point it out to the kiddo!