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What should someone pursue, as far as certificates or additional classes, in order to be competitive?

Veteran

Lupe Irlas Killeen, TX

My bachelors degree is in eMarketing and I will finish my MBA with a minor in Marketing Analytics in December. I've been working on Google Analytics and was wondering if I should continue or ditch the class altogether. What other certificates should I pursue?

17 March 2019 8 replies Education & Training

Answers

Advisor

Mario Rodriquez Tampa, FL

Lupe, one thing I try to stress to Veterans is read the job descriptions of the job(s) you are interested in pursuing. The job descriptions will tell you what the employers are looking for as far as education, certifications, and licensing requirements. Since many employers have job titles and job descriptions that are not a 100% match, they will tell what the employer wants a prospective candidate to have. Your Bachelors degree and your MBA with minor in marketing will get the attention of some employers, but a certification or education in Google Analytics will help immensely.

18 March 2019 Helpful answer

Advisor

Paul Trejo Austin, TX

Hello Lupe,

Thanks for your years of service. In my experience in the computer industry today, the big interest is in Data Analytics. Here are two recommendations:

(1) To get started, quickly, learn Microsoft Power BI online Pro, and Power BI Desktop. (BI stands for 'Business Intelligence.') They are often free for those who have MS 365 Office.

If you've used good old Crystal Reports in the past -- that's a good analogy. Power BI is like Crystal Reports on steroids, because Power BI can absorb dozens of diverse sources of data. Also, there are dozens of types of Charts now. (Its main competitor is "Tableau" which tends to be for Oracle.)

These Visual Charts get big points when you present them at your Meetings. (Today they call them, "Visualizations").

(2) Another way to get super-competitive as a Data Analyst (in any field, and especially Marketing) is to get ahead of the curve for SQL. Why wait on the SQL Team, when you can begin to write your own SQL queries and get the data that you really need when you really need it?

SQL is surprisingly easy to learn. It doesn't make sense to depend on another group for your SQL data, when you can go right to the bare metal and get your own SQL data yourself.

Get certified along those lines, and your competition scores will go way up, IMHO.

Best wishes,
--Paul

Advisor

FRANCIS TEPEDINO, ESQ. San Diego, CA

My "two cents"... In my personal experience, as a former senior executive in various corporations and as a consultant: Get a J. D. from an accredited Law School. MBA's are fine but plentiful in the employment market place. You have demonstrated academic abilities so my suggestion is to "go for it".

If you need to work during the day, go to night Law School, like I did.

The University of San Diego Law School, (I am on the Board), has an evening program and also a Veteran's Help Center. Let me know if I can help.

Good luck.

Advisor

Deb Miller Bardstown, KY

Lupe, please consider the US Postal Service. Our sales and marketing teams often post jobs externally at WWW.USPS.com. I agree with the comments above, present all the great talent you possess. You are the perfect fit for the right job - push your amazing talents. People are looking for experience, drive, and proven will to help the company succeed. Sounds like you have those things, you just need to toot your horn so others see them too. Best wishes, Deb

Advisor

Bill Rogers Tallahassee, FL

Consider Hubspot certification. I see a lot of demand for people with certifications.
HubSpot Academy will prepare you for your job better than an MBA! ... The HubSpot Academy is continuing rolling out new certifications and training designed to keep students on the cutting edge of everything inbound. The courses are fairly comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and the training is available for free!

Advisor

Henry ("Dr. Hank") Stevens Fort Lauderdale, FL

Identify your TALENTS and ignore your education/experience. You can always learn what you need to know if what you do is what you want to do. This is a FREE web site that will help you identify your talents - it has a robust system for identifying careers with talents. Explore it and if you need help (also free) contact me directly and I will guide you: hlstevens42@gmail.com.

http://www.humanmetrics.com/hr/jtypesresult.aspx

Advisor

Patrick E Alcorn Arlington, TX

Stop learning...start doing. You never do anything or have anything unless you do it now! Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Do it now! Get to work...build your resume with real world projects...volunteer...start your own business...whatever. Just do it now!

Advisor

Tim Feemster Dallas, TX

I would suggest talking to Walmart as they have a large ecommerce team and are very interested in hiring veterans. I have some connections there if you want to contact me- tim@feemsters.com. Amazon is another along with Target working hard to expand the ecommerce space.

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