Career change: Software Development / Data Analysis. Advice, please!

[MrsGhastlyCrumb]

Hello- really struggling with this and hoping that someone can help me clarify things so I can make an Actual Decision. I need to decide by the end of the month, ideally.

I've a patchy background in Graphic Design (long story), but over the last 4 years or so have found myself working in different related roles assisting creative Academics both in applying for and administering Research Grants (generally on the financial side of things).

Currently I am working on a fixed term contract, and this may well not be renewed because of cuts made as a result of Covid. Financially this is obviously not great news - but I have been bored for some time and thinking about getting into something else that I would enjoy more.

I have no real background in coding, other than a certain amount of fiddling about in the back end of Dreamweaver: however, I do enjoy organising data, whether it's sorting out a poorly laid out publication into a clear, print-ready book, or making dense financial information accessible and clear in an Excel spreadsheet. I have reasonably limited 'people' skills: I do get on with people, but prefer to work without distraction. I am not a natural 'Sales' type person.

I've happened across the above two career retraining courses (intensive ones) and have been trying to arrive at a decision about them. My first issue is that, according the course provider these are career sectors which are booming and look to continue to do so.

However, I am realistic: I'm late 40s, female, and have kids. Can I really expect to have the same prospects as a male in his early 30s?

The second is that despite a certain amount of Googling in the limited time I have, it's hard to get a genuine feel for what type of work I might end up doing even if successful, at the end of either course. I am leaning towards Data Analysis because it would appear to relate more closely to what I've been doing recently- but also because I'm not sure I'd fit in with the more 'creative' crowd..Despite being creative myself, I'm not remotely hipsterish and, well, I'm a middle aged woman and feel like I'd be judged, to be honest.

I would hugely appreciate any and all advice on this; even if you happen to know of useful resources you can point me at. Thanks.

For data analysis, this is primarily about maths & statistics. do you have an A in Maths A-level (or equivalent)? Or are you confident that you could have got an A if you'd taken the A level? If so, then learning to code (probably Python) could give you options in data science.

you said you'd done graphic design, so there are lots of jobs available in web design where you make the graphics for websites & the code to make the site run. That might be an option? Like dreamweaver but more so.

There are also roles in data visualisation which might interest you - again, a combination of graphic design and coding but with a focus on making the end result accessible to people rather than pure stats.

what are the retraining courses you've seen? there are lots from Coursera which are reputable.

Also, a lot of these jobs can be 90% or 100% online, so you can have a cat avatar on your work Slack and no one will think about your age / gender etc.

Ooh, yes- data visualisation does sound really interesting. That's really helpful in terms of direction. Maths... well, I do work with financial data a lot. School was a loooong time ago now. I left at 15 so no exams taken- though I was in the top streams for almost everything. I doubt I'd be able to pass an exam now without preparation.

Oh, the courses are by a course provider near here with strong industry links. They also work with the Uni I work for.
I need to do something that can't be put on a back burner, or I will: there's always something that needs to be done more urgently...

(Will def check out Coursera though, sounds like a solid tip...)

Just giving this a wee nudge just in case anyone else can add anything to Parietal's excellent advice...

I'd check whether the lack of GCSEs in English and Maths is going to be a hindrance? Even if it's not necessary for the retraining course I wouldn't be surprised if you need it for jobs further down the line.

In my 30s I switched from healthcare to IT/software (data platforms support). I had kids and a mortgage, so limited in how far I could commute. Look at the different job descriptions and what is available in your area (unless you don’t mind moving). Some data/software jobs mention specific technologies/languages they would like eg: sql server, Ssis, power bi or django, python, react. I guess it’s just helpful to know what is out there before deciding?

I work in a related field, management of data analysts, rather than being one myself. I agree with pp check out job adverts to see what languages companies are looking for. More and more when I'm interviewing people now I'm hearing of them being self taught and they tend to have a variety of programming languages under their belts. Python is a big one as it's so adaptable, R for statistical analysis (and in my job someone with R can expect better pay than someone without it), also lately I'm needing to find people with data Base experience and sql still seems to be the one everyone has experience in and is still used widely.

In the 15 years I've been in this role I've hired only 1, out of probably 150, who is not already experienced in the job I'm hiring for, that it is to say no entry level roles but actually I'm starting to see the tide turn slightly as companies are struggling with hiring these kinds of roles and are maybe more open to training people from scratch. Also the UK apprenticeship scheme means you can be in a job and working towards a qualification also, not all companies are part of it though so it might not apply.

One last thing with this industry, roles in the UK must be diminishing as it's prime candidate for off shorting. I've not hired a UK based data analyst for over 8 years. Not sure it's the same for all companies but I'd say it must be for some.

*off shoring

Go for it! I've got trained on my first analyst job in SQL & now learning Python. I've met analysts every age and gender. Just look for roles below average pay if you want on the job training. Data visualisation is a great plus not every analyst can do, that in itself could sell you.

The big players for data visualisation are Tableau, Power BI etc, most let's you download the desktop software for free & loads of resources and forums online

Hi, I work in a techy field, do a bit of programming, and work alongside data analysts. I'd say go for it. I don't agree you would have needed an A in maths A level, it's not that much of an elitist thing. But do agree with pps that anything you can learn about coding, databases etc in your own time alongside a structured course will help. I think the actual software or skillset required can vary wildly between different roles and companies. I wonder if there is an industry or company you already have a passion for? looking at the analyst vacancies there might give you a more precise steer on the skills needed and help you work towards them.

I definitely wouldn't worry about fitting in to a hipster-ish environment. I think a lot of tech companies (like mine) are aware how male their workforces are and would love to recruit more women.

Oh also, you may find you're not necessarily constrained by geography. Some companies are happy with majority remote working post covid , especially for the right candidate. Good luck with whatever you choose.

@MrsGhastlyCrumb do you mind me asking who the intensive courses are with?

I'm a computer science/IT teacher looking for a change