The Best Business Intelligence Careers of 2021

Median Salary: $151,150

Projected Job Growth: 10%

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

A computer and information manager takes on the task of finding and suggesting reliable technological improvements within the organization. As an organization collates big data, the computer system should be able to seamlessly process that data. Having a reliable IT system within the organization helps find business intelligence data.

Backed up by in-depth data analysis, the IT manager looks for the right tools and programs to cater to the needs of the business. You must follow technological trends to find potential new strategies and tools for future projects. With all the information and data you have, you can formulate short-term and long-term goals.

Median Salary: $135,039

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Master’s Degree

An enterprise architect is in charge of maintaining the IT tools and services used by an organization. Typically, you need to have at least a master’s degree and several years of experience to qualify for this role. You are largely leading the big technological changes and improvements within the organization.

Backed up by strong data analysis, you are tasked with developing solutions and creating reliable technological products. You are also part of the team that identifies security requirements for potential new technologies. You are also expected to design the overall architecture of the organization’s technological system.

Median Salary: $96,609

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

A data scientist must be an expert in statistics and data analysis. You will be dealing with large chunks of data and using the appropriate BI tools to generate insights. This data could be coming from different sources, and it is your task to reconcile them and utilize these findings for problem-solving.

Some of the industries where you can bring your business intelligence skills as a data scientist would be marketing, finance, and sales. These are fields that rely on data to improve future product and service decisions. As a data scientist, you must know how to code with Python, SQL, and R for data visualization and analysis.

Median Salary: $93,290

Projected Job Growth: 33%

Min. Education Required: Master’s Degree

A statistician is a sought-after professional in business intelligence. BI relies on statistical processing and analysis of data using statistical tools. Using computational and mathematical techniques, you provide data findings to help organizations evaluate their business strategies.

You are responsible for utilizing statistical and mathematical techniques to provide solutions for practical business needs. Being adept in different statistical software gives you an advantage as it proves your expertise. You also need to be able to communicate these findings to relevant stakeholders.

Median Salary: $92,489

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

These professionals use data models to interpret data sets within data structures and algorithms. With an in-depth knowledge of computer languages, you are expected to translate algorithms into codes that can be interpreted and used for business decisions. With this information, you can come up with technical solutions for the organization.

One of the requirements of being a data engineer is proficiency in SQL as you will be dealing with data and databases. You are responsible for interpreting data findings and extracting insights out of them. You must also be able to develop reports and charts that your specific business audience can understand.

Median Salary: $87,660

Projected Job Growth: 11%

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

A management analyst is a go-to person for an organization’s future business strategies. Your primary task is to come up with ways an organization can efficiently do business. Every decision that you make can impact profits and revenues, so strong data backup is necessary.

You are responsible for gathering reliable information and data about the organization and its products or services. Aside from marketing data, you must also involve yourself in financial data and employment reports. You can also take on the role of a project manager as you will be churning out projects to strengthen the organization’s standing in the market.

Median Salary: $86,200

Projected Job Growth: 25%

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

An operations research analyst makes good use of statistical and analytical skills to solve business problems. You will be involved in conversations about resource allocation, developing production strategies, and managing supply chains. With your statistical background, you can create predictive models to forecast future growth.

You are responsible for identifying problems in different aspects of the business and helping find solutions for them. Part of your task is to make sure that relevant data and information is gathered and stored in a database for future use.

Median Salary: $81,116

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

A business intelligence developer primarily works on databases. Your main task is to provide IT solutions that could significantly improve and elevate business processes. You will be dealing with testing and monitoring software programs related to data processing.

As a BI developer, you are involved in database management so you are expected to know how to code with SQL. You’ll create data models to generate quality business intelligence tools and reports. Part of your task is to ensure good data architecture so that information can easily flow from one database to another within the organization’s system.

Median Salary: $69,633

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

A business intelligence analyst’s job is to guide different departments and ensure collaboration in reaching business goals. You must be equipped with unique ideas and strategies, but these should be strongly supported by data. You also need to be prepared to conduct training for other employees.

As a BI analyst, you are expected to be familiar with generating reports using BI tools like Oracle and SAP. You are responsible for providing data analysis and data modeling to be sent to an organization’s data warehouse. Finally, you must pay attention to detail to observe data patterns.

Median Salary: $67,407

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

A data mining specialist designs data models that extract information from enterprise or business systems. Once this information is extracted, the data mining specialist must organize it into a database file. Your task is to create reports and analyze the data you’ve gathered.

The purpose of a data mining specialist is to find patterns and trends in data to report to shareholders. With this information, the organization can arrive at a sound business decision to meet targets and goals. You need strong business intelligence and statistical skills to excel in this role.

Median Salary: $85,283

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

Your job as an entry-level data scientist is to find insights from relevant data. You need to be proficient in coding SQL and Python as your work revolves around the management of databases and data visualization. Knowing machine learning could also give you a competitive advantage.

Median Salary: $70,558

Projected Job Growth: 11%**

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

As an entry-level management consultant, you are involved in facilitating research efforts in finding solutions for business issues. You’ll deal with a lot of data and information to update existing processes. You need strong analytical and statistical skills to qualify for this job.

Median Salary: $59,856

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

A job as an entry-level business intelligence analyst allows you to immediately pursue a career in this field. These professionals participate in various projects to come up with solutions for the business. You must be equipped with relevant skills in formulating business strategies and in utilizing BI tools.

Median Salary: $56,246

Projected Job Growth: 31%*

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

An entry-level data analyst is tasked to evaluate various data analysis tools. You need to find the most efficient tools that could yield reliable data results and findings. You are most likely to assist a senior data analyst who is in charge of the overall data processing of an organization.

Median Salary: $56,050

Projected Job Growth: 10%***

Min. Education Required: Bachelor’s Degree

Your task as an entry-level database administrator is to use specific software to manage data and organize databases. You must know how to code SQL as you will be handling a lot of data. You are also to ensure that data is available to authorized users when they need it.