Education in web analytics: Experience vs qualifications

This is the first of a couple of posts that loosely fit under the category of education in the web analytics field. This one looks at some of the courses and qualifications out there for web analysts, and the benefits of them versus everyday experience.

There are a number of courses that are available to web analysts looking to improve their knowledge. One of the most well-known is the UBC Award of Achievement in Web Analytics. Whilst being a comprehensive course, it's geared towards people with little prior knowledge of the topic, with the first module named an "Introduction to Web Analytics". There is also an extension course, the Web Intelligence Certificate from the UBC and UC Irvine Extension, which as a prerequisite requires the UBC Award of Achievement to have been completed, and focuses on coursework.

The WAA Base Camp consists of two days of training which allows the student to get a "solid foundation of online marketing analytics knowledge and authoritative course material in a workshop environment". Unfortunately, as with a lot of WAA content, it seems to be very US-centric, with no courses available outside of North America this year, and no previous workshops outside of there since September 2008.

One complaint about why people don't join the WAA is that there's no proof of the member's quality. This has been answered by the WAA with new certification. There's been some discussion about its validity, its availability to non-WAA members and concern around pricing and how to take it - see here for an example. The WAA have responded to these in attempt to make the issue clear. There's general agreement that it's tough, with two to three years of experience required; its aim is to test your analysis skills rather than your knowledge of a particular analytics package, and it has a quasi-MBA slant to it. In a recent post Stéphane Hamel discusses the benefits of taking the test.

The Google Analytics IQ test is proving to be quite popular. So much so that they've recently had to make it tougher, raising the pass rate to 80%. Obviously this is tied to one package, and has an 18 month shelf life.

There seems to be agreement that certification is better for those earlier on in their careers. Those who've been in the industry longer have less need to demonstrate and prove their skills. However, those with experience can easily be siloed - all too often I've seen adverts for web analyst positions which talk more about the need for experience with a particular analytics package, rather than concentrating on the skills required to do the job properly. Having a qualification like the WAA certification would demonstrate your ability to bring the necessary mindset and skills to the role to successfully carry it out. The individal could show their knowledge of the technical, marketing and statistical skill sets required for this job, rather than have to spell it out on a CV. The technical knowledge one would have acquired through gaining the qualification would go a long way to helping out with any package-specific issues that may be faced in a new role.

The downside is that many of these qualifications are expensive (especially if you have to travel to take them as Steve Jackson notes in his afore-referenced blogpost). But labour economics dictates that as long as prospective employers can be assured of the quality of the test, this should only go to highlight the candidate's quality (and self-belief) - that they were willing and confident enough to invest in themselves to set themselves apart from the market. That the qualification has to be re-taken regularly for such a changing market would also demonstrate the candidate's quality.

Finally, the obligatory UK naval-gazing section. Whilst in the US where there is more knowledge about web analytics industry, here in Blighty fewer companies and managers are familiar with it. They may well be aware of what a web analyst does and how they can help provide insight and drive action etc (although possibly not to the extent a similar position in the States would), but I suspect they wouldn't be so familiar with the role of the WAA, or have any knowledge of the varying types of qualifications out there. This then, for now, lessens the impact of obtaining one of these qualifications on this side of the pond, although hopefully this will change soon.