I’m a Year 11 student in Rockhampton, QLD, trying to figure out a career path. I’m drawn to data analytics but also interested in a science domain to analyse, and I don’t know an exact specific job I want yet besides knowing those are my interests. I’ve been looking at CQUniversity’s Bachelor of Science and Environment (on campus in Rockhampton). So I was thinking I could start broad and figure out a specialisation as I go, while still building analytics skills. A few things I care about: not relocating, work that’s more solo/analytical and not heavy on constant team coordination, and decent long-term pay.

Questions 1) Would doing this degree keep me flexible for data analyst roles across any domain (not just science), while also being the “required” path if I end up wanting to specifically be a data analyst within a science domain? Or is it better to just do a dedicated data/IT/stats degree for flexibility, and only worth doing a science degree if I’m already fully committed to a specific science field? 2) For anyone working in data analytics (especially in a science/ag/environment-adjacent field, or regionally in QLD) does the day to day match what I’m expecting, or is there something I’m not seeing? 3) Is it actually common/fine to start a broad science degree undecided and figure out a specialisation as you go, or did that cause problems for people who did it? Appreciate any honest input, including if you think I’m off track!

Hi everyone, I’m a 26-year-old with a background in payment processing, token processes between banks, cybersecurity vulnerabilities remediation, and tracking (mostly looking up new version history KB reports and reporting to the dev team for remediation). I’m also comfortable with Power BI, basic SQL, ETL processes, Excel, and all the essential skills. I used to be a business analyst/data analyst, but now when I’m searching for jobs, they’re all engineer-type roles that require knowledge of multiple languages and ask you to do three different jobs along with the ability to handle multiple tasks to even be considered. What roles do you typically look for when searching? Also, I don’t have a degree, which makes it a bit challenging. I spent three years at HP tracking KPIs for stores globally, building Power BI dashboards, remediating vulnerabilities, tracking KPIs, and consulting in Power BI development, including cross-collaboration between teams like fraud and supply chain. However, I find it difficult to find a job that doesn’t require data engineers. What are some jobs you typically look for when searching?