Considering the reports that have come out about Travis Hunter and how the Jaguars plan to play him as a full time CB and part time WR, where would you rank him compared to this year's rookie draft picks?
Is he worth a late 1st? Early 2nd?
I know the reports looked bad, but how damning is it really? He only has 1 season under his belt and was a top pick last year expected to be a WR.
I’m trying to make a practical career pivot and would love honest advice from people who work in analytics or have gone through one of these paths.
I’m 25, have a bachelor’s in the social sciences, and my work background is more in project coordination, operations support, budgeting support, and real-estate-related work. I’m trying to move out of that lane and into something more analytical, ideally operations/business analytics type roles.
I’ve realized I’m genuinely interested in using data to make business decisions. I’ve always liked the kind of quantitative problem-solving where you look at numbers, compare tradeoffs, and figure out what’s driving outcomes or what the best decision is.
Right now I’m weighing two paths:
Path 1: do an online data analytics certificate program now
• designed for working professionals
• around 8–12 hours/week
• includes projects
• covers tools like analytics/BI stuff
• could potentially help me pivot sooner
Path 2: spend the next year preparing for a master’s, likely an MS in Business Analytics
• I’d probably take a for-credit statistics course and do some prep in Python/SQL
• then apply next year
My question is: if my goal is to get into business analytics type work as practically as possible, would you recommend doing a certificate program now, or is it smarter to focus on preparing for and getting the master's?
I'm especially curious about 1) whether certificate programs like this actually move the needle with employers, 2) whether they're enough to help someone land entry-level data/business analyst roles, 3) whether I'd be better off just waiting to get my MSBA