Unlocking SAS Academic Resources

Session Resources + Slides

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Summary

Unlocking SAS Academic Resources is a detailed session designed for students and educators aiming to enhance their analytics skills using SAS tools. The session explores the wide range of SAS academic resources available for free to students and educators. It highlights the SAS Skill Builder for Students, which offers courses and certifications to boost career prospects. The webinar also introduces SAS Viya Workbench for Learners, a platform supporting multiple programming languages. Key topics include the benefits of SAS certifications and badges, particularly the new SAS Knowledge Badges, which connect participation with high-level certifications. The session emphasizes the importance of analytics skills in today's data-driven world and provides guidance on how to access and use these resources effectively.

Key Takeaways:

• SAS offers free academic resources, including software and courses, to students and educators.
• The SAS Skill Builder for Students portal provides access to a wide range of elearning courses.
• SAS Knowledge Badges are a new, accessible way to certify skills without high stakes.
• SAS Viya Workbench for Learners supports multiple programming languages for analytics.
• Analytics skills are essential for career advancement in data-driven industries.

In-Depth Information

SAS Skill Builder for Students

The SAS Skill Builder for Students is a portal designed to provide students with access to a variety of free elearning courses and resources. These courses cover topics from programming to data ethics, structured to help students prepare for SAS certifications and badges. The portal also offers how-to videos and virtual training sessions, allowing students to learn at their own pace. "Our courses are not for the faint of heart," noted Cristina Anton, emphasizing the depth and rigor of the content. The platform is a valuable tool for students looking to enhance their analytics skills and improve their employability in a competitive job market.

SAS Knowledge Badges

SAS Knowledge Badges are a recent addition to the SAS certification offerings, designed to fill the gap between participation badges and high-stakes certifications. These badges are free, unproctored, open-book, and untimed, making them accessible to a wider audience. They cover specific knowledge areas, such as SQL Essentials and AI Foundations, and are intended to demonstrate proficiency in these areas. "They provide a way to enhance your resume by showing proficiency in a particular knowledge area," explained Anton. The badges are administered through Credly, allowing for easy sharing on professional networks like LinkedIn.

SAS Viya Workbench for Learners

The SAS Viya Workbench for Learners is a cloud-based development environment that supports multiple programming languages, including SAS, Python, and R. It is designed for students and educators to practice and apply their analytics skills in a real-world setting. The platform offers 10GB of space for each user and allows for easy integration with tools like GitHub. "It's nice to have a centralized platform where you can do all of your work," Anton highlighted. This flexibility makes it an ideal tool for students who are learning to code and analyze data across different languages and platforms.

Importance of Analytics Skills

Analytics skills are increasingly important in today's data-driven world, with companies collecting data at unprecedented rates. The session highlighted the demand for professionals with analytics expertise, noting that there were over 89,000 job postings seeking SAS skills in the past year alone. "A career in analytics is definitely a smart choice," Anton stated, emphasizing the competitive edge that SAS certifications and badges can provide. These skills not only enhance employability but also open doors to opportunities in various industries, including banking, pharmaceuticals, and government.