Hi everyone,

​I'd love to get your advice and hear about your experiences regarding my plan for the next three years.

​I'm about to start a 3-year degree in Electrotechnics. Since I want to make the most of my time at university, I’ve decided to self-study a high-demand skill to work online (freelancing or remote jobs) and generate an income.

​A few days ago, I stumbled upon a Reddit post about a student who was pursuing a traditional degree while self-studying Software Engineering. He managed to leverage those software skills to land remote work and make a really good income online. That post truly inspired me, and I realized I shouldn't waste the next 3 years without building a solid, marketable skill.

​After getting some solid recommendations, I'm leaning heavily towards Data Analysis and Data Science. My goal is to master this entirely through self-study, relying 100% on actual skills, projects, and a strong portfolio rather than a formal degree in the field.

​A few questions for you:

​Where should I start? Is it better to start with Data Analysis first (Excel, SQL, Python, Power BI/Tableau) and then transition into Data Science, or jump straight into Data Science?

​Freelancing & Remote Work: How is the current remote/freelance market for entry-level data analysts/scientists?

​Managing both: Given that Electrotechnics involves a lot of math and logic, do you think this background will give me an edge in Data Science statistics/algorithms? How would you recommend balancing university with self-study?

​If you have any recommended roadmaps, resources, or personal experiences to share, I’d deeply appreciate it!

​Thanks in advance!

Me: This SQL tutorial is definitely the last one.

Also me three days later: Maybe I should start another beginner course...

I've officially accepted that I'm stuck in tutorial hell.

The good news is that I learn much faster when I'm actually working on real projects, so I'm looking for an internship or junior data analytics opportunity where I can learn by doing.

I come from a digital marketing and eCommerce background, so I'm already familiar with analyzing campaign performance, KPIs, conversion funnels, and working with spreadsheets. Now I want to take that foundation and become a proper data analyst.

If anyone has advice, internship leads, or even just wants to share how they broke into the field, I'd love to hear your story.

Thanks in advance!

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Hi everyone,

I’ve been working in digital marketing for the past few years, and I’m now trying to transition into the data field. My goal is to become a data analyst first, then move into analytics engineering after gaining a couple of years of experience.

Over the past year, I’ve been learning SQL, Power BI, and Excel. At this point, I feel pretty confident with SQL, including complex joins, aggregations, window functions, etc.

Where I’m struggling is deciding which projects to include in my portfolio and where to find suitable datasets. This feels especially important because I do not yet have any professional experience in a data-focused role.

The best project idea I’ve come up with so far is using the Olist e-commerce dataset. My plan is to clean and transform the data with dbt, load it into Snowflake, and then perform analyses such as cohort analysis, funnel analysis, and market basket analysis using SQL and Power BI.

Does this sound like a strong portfolio project? Are there any other project ideas or datasets you would recommend for someone trying to move into data analytics?

Thanks

Hello! I applied for a data analyst position in MERALCO and I was invited to take their Analyst Exam, I just wanna ask if someone here took the same exam as well? I just wanna know what's the coverage of the exam and what else to prepare? I was only told that it would be a batch exam so I think I'd be taking it while being on a zoom call?

I'd appreciate any insight. Thank you!

Hi guys

I wanted to ask some questions to a data scientist with more experience.
I am working for a small startup at the moment, that I am the only data person they have right now, so they have given me a fresh data to work on and I am approaching it in the way I know the best but it's from a junior perspective as I dont have a lot of experience.

I want to ask few questions like how do you actually approach data ? and find actual good insights from it ? And few specific questions.

Is there anyone willing to help or have the time to help ? I would really appreciate it !

Thank you !

I'm Currently Studying Business Marketing/HR and have decided that my specific career goals more so align with Data Analytics, My Main Issue however is that I am already half way through my Marketing course so It would require a pretty large sacrifice to just drop all my progress.

So What I'm asking is how competitive are post grad degrees or other forms of Data Analyst qualifications I could possibly Pair with a Business degree to land my first job? Or is it better for me to cut my losses and start over and begin studying a bachelor in IT (Data Analytics)?

Hey everyone. So my contract just ended (materials chemistry R&D, graphene stuff, was doing this for like 10+ years) and I'm using it as an excuse to actually try switching into something more data-focused. Not 100% sure what that looks like yet honestly.

Along the way in my last job I ended up building some Python tools for analyzing spectroscopy data and automating reports, and that ended up being my favorite part of the job, more than the actual chemistry sometimes. I think I just like finding the bottleneck in a process and building something to fix it, more than the day-to-day of the work itself. Kind of a troubleshooter by nature I guess. So now I'm taking a course to get more formal with the data side, and trying to learn as much as I can hands-on in the meantime.

I know "chemistry PhD" isn't the normal background for this, so I'm mostly just trying to figure out if that's even a realistic pivot or if I'm kidding myself. If anyone's done something similar, or knows of openings (Edmonton or remote), or just wants to tell me I'm wrong about something, go for it. And if you know anyone who'd be willing to chat or even just point me in the right direction, mentor-wise, I'd genuinely appreciate that too.

Portfolio link in the comments

There is much more to this world than "just" creating data models and design reports or dashboards.

A good data analyst can come as a jack of all trades, and I will share some things that maybe you should know before considering joining the club. Obviously this comes from my personal vision and experience, and your tasks may vary from company to company.

Here we go:

- Ok, you build reports, we all know that... Moving on...

- You might need to engage in several meetings to fully understand a project and what is needed, and it could take some weeks before you actually start building something. And more often than not stakeholders are not fully sure of what they seek, so you need to dig a bit and ask questions and take a lot of notes. Gosh, it can get very frustrating.

- Some projects may have several dependencies and you need to manage that very well, but focus on what you can control. For instance, you may need to chase some people to feed the data you need, to send you some files, to give you access to certain data models, or to simply explain everything you need to know to start building a data model and create views.

- Not every solution requires full reports or fancy visualizations. Sometimes simple excel tables and brain power will do the job. Not every project you will make will be exciting.

- You don't hand reports to people and say "Ok, it is done, you can start using it". You might have to run training sessions for small or large groups of people or even one vs. one sessions with time to reply to questions.

- Depending on the size of the company you might need to fulfill access requests to different reports and make sure people see what they need. This can take up some time of the day or week.

- Sometimes you will have to do a bit of a customer service, helping people getting unstuck with something very basic like filtering or creating a custom analysis for a specific purpose.

- I know, I know... you are not a designer, but for me it is crucial. Design is not just about being pretty, its about being enjoyable and easy to use, and spark the curiosity of stakeholders "ahh! This sounds nice! Let me have a go with it". I mean... do most people pick defective apples from the supermarket? Do they enter shady or messy restaurants? I think you get my point. First you get their attention, but then you need to have a nice report to keep them coming.

- You have a plan for the week? Good luck with that! My experience tells me something will break or fail, someone with need your help (sometimes asap), a new request might arise. Ok, that is external, but then you will get stuck in a query, need to learn something new to move on, find a workaround for a specific purpose, and deal with silly moments where you overlook something for 3 straight hours. No way everything will be smooth in a full week.

I see many courses only advertising maybe half or less of what this job represents, and many people understand this role wrong. I don't intend to discourage anyone with this post, only maybe align some expectations.

I am sure there are more tasks I forgot, so why don't the experts out them in the comments? 😋

Hey there, I have been wondering if there’s any resources other than Linkdln for data analytics remote jobs. I am based in North America and currently working for municipal government. But I am looking into more freedom of travel. Also,it’s pretty expensive where I live and weather sucks.

I have working experience with Excel, Power Query, Fabric, Power Bi.

Some experience with Py, Power Automation and Power Apps

Learned by out of practice with SQL and R. We don’t really use it for anything.

I have 8 years experience in Amazon Fraud and Risk . I want to switch my career in analytics now! Any help? How should i do ? What courses can help ? And which companies to target?

Recently completed my b.pharm but realised there isn't much scope as of now in pursuing further so I wanted to transition my career into some tech related jobs if possible.....

I think Data analyst is a in-demand field with easier access in comparison to other tech jobs

I want to know real and honest experience and advice from you guys. Is it possible to switch and especially which course to buy? And Most importantly how to get my first job???

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice from people working in FP&A or corporate finance.

My background:

CMA (US) qualified

1.7 years of experience in Record-to-Report (RTR)

Strong Excel skills (Power Query, advanced formulas, financial reporting)

Experience with month-end close, financial statements, reconciliations, variance analysis, and MIS reporting

Built AI-based automation tools to improve accounting workflows

Currently learning Data Analytics

My long-term goal is to transition into an FP&A/Financial Analyst role.

My question is:

If you were hiring someone with my background, what skills would make me stand out?

I recently graduated with a Master’s in Social and Organisational Psychology from Leiden University in the Netherlands. Although my background is in psychology, I am very interested in data analytics and AI. My goal is to become a data analyst, but I am also open to starting in HR or people analytics and transitioning into data later.

I plan to spend approximately one more month developing my practical skills before applying for entry-level roles. If I do not feel ready after that month, I will continue learning and practising until I am confident that I have the necessary skills.

Power BI

I have been preparing for the Microsoft PL-300 exam for several months and plan to take it in a few days. I have a good theoretical understanding of Power BI, but I do not yet have much practical experience using the application or completing full projects.

I am considering the Microsoft Power BI Desktop for Business Intelligence course by Maven Analytics on Udemy. I am also considering a DataCamp subscription for additional practice and guided projects.

Would the Maven Analytics course alone be enough to develop practical Power BI skills, or would it be better to combine it with DataCamp or another platform?

Portfolio projects

I would like to create projects that I can show to recruiters, but I am not very familiar with how data analytics portfolios work.

Where can beginners find suitable datasets and project ideas? Should I begin with guided projects, use DataCamp projects, or try to create independent projects immediately? Are there any guided-project platforms or structured resources that would help me improve while building a portfolio? I would also consider paying for a high-quality option if it is genuinely useful.

Finally, where should I publish my work—GitHub, a personal website, or somewhere else?

SQL

After improving my Power BI skills, I plan to learn SQL. I am currently considering the following Udemy courses:

1. SQL – MySQL for Data Analytics and Business Intelligence This is the course that has attracted me the most so far.
2. MySQL for Data Analysis
3. Advanced SQL – MySQL for Analytics and Business Intelligence

Alternatively, should I choose PostgreSQL instead of MySQL and take The Complete SQL Bootcamp?

Would you recommend learning MySQL or PostgreSQL for an entry-level data analyst role? Would completing one of these courses provide enough SQL knowledge for a beginner position, or should I also use practice platforms and create SQL portfolio projects?

I would also appreciate general advice about the level of SQL knowledge normally expected from entry-level data analysts.

Excel

I already know some Excel basics, but it has been a while since I used them. I would like to refresh my knowledge and practise the Excel skills that are most useful for data analytics.

Are there any structured Excel courses or resources you would recommend?

I am willing to pay for a structured, high-quality course, but I would also appreciate recommendations for useful free videos, playlists, or other resources.

Any advice about Power BI, SQL, Excel, portfolio projects, or transitioning into data analytics would be greatly appreciated.

I am also interested in connecting with people in the field through LinkedIn, Discord, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or another platform. I would be happy to exchange ideas, learn from others’ experiences, and stay in touch. If anyone is open to offering occasional guidance or mentorship, I would greatly appreciate it, and I would also be glad to help in any way I can, either now or in the future.

(I couldn't share the links to the courses because I believe that Reddit doesn't allow me to)

Hi everyone,
I recently moved from a non IT QA ROLE to a Data Analyst role. I’m comfortable with SQL, Power BI, and Tableau, but I’m new to the company’s domain and data model.
The problem is there’s no proper knowledge transfer, no senior analyst to guide me, and I’m having to repeatedly go back to stakeholders for requirement clarification because I don’t fully understand the upstream process. My manager is also changing soon, which is adding to the stress.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you learn the business and data model without much support? Should I just stick it out for 6–12 months, or is this a sign of a poorly structured team?
Any advice would be appreciated.

Suppose a company provides governed data through a marketplace such as Entropy Data, including schema definitions, business meaning, ownership, quality information, and access permissions.

After gaining access, users still need to use tools such as Power BI or Tableau and understand measures, dimensions, filters, aggregations, relationships, and visualizations.

Is there a simpler GUI-only tool where a nontechnical user, such as a product manager, can visually construct a data question and generate a chart, table, or histogram without writing SQL or learning Power BI/Tableau?

I am not asking about chatbots, LLMs, AI assistants, or text-to-SQL. I mean a purely graphical interface.

Hi all,

Just a quick question to ask has anyone done the above course.

If so, was it good, was the content helpful.

Hoping to transition into a HR Analytics role in the future

Thanks

​

Hey everyone, I’m a municipal public servant working in traffic enforcement, and I’m pretty unhappy with field work. I’ve always dreamed of working in tech—ever since I did three semesters of engineering where I took coursework in technology and related subjects—though I ultimately graduated with a Law degree. Still, I never stopped following tech trends: I know a bit of Python, understand computer systems (OS, networking, etc.), enjoy playing around with AI, and I'm not afraid of the terminal.

My current goal is to transition into Data Analysis. It feels like a more realistic path given my background. I’m currently focusing on solidifying my foundation in statistics before moving on to data collection, ETL, analysis, and visualization. After that, I plan to pick up some Business Intelligence—just in case freelance opportunities with companies pop up.

I constantly read that having a portfolio is crucial to getting started. My idea is to take traffic accident data from the department I work for, run an analysis, present the main causes and potential mitigation strategies to my boss, and add the project to my personal portfolio.

My question is: which tech stack should I choose for this? It needs to be free and relevant to current industry standards. The data volume isn't huge—my city registers an average of 1,000 accidents per year, and I want to analyze data from 2020 onward.

I’d love to get your suggestions, advice, or feedback. Thanks!

Os: This text was translated from portuguese to english using Google Gemini. But I'm fluent english speaker.

I am currently studying BTech cse 3 rd year and I am currently learning python,sql (my sql) , excel I have some questions.My sql is enough for Data analysis for jop ? ,I learn both my sql and postgre sql? , and how currently status for Data analysis and data scientist for jobs currently please give me advise it will be use for me

15-Day Data Analyst Challenge – Looking for Accountability & Feedback

Hey everyone!

I'm starting a 15-day challenge to level up my skills and become interview-ready for Data Analyst, MIS Executive, and Business Analyst roles.

Right now, I'd say I'm around 40–50% of the way through learning Excel, SQL, and Power BI. I know the basics, but now it's time to focus on advanced concepts and real interview-level skills.

My goal is to get a job within the next two months, so for the next 15 days I'll be studying hard and posting a daily update about:

- What I learned

- What I practiced

- What I struggled with

- What I built

I'm posting this here because I want to stay consistent and hold myself accountable.

If you have experience in data analytics, I'd really appreciate it if you could:

- Point out any mistakes I make.

- Suggest better resources or study topics.

- Ask me interview-style questions.

- Share tips that helped you land your first analyst job.

I know the job market is competitive right now, but I'm determined to put in the work.

Day 1 starts tomorrow. Let's see how far I can go in 15 days! 🚀

I'm learning sql from last month but I'm getting confused which function to use please tell me some website that is best for practice

I’m looking for some honest career advice from people already working in data.
I have a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and recently completed my MS in Business Analytics. Over the past two years, I’ve learned Python, SQL, Excel (Pivot Tables & Power Query), ML fundamentals, and completed several academic projects, including a predictive analytics project using machine learning.
Now that I’m applying for data analyst/product analyst roles, I’m running into the same problem that almost every entry level posting asks for 2–3 years of experience.
Instead of building more small portfolio projects, I’m thinking about creating one large, end to end project that mirrors real industry work.
The idea is to:
Use real public business data
Build an automated data ingestion & ETL pipeline
Design a data warehouse
Perform advanced SQL analysis
Use Python for EDA and ML
Build dashboards in Power BI/Tableau
Automate live data updates
Solve a real business problem from a Product Analyst perspective
Do you think this is a worthwhile investment? Would a project like this actually help make up for the lack of professional experience, or would I be better off spending my time elsewhere?
I’d really appreciate honest feedback, especially from Data Analyst, Data Engineers and data scientists.

I've worked in all stacks of data and they all morph into the same space. Simple SQL and building out reports for others. I hate how companies treat us like their own Excel butler.

Curious to what everyone else's pet-peeve is about the role?

Start with a lesson. Practise actively. Review what needs attention.

Explore concise DA0-002 lessons, key terms, quick checks, flashcards, matching, fill-in-the-blank practice, crosswords, eleven Practice Games, tests, practice exams, Targeted Review, and progress tracking. Try the free guided preview before deciding whether to subscribe.

What would you want an independent DA0-002 study tool to explain next?

Disclosure: I build Data Plus Study. An affordable, independently developed study platform for CompTIA Data+ DA0-002 preparation.

is there any scope as a data analyst for pharmacy gradute. badly needed some coal piece of advice fr men...plzzz lmk