How I Became a Data Analyst & Got a Job! (No CS Degree)
Summary
TLDRThe speaker shares their journey from a grueling consulting job to becoming a data analyst without a computer science degree. They highlight identifying skill gaps, using resources like W3 schools and DataCamp to learn SQL, gaining hands-on experience, and leveraging mentorship. The speaker emphasizes the importance of soft skills and persistence, and introduces a scholarship aimed at increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups in tech, offering a comprehensive data analytics program with a job guarantee.
Takeaways
- 🎓 The speaker failed the Law School exam and felt stuck, leading to a career change to data analysis without a computer science degree.
- 🕒 The initial job involved long hours and commutes, which prompted the desire for a career with more control over life and work-life balance.
- 🔍 Identifying a skill gap was the first step, comparing existing skills with the job description of a data analyst to determine what needed to be learned.
- 📚 The speaker dedicated 4 hours a day to studying SQL and data analysis through resources like W3 schools and DataCamp.
- 💡 Gaining hands-on experience was crucial, using SQL and Excel to automate reports at the current job in the litigation industry.
- 🤝 Shadowing tech team members with computer science backgrounds provided mentorship and practical insights into databases.
- 📝 Updating the resume to reflect new technical skills and experiences, aligning it with the data analyst job description.
- 👨🏫 Preparing for technical interviews included practicing SQL questions on platforms like LeetCode to be ready for assessments.
- 📈 The importance of soft skills was highlighted, as they can lead to promotions and more opportunities in a data career.
- 🏆 Credentials were less important than the ability to learn and apply data analysis skills, which can be acquired through various means.
- 🌟 Initiative and persistence were key in transitioning from a non-tech background to a technical career in data analysis.
- 📈 The speaker partnered with CareerFoundry to promote their data analytics program and Changemakers scholarship for underrepresented groups in tech.
Q & A
What was the speaker's initial situation after failing the Law School exam?
-The speaker felt lost, worked 60 hours a week in a job they hated, and felt stuck in their career.
What led the speaker to consider a career as a data analyst?
-A friend mentioned a remote data analyst job, which sparked interest due to the flexibility and the potential for a better work-life balance.
How did the speaker identify the skills they were lacking to become a data analyst?
-The speaker compared their existing skills with the job description of a data analyst to determine the gaps they needed to fill.
What resources did the speaker use to learn SQL and start their journey as a data analyst?
-The speaker used W3 schools and DataCamp to learn SQL and practiced writing select statements and conditional statements.
How did the speaker gain hands-on experience with SQL in their current job?
-The speaker automated a report using SQL on claims data they had access to as a consultant in the litigation industry.
What was the speaker's approach to learning database knowledge without a computer science background?
-The speaker shadowed and sought mentorship from the tech team at work, who had computer science backgrounds, and practiced creating and loading data tables.
How did the speaker update their resume to reflect their new data analyst skills?
-The speaker made their resume more technical, highlighted their transferable soft skills, and used the job description as bullet points to showcase relevant experiences.
What preparation did the speaker undertake for the technical assessment during the job interviews?
-The speaker practiced SQL questions on LeetCode to feel more prepared and to calm their nerves for the interview.
What is the Changemakers scholarship mentioned by the speaker, and who is it aimed at?
-The Changemakers scholarship is offered by CareerFoundry to increase opportunities for underrepresented groups in tech, focusing on ensuring anyone has the chance to shape their career regardless of identity or background.
What are the three key lessons the speaker learned from their journey to becoming a data analyst?
-Credentials don't matter as much as skills, soft skills are more important than technical skills for career advancement, and taking initiative and being persistent are crucial for a successful career transition.
How does the speaker encourage those interested in a data analyst career to get started?
-The speaker recommends CareerFoundry's data analytics program, which is flexible, online, and offers a job guarantee, as well as the Changemakers scholarship for those eligible.
Outlines
🚀 Transition to Data Analyst Role
The speaker recounts their journey from a grueling consulting job to becoming a data analyst without a computer science degree. They describe feeling stuck and seeking a career with better work-life balance and challenge. The process involved identifying skill gaps by comparing their abilities to a data analyst job description, dedicating time to learn SQL and database knowledge, and gaining practical experience by automating reports at their consulting job. They also emphasize the importance of mentorship from colleagues with technical backgrounds and updating their resume to reflect new skills.
🌟 CareerFoundry's Data Analytics Program and Scholarship
The speaker introduces CareerFoundry's data analytics program, which is designed to guide individuals from beginners to job-ready professionals in the field of data analysis. The program offers a job guarantee and provides a professional portfolio along with mentorship from industry experts. Highlighting the importance of diversity in tech, the speaker announces the Changemakers scholarship aimed at increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups, with a focus on closing the pay gap. The scholarship offers significant discounts on the program and is open to a specified community. The speaker encourages viewers to apply and shares a link for more information, before returning to discuss their personal experiences and lessons learned as a data analyst.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Data Analyst
💡Skill Gap
💡SQL
💡Transferable Skills
💡Remote Work
💡Hands-On Experience
💡Database Knowledge
💡Technical Skills
💡Career Change
💡Mentorship
💡Imposter Syndrome
💡Soft Skills
💡Initiative
💡CareerFoundry
Highlights
The speaker transitioned from a failed Law School exam to becoming a data analyst without a computer science degree.
Worked 60 hours a week in a job with no work-life balance, leading to a desire for a more controlled career.
Learned about a remote data analyst job and decided to pursue it despite not knowing what a data analyst does.
Identified skill gaps by comparing job descriptions and personal skills.
Allocated 4 hours daily for studying SQL and data analysis skills.
Utilized W3 schools and DataCamp as initial learning resources for SQL.
Realized the importance of applying SQL in a work context to understand its practical use.
Automated a report using SQL to gain hands-on experience in data analysis.
Gained database knowledge by shadowing tech team members at work.
Updated the resume to reflect new technical skills and experiences.
Prepared for technical interviews by practicing on leetcode.
Highlighted transferable soft skills to secure an interview despite lacking a healthcare background.
Was offered a data analyst job after two rounds of interviews and a SQL assessment.
Emphasizes the importance of hands-on work and mentorship in career transition.
Partnered with CareerFoundry to promote their data analytics program and Changemakers scholarship.
The Changemakers scholarship aims to increase opportunities for underrepresented groups in tech.
Shares three key lessons learned from the career transition: credentials don't matter, soft skills are crucial, and initiative and persistence are required.
Encourages viewers to subscribe for more insights on the data analyst journey.
Transcripts
I was lost after to college failed the Law School exam worked 60 hours a week hated my job and most
importantly I felt stuck this is a story of how I became a data analyst and got my first data
analyst job I did it without a computer science degree and I'm going to tell you exactly how
I got the job and what I did after college I was working as a consultant little did I know that the
Consulting life includes zero work life balance 3-hour commutes and working over 60 hours a week
and having to cancel plans with friends for work after doing this for years I realized I needed a
career where I had more control over my life and a career that I found challenging that's when my
friend mentioned a remote data analyst job and I didn't know quite what a data analyst was but
I saw the word remote and thought this was a job that I could do so how did I become a data analyst
the first thing I did was I identified my skill gap I looked at the job description of the data
analyst and figured out what skills did I already have and what skills do I need to start studying
here's the original job description of the job I was applying for coming from a non-technical
background I definitely didn't have the SQL skills the database knowledge nor did I have the
healthcare skill set but I did have transferable skills like being able to present my findings and
make recommendations to leadership so I started to fill in the gaps by studying and this is where I
sat down and started time blocking my calendar I set 4 hours a day every day dedicated to studying
I started with the resources W3 schools and DataCamp to start learning sql and after
practicing the syntax for a week I found that I could get the hang of using select statements
from where and conditional statements that allowed me to start writing SQL but the problem was this
wasn't enough for me to know how to use SQL for data analysis all I could do was write code but
didn't know how to use it this is when I realized I need to find opportunities to use SQL on the
job and I decided that I would start using it at work the next step is to get hands-on experience
as a consultant I had access to claims data as I was working in the litigation industry and so
I decided to take this data and automate a report that would tell me high level the total claims and
the total dollars from the little data that I had I was able to start connecting the dots just by
applying my skill set and learning how I could use SQL and Excel to start doing data analysis I also
knew that I needed to gain some database knowledge this is where I worked closely with the tech team
at work who all had a computer science background that I didn't I shadowed the people who had these
technical backgrounds at work and they basically mentored me anytime I had questions about how to
create a data table or to load new data rather than asking the tech team to do it I would do
it myself and this process allowed me to start really understanding some of the fundamentals
of a database and get some experience that I could use later on in my interviews now that I
had some hands-on experience I updated my resume to be more technical and include this new data
experience that I had I completely changed my resume to read like a data analyst resume
rather than a consultant resume I added all my technical skills at the top including SQL and my
database knowledge and I took the job description and started using that as bullet points under my
experience showcasing that I had a lot of the similar experiences and skills to do this data
analyst job as I was filling in my resume I didn't have a healthcare background I actually didn't
have much healthcare knowledge but I did have a lot of the technical skills that were required
and I think just by highlighting my transferable soft skills and making it really visible that
I had a lot of the skill sets I was able to get an interview scheduled for this role so the next
thing I did was prepare for the interviews I knew I'd have to do a technical assessment so I started
practicing leetcode and by doing this I felt more prepared for the interview and also it helped calm
my nerves to be able to do these SQL questions and answer the interview questions on the spot
after 2 weeks of practicing every day in two rounds of interviews with a SQL assessment I was
offered the job hindsight what really helped me land this role was the fact that I was able to get
hands-on data work and the fact that I had mentors helped me along the way if you're thinking about
a data analyst career but have no idea where to start you're going to love CareerFoundry's
career change programs CareerFoundry offers a data analytics program that is flexible online and will
take you from complete beginner all the way to job ready they have a job guarantee as in if you don't
get a job within 6 months of graduating you will get your money back you'll have a professional
portfolio by the end of the program and you will have not only one but two dedicated mentors who
are industry experts and help you along the way I am so excited to partner with them to announce
their Changemakers scholarship with the focus of increasing opportunity for underrepresented
groups did you know women and minorities are not only underrepresented in tech but they're also
paid less and as a woman in tech I think it is so important to close this pay gap the changemakers
scholarship aims to do this with the mission of ensuring that anyone regardless of identity or
background has the opportunity to shape their career the scholarship offers up to $1,275 off
all their career change programs and the following community are eligible to apply if you apply I am
sending you all my good vibes hoping that you get it book a call with a program advisor to
learn more about the program and you can apply for the scholarship using the link in my description
below now let's get back to it to get my first data analyst job I will admit that I had very
minimal technical skills and most of what I know today comes from on the job experience because of
this I definitely had impossible syndrome for many of the years as a data analyst because I
didn't come from that computer science background that a lot of my peers did but years later now
I realized three key lessons the first is that credentials don't matter being around people who
had computer science backgrounds I always thought that I couldn't do the job as well as they did but
I've come to realized that there are so many ways to learn data analysis skills especially now with
online learning there's bootcamps certifications self-learning and it doesn't matter what degree
you have as long as you have the skills to do the job and the next lesson is that soft skills
are more important than the technical skills and I've said this before where the technical skills
will get your foot in the door and they are required but the people who have the strong
skills of being able to communicate and present their insights are the ones who will get promoted
who will get hired and move move up and have more opportunities in their data career and the next
lesson is that learning data analysis requires taking the initiative and being persistent the
process of transitioning into a technical career coming from a non-tech background is not easy it
will be challenging and there will be times you question yourself but be persistent and take the
initiative and that will go so far in being able to successfully transition your career and if you
want to learn more about what I've learned in my data analyst career please make sure that you like
this video and subscribe so that you do not miss the next one and I would love to hear more about
your data analyst journey in the comments thank you so much and I will see you on the next video
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