How I Became a Data Analyst & Got a Job! (No CS Degree)

Summary

The 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

00:00

🚀 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.

05:06

🌟 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.

Keywords

💡Data Analyst

A data analyst is a professional who collects, processes, and interprets data to help businesses make decisions. In the video, the narrator's journey to become a data analyst is central to the theme, illustrating how they transitioned from a high-stress consulting job to a more balanced and fulfilling career in data analysis.

💡Skill Gap

A skill gap refers to the difference between the skills an individual has and the skills required for a particular job or task. The narrator identifies their skill gap by comparing their abilities to the job description of a data analyst, which is crucial for understanding how they needed to prepare for their new career.

💡SQL

SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a domain-specific language used in programming and software engineering to manage data held in a relational database management system. The script mentions learning SQL as a key step in the narrator's journey to becoming a data analyst, highlighting its importance in data manipulation and analysis.

💡Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are skills that can be applied across different jobs or industries, such as communication, problem-solving, and leadership. The narrator mentions having transferable skills like presenting findings and making recommendations, which were valuable in their transition to a data analyst role.

💡Remote Work

Remote work refers to employment where the employee works from a remote location, typically their home, rather than commuting to an office. The video's theme includes the appeal of a remote data analyst job, which attracted the narrator due to the flexibility and work-life balance it offered.

💡Hands-On Experience

Hands-on experience implies practical involvement in a task or activity, as opposed to theoretical knowledge. The narrator gained hands-on experience by automating a report using SQL and Excel, which was instrumental in bridging the gap between learning and applying data analysis skills.

💡Database Knowledge

Database knowledge involves understanding how databases work, including creating, querying, and managing data within them. The script mentions the narrator's efforts to gain database knowledge by shadowing tech team members, which was essential for their new role as a data analyst.

💡Technical Skills

Technical skills are the abilities required to perform specific tasks within a particular field, such as coding or using specialized software. The narrator emphasizes the importance of technical skills like SQL in landing a data analyst job, but also notes the significance of soft skills.

💡Career Change

A career change involves moving from one profession to another, often requiring new skills or qualifications. The video's narrative is a story of career change, as the narrator transitions from a consultant to a data analyst, which is a significant theme in the script.

💡Mentorship

Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or knowledgeable person (a mentor) helps guide a less experienced person (a mentee). The narrator benefited from mentorship by learning from tech team members, which was crucial for acquiring the necessary skills for their new career.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a 'fraud'. The narrator admits to experiencing imposter syndrome due to not having a computer science background, which is a relatable challenge for many career changers.

💡Soft Skills

Soft skills are personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people, such as communication, empathy, and leadership. The video emphasizes that soft skills are more important than technical skills in the long run for career advancement in data analysis.

💡Initiative

Taking the initiative means being proactive and starting things on one's own, rather than waiting for others to act. The narrator's success in transitioning to a data analyst role is attributed to taking the initiative to learn, practice, and apply new skills.

💡CareerFoundry

CareerFoundry is an online platform offering career change programs, including one for data analytics. The script mentions CareerFoundry as a resource that could help others interested in a career as a data analyst, highlighting its flexible online program and job guarantee.

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