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Role path · Beginner to Intermediate

Data Analyst

Analyze data and derive business insights

4-8 months $65K - $120K 16 topics

Career guide

Become a hireable engineer in this role

Data Analysts collect, process, and perform statistical analyses on large datasets to help businesses make data-driven decisions. This role bridges the gap between raw data and strategic business actions through clear visualization and reporting.

Suggested paceDedicate 10-15 hours per week over 4 to 8 months, spending 3-4 weeks on SQL and spreadsheets, 4-6 weeks mastering a visualization tool, and the remaining time building an end-to-end portfolio project.

What this role actually is

Write and optimize SQL queries to extract data from various company databases
Clean, transform, and validate raw datasets to ensure data integrity
Design and maintain interactive dashboards and reports in tools like Tableau or Power BI
Collaborate with stakeholders to define key performance indicators (KPIs) and business metrics
Perform exploratory data analysis (EDA) to uncover trends, anomalies, and actionable insights
Present findings and strategic recommendations to non-technical leadership teams

Good fit if you

Curious problem-solvers who enjoy asking questions and finding patterns in numbers
Professionals looking for a tech role that requires strong communication and storytelling skills
Detail-oriented individuals with an analytical mindset and basic math affinity
People transitioning from business operations, finance, or administrative backgrounds

Before you start

Basic computer literacy and comfort with spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Sheets
High school-level mathematics, basic algebra, and logical reasoning
Basic understanding of business operations and commerce
Strong written and verbal communication skills

How to get hired

Build a public portfolio featuring at least 3 diverse, end-to-end data projects on GitHub
Publish data deep-dives or articles on Medium or LinkedIn explaining your analytical process
Tailor your resume to highlight business impact and metrics rather than just technical tools
Practice SQL and data manipulation problems daily on platforms like LeetCode and StrataScratch
Network with local data professionals and attend virtual or in-person analytics meetups

Portfolio milestones — build your way to hired-ready

1SQL and Spreadsheet Analysis

Analyze a public dataset using advanced Excel functions and SQL queries to extract foundational metrics.

Done when

Uses JOINs, GROUP BY, and aggregations correctly in SQL

Includes cleaned data with zero duplicate or missing values

Features summary statistics and pivot tables in spreadsheets

Accompanied by a written brief explaining the initial findings

2Interactive BI Dashboard

Build an interactive business intelligence dashboard using Tableau or Power BI to track key performance indicators.

Done when

Connects directly to a clean relational database or CSV source

Includes at least 4 distinct, meaningful charts or graphs

Features interactive filters and slicers for user exploration

Adheres to good UI/UX principles for data visualization

3End-to-End Business Insights Portfolio Project

Solve a real-world business problem by analyzing a messy dataset and presenting actionable recommendations.

Done when

Demonstrates complete data pipeline from raw ingestion to final insight

Utilizes Python or R for deeper statistical analysis

Includes a polished GitHub repository with a detailed README

Features a 5-slide presentation deck summarizing business impact

Worth exploring next

Machine Learning Engineer Product Manager SQL Fundamentals

Keep going

Build a custom path next

Turn your own plan into an interactive graph with the custom builder.

Open the builder

Role path · Beginner to Intermediate

Data Analyst

Analyze data and derive business insights

4-8 months $65K - $120K 16 topics

Career guide

Become a hireable engineer in this role

What this role actually is

Write and optimize SQL queries to extract data from various company databases
Clean, transform, and validate raw datasets to ensure data integrity
Design and maintain interactive dashboards and reports in tools like Tableau or Power BI
Collaborate with stakeholders to define key performance indicators (KPIs) and business metrics
Perform exploratory data analysis (EDA) to uncover trends, anomalies, and actionable insights
Present findings and strategic recommendations to non-technical leadership teams

Good fit if you

Curious problem-solvers who enjoy asking questions and finding patterns in numbers
Professionals looking for a tech role that requires strong communication and storytelling skills
Detail-oriented individuals with an analytical mindset and basic math affinity
People transitioning from business operations, finance, or administrative backgrounds

Before you start

Basic computer literacy and comfort with spreadsheet software like Excel or Google Sheets
High school-level mathematics, basic algebra, and logical reasoning
Basic understanding of business operations and commerce
Strong written and verbal communication skills

How to get hired

Build a public portfolio featuring at least 3 diverse, end-to-end data projects on GitHub
Publish data deep-dives or articles on Medium or LinkedIn explaining your analytical process
Tailor your resume to highlight business impact and metrics rather than just technical tools
Practice SQL and data manipulation problems daily on platforms like LeetCode and StrataScratch
Network with local data professionals and attend virtual or in-person analytics meetups

Portfolio milestones — build your way to hired-ready

1SQL and Spreadsheet Analysis

Analyze a public dataset using advanced Excel functions and SQL queries to extract foundational metrics.

Done when

Uses JOINs, GROUP BY, and aggregations correctly in SQL

Includes cleaned data with zero duplicate or missing values

Features summary statistics and pivot tables in spreadsheets

Accompanied by a written brief explaining the initial findings

2Interactive BI Dashboard

Build an interactive business intelligence dashboard using Tableau or Power BI to track key performance indicators.

Done when

Connects directly to a clean relational database or CSV source

Includes at least 4 distinct, meaningful charts or graphs

Features interactive filters and slicers for user exploration

Adheres to good UI/UX principles for data visualization

3End-to-End Business Insights Portfolio Project

Solve a real-world business problem by analyzing a messy dataset and presenting actionable recommendations.

Done when

Demonstrates complete data pipeline from raw ingestion to final insight

Utilizes Python or R for deeper statistical analysis

Includes a polished GitHub repository with a detailed README

Features a 5-slide presentation deck summarizing business impact

Worth exploring next

Machine Learning Engineer Product Manager SQL Fundamentals

Keep going

Build a custom path next

Turn your own plan into an interactive graph with the custom builder.

Open the builder

Data Analyst Career Roadmap

Data Analyst

Become a hireable engineer in this role

Build a custom path next

Data Analyst Career Roadmap

Data Analyst

Become a hireable engineer in this role

Build a custom path next