r/dataanalysiscareers • • Jun 11 '24

Foundation and Guide to Becoming a Data Analyst

121 Upvotes

Want to Become an Analyst? Start Here -> Original Post With More Information Here

Starting a career in data analytics can open up many exciting opportunities in a variety of industries. With the increasing demand for data-driven decision-making, there is a growing need for professionals who can collect, analyze, and interpret large sets of data. In this post, I will discuss the skills and experience you'll need to start a career in data analytics, as well as tips on learning, certifications, and how to stand out to potential employers. Starting out, if you have questions beyond what you see in this post, I suggest doing a search in this sub. Questions on how to break into the industry get asked multiple times every day, and chances are the answer you seek will have already come up. Part of being an analyst is searching out the answers you or someone else is seeking. I will update this post as time goes by and I think of more things to add, or feedback is provided to me.

Originally Posted 1/29/2023 Last Updated 2/25/2023 Roadmap to break in to analytics:

  • Build a Strong Foundation in Data Analysis and Visualization: The first step in starting a career in data analytics is to familiarize yourself with the basics of data analysis and visualization. This includes learning SQL for data manipulation and retrieval, Excel for data analysis and visualization, and data visualization tools like Power BI and Tableau. There are many online resources, tutorials, and courses that can help you to learn these skills. Look at Udemy, YouTube, DataCamp to start out with.

  • Get Hands-on Experience: The best way to gain experience in data analytics is to work on data analysis projects. You can do this through internships, volunteer work, or personal projects. This will help you to build a portfolio of work that you can showcase to potential employers. If you can find out how to become more involved with this type of work in your current career, do it.

  • Network with people in the field: Attend data analytics meetups, conferences, and other events to meet people in the field and learn about the latest trends and technologies. LinkedIn and Meetup are excellent places to start. Have a strong LinkedIn page, and build a network of people.

  • Education: Consider pursuing a degree or certification in data analytics or a related field, such as statistics or computer science. This can help to give you a deeper understanding of the field and make you a more attractive candidate to potential employers. There is a debate on whether certifications make any difference. The thing to remember is that they wont negatively impact a resume by putting them on.

  • Learn Machine Learning: Machine learning is becoming an essential skill for data analysts, it helps to extract insights and make predictions from complex data sets, so consider learning the basics of machine learning. Expect to see this become a larger part of the industry over the next few years.

  • Build a Portfolio: Creating a portfolio of your work is a great way to showcase your skills and experience to potential employers. Your portfolio should include examples of data analysis projects you've worked on, as well as any relevant certifications or awards you've earned. Include projects working with SQL, Excel, Python, and a visualization tool such as Power BI or Tableau. There are many YouTube videos out there to help get you started. Hot tip – Once you have created the same projects every other aspiring DA has done, search for new data sets, create new portfolio projects, and get rid of the same COVID, AdventureWorks projects for your own.

  • Create a Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your skills and experience that are relevant to a data analytics role. Be sure to use numbers to quantify your accomplishments, such as how much time or cost was saved or what percentage of errors were identified and corrected. Emphasize your transferable skills such as problem solving, attention to detail, and communication skills in your resume and cover letter, along with your experience with data analysis and visualization tools. If you struggle at this, hire someone to do it for you. You can find may resume writers on Upwork.

  • Practice: The more you practice, the better you will become. Try to practice as much as possible, and don't be afraid to experiment with different tools and techniques. Practice every day. Don’t forget the skills that you learn.

  • Have the right attitude: Self-doubt, questioning if you are doing the right thing, being unsure, and thinking about staying where you are at will not get you to the goal. Having a positive attitude that you WILL do this is the only way to get there.

  • Applying: LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. Indeed, Monster, and Dice are also good websites to try. Be prepared to not hear back from the majority of companies you apply at. Don’t search for “Data Analyst”. You will limit your results too much. Search for the skills that you have, “SQL Power BI” will return many more results. It just depends on what the company calls the position. Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Data Visualization Specialist, Business Intelligence Manager could all be the same thing. How you sell yourself is going to make all of the difference in the world here.

  • Patience: This is not an overnight change. Its going to take weeks or months at a minimum to get into DA. Be prepared for an application process like this

    100 – Jobs applied to

    65 – Ghosted

    25 – Rejected

    10 – Initial contact with after rejects & ghosting

    6 – Ghosted after initial contact

    3 – 2nd interview or technical quiz

    3 – Low ball offer

    1 – Maybe you found something decent after all of that

Posted by u/milwted


r/dataanalysiscareers • • Jun 23 '25

Certifications Certificates mean nothing in this job market. Do not pay anything significant to learn data analysis skills from Google, IBM, or other vendors.

98 Upvotes

It's a harsh reality, but after reading so many horror stories about people being scammed I felt the need to broadcast this as much as I can. Certificates will not get you a job. They can be an interesting peek into this career but that's about it.

I'm sure there are people that exist that have managed to get hired with only a certificate, but that number is tiny compared to people that have college degrees or significant industry knowledge. This isn't an entry level job.

Don't believe the marketing from bootcamps and courses that it's easy to get hired as a data analyst if you have their training. They're lying. They're scamming people and preying on them. There's no magical formula for getting hired, it's luck, connections, and skills in that order.

Good luck out there.


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1h ago

Estoy haciendo cursos de Data analist en Coursera ¿esto me garantiza un trabajo?

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r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1h ago

Need to find a job i literally dont have a dollar , and I'm with no skills ,until i figure out a plan to fix my life , excel looks like aa good start to me

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r/dataanalysiscareers • • 3h ago

Job Search Process I've gotten internships in data science and data analytics and here are just a few things like that that work.

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1 Upvotes

r/dataanalysiscareers • • 4h ago

Course Advice Career advice needed! What's the better move in data for a marketer in 2027/2028?

1 Upvotes

Hi guys , I need some read career advice here!

I've been working in social media and digital marketing for around 8–9 years, and I'm looking to pursue a Master's to develop stronger analytical and technical skills. Im excited about studying again!

My goal isn't to become a data scientist/engineer. I want to build on my marketing experience and eventually move into roles where I can use data to make strategic decisions around customers, growth, revenue and business performance.

I'm currently comparing two Master's programmes with slightly different skillsets:

**Option A – Information Management & BI**

- SQL, database design and data management

- R, statistics and Bayesian analysis

- BI Concepts

- Some ML & data visualisation

- Other subjects: CRM/ERP, information systems, business process modelling and management strategy

**Option B – Business Analytics**

- R, predictive modelling and ML

- Business analytics and advanced statistics - this is an elective

- BI architecture, ETL and data governance

- Tableau (another elective), with not much SQL coverage

- Other subjects: Product/service design and digital strategy

My big concern is that despite 8 years of marketing exp, I have no direct analytics experience and worry I might have to start over in a junior role, with my lack of data-specific experience potentially making it difficult to get hired at all. I have to realistically assume that I won't get hired by a MNC right out of masters.

Which path makes sense from the folks within the space?


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 6h ago

A practical way to practice job interviews before the real thing

1 Upvotes

Most interview advice tells you what to say. The harder part is delivering a clear answer under pressure.

ZoeVera Interview Prep (https://prepare.zoevera.com) lets you practice answering interview questions on camera and get feedback on your responses, including speaking pace, filler words, structure, and relevant terminology.

You can tailor practice to a job role, company, and job description. It offers behavioral and technical interview practice, with sample answers to compare against your own.

It won’t guarantee a job or replace real interview experience, but it can help you spot weaknesses before an actual interview.

Worth considering if you have an interview coming up and want more than a list of common questions.


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 6h ago

Learning / Training Found something useful for keeping up with current affairs before interviews

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1 Upvotes

r/dataanalysiscareers • • 7h ago

Course Advice I'm really lost as to what i should do after my Bsc Statistics

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1 Upvotes

r/dataanalysiscareers • • 8h ago

Resume Feedback Graduated 2 years ago and struggling to find a job, any advice?

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1 Upvotes

I graduated with a Masters degree in Data Analytics 2 years ago and I still cant find a job. I have no relevant office experience, my only recent work experience is working as a self employed food delivery driver, which I don't even put on my CV because while I have no issues with it, I feel like its not relevant and people may look down on me.

My CV has my degree, some of the major projects I done plus my dissertation, some mini projects I have been doing in my own time and the software tools I have experience with. Still I don't even get offered interviews anymore like I used to when I graduated. I feel like, and I don't blame employers for this, they prefer fresh grads over me, and from what I'm hearing about 100s of applications per job, I feel like I have no chance. At this point, I just want some sort of office job to get some experience in the office doesn't even have to be an analyst role, could be admin, service desk, customer service etc, anything will do. This is my CV, any advice on what to do next? Am I too overqualified for a simple office job if I purely just want some office experience?


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 9h ago

Rossmann Store Sales Forecasting & Streamlit App – Looking for feedback on feature engineering & model metrics

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1 Upvotes

r/dataanalysiscareers • • 10h ago

How are you guys assessing analyst candidates these days?

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0 Upvotes

r/dataanalysiscareers • • 14h ago

Getting Started Transitioning from Physics to Data Analytics field

2 Upvotes

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I am a second-year Bachelor’s student looking to enter the data analytics field. While I have a foundational knowledge of C and C++, I am seeking guidance on how to get started and what specific skills I need to acquire to become industry-ready.


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 11h ago

[Fresher] CSE (Data Science) grad, 8.36 CGPA, looking for entry-level Data Analyst roles

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1 Upvotes

r/dataanalysiscareers • • 22h ago

Job Search Process 25M looking for a switch

5 Upvotes

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So I am 25M, I took a gap of 2 years(from Jan 2023 to march 2025) after my grad to prep for SSC(2023-2025 march). I couldn't clear it, so I started a job, but the issue is, I wasn't able to find a job easily, which is Obv due to the gap, and worked where i got selected first.

I was hired as a Data Analyst in March 2025, but I was given completely different profiles to work on, and salary was paid in cash, although I do have the documentation and everything. i am now looking for a switch, whether in my own field or something else, I just don't want to work in this toxic place much longer.

I have knowledge in course designing, Research, Bids/tenders, OEM dashboards, and Excel, Sql. I also know Data analysis (self taught) using SQL and Excel.

Before that I have also worked as an intern in the domains of business management and web development.

It would be a great help guys if anyone here could help me find a job in my domain(data analysis preferred) I'm willing to start all over as a fresher.

Location preferred is Delhi/Noida, but i can work in other areas too as well.

I can work both in office and remote

Day 8 of posting until i find a job.


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 16h ago

Getting Started Need guidance as a beginner

1 Upvotes

I am a second-year Bachelor’s student looking to enter the data analytics field. While I have a foundational knowledge of C and C++, I am seeking guidance on how to get started and what specific skills I need to acquire to become industry-ready.


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Getting Started Data Analyst Intern with No Mentor or Data Team — Should I Stay or Look for Another Internship?

4 Upvotes

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Hi everyone,

I graduated with a degree in Business Administration two months ago, and I've been applying for jobs and trying to break into data analytics for around a year and half.

Two weeks ago, I finally got an internship in the medical tourism sector. However, I'm starting to feel unsure about whether this is the right opportunity for me.

Here's my situation:

I'm working in the HR department, and my manager is the HR manager.

There is no dedicated data analytics team, and I don't have a data analyst or mentor to learn from.

The company mainly uses Google Sheets, but I'm building a dashboard in Power BI.

My manager wants me to create a dashboard and says he wants to see how useful I can be to the company. If things go well, he may transition me to sales analysis.

However, there are no clear learning objectives, and I'm not getting much technical guidance.

I want to build a strong foundation in data analytics, especially in SQL, Python, Power BI, and data modeling. I'm worried that working in an environment without a data team or mentor might limit my growth.

At the same time, I know I'm only two weeks into the internship, and I don't want to give up on an opportunity that could help me gain practical experience.

I'm trying to figure out how to make the most of this experience. I could use the opportunity to learn how to understand business problems, clean data, define KPIs, and build dashboards. But I'm also wondering whether I should continue applying for other internships where I could work with experienced analysts and learn more technical skills.

I'd really appreciate your advice on a few questions:

How can I make the most of this internship when there's no data team or mentor?

Is building Power BI dashboards using data from Google Sheets valuable experience for someone starting in data analytics?

If you were in my position what skills would you focus on learning independently while working there?

I sometimes feel like I'm not learning enough or that I'm not really becoming a data analyst, but maybe I'm just overthinking things because I'm at the beginning of my career.

I'd appreciate honest advice, especially from people who started their careers in similar circumstances.

And the salary is an intern's salary, so it's below the minimum wage in the country.

Thanks!


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

For those that changed career from data analytics, what do you do now?

22 Upvotes

35m. I’ve been in BI, analytics, Data science scene for 10+ years and try something new. But not sure where I can pivot to.

What jobs have you pivoted to? When? Are you happy? How hard was it to pivot? Did you have to give up $$$

Or is job just a job at the end??

If I had the money, I want to be a zoo keeper or flip burgers but got a family and bills to pay.


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Suggest me the best course

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone! 👋
I’m currently in the final year of my B.Tech in Data Science, and I’ll be graduating in approximately six months. I’m exploring postgraduate options and would love to hear from people who have experience in the industry or have pursued their master’s abroad.
I’m particularly interested in understanding which path offers the best combination of career opportunities, industry demand, salary growth, and long-term career prospects.
I’m considering options such as:
Data Analytics / Business Analytics
Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
Data Science
Other interdisciplinary programs that combine technology with business or management
For those who have pursued a master’s degree or are working in these fields:
If you were in my position today, which postgraduate course would you choose, and why? Would you recommend specializing in a technical field or choosing a course with a broader business and industry focus?
I’d especially appreciate honest advice about job opportunities, return on investment, and which courses are likely to remain valuable over the next 5–10 years.
Thanks in advance! Your insights could genuinely help me make a better-informed decision. 🙏


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Getting Started 2026 Graduate Looking for Entry-Level Opportunities Across India | Data Analytics, Python/SQL, AI/ML, Backend & Geospatial

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I graduated in June 2026 with a B.Sc. in Geography and Geoinformatics from Bangalore University, with an 8.21/10 GPA, First Class Exemplary, and a place in the top 10% of my class.

I'm actively looking for an entry-level full-time opportunity and am open to relocating anywhere in India. I'm also open to internships or trainee positions that offer a genuine opportunity to learn, contribute and grow.

My background includes a GIS/Data Analyst internship, where I worked with Python, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, geospatial data processing, data validation and automated reporting.

Some of the areas I've worked with and am interested in include:

  • Data Analytics & Data Science: Python, SQL, statistics, customer analytics and machine learning.
  • Python & Backend Development: Flask/FastAPI, APIs, PostgreSQL and data-driven applications.
  • AI/ML: Machine learning projects, model evaluation and applied analytical solutions.
  • Data Engineering: Data processing, ETL concepts, validation and database workflows.
  • Geospatial & Remote Sensing: GIS, spatial analytics, Earth observation and location intelligence.

I'm open to opportunities across industries and locations, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi NCR and other cities across India.

If your organisation is hiring fresh graduates or junior candidates, or if you know of a suitable opening where my background could be relevant, I'd be very grateful for a lead, referral or advice on where to apply.

I'm happy to share my resume, GitHub/portfolio and any additional details through DM. I would also appreciate honest feedback on how I can improve my profile and become a stronger candidate.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any genuine lead or guidance would mean a lot.


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Senior Data governance jobs contract

1 Upvotes

My partner has been looking for a job in risk and data governance since February. He's in her early 60s (that's why he's looking as a contractor because he's aware it's hard to land a job at his age). Most of his experience is in finance and compliance. He's in the New York area and has worked in the United States and for a long time in the UK (30 years) and also in Hong Kong. So he has an international experience. Most of his experience was in international banks but he's open to widen his job search to other fields. All the people I met who worked with him have been raving about him and said he was a great manager. He also has a PMP certification. A lot of job postings on LinkedIn are already filled unfortunately even though they are still posted. He doesn't know I'm posting. Any tips ?


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Transitioning Struggling to Land My First Analytics Job After the MSDA. Any Advice?

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1 Upvotes

r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Resume Feedback Recent Graduate Resume (Advice Needed)

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3 Upvotes

Hello, I’ve been applying to data analyst jobs for a couple of months and can’t even land an interview. Any advice on how to make my resume better is welcome. Thank you!


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Is a Master's in Data Science worth it with a Communications background?

2 Upvotes

I'm 24, with a Bachelor's in Audiovisual Communication and experience in Global PR & Communications at Glovo (tech company).

I'm considering a Master's in Data Science and Society at Tilburg University, but I'm worried about entering a technical field without a STEM background. I'm interested in data analysis, business intelligence and using data to make strategic decisions, rather than spending all day programming or developing statistical models.

My goal is to develop practical, marketable skills that differentiate me from a general communications professional, while improving my salary potential and career flexibility.

For those working in data analytics or BI:

  • Can a one-year Master's in Data Science realistically prepare someone with my background for entry-level roles?
  • Would you recommend this over a business/communications Master's supplemented with basic technical skills?
  • Does a non-technical Bachelor's significantly limit your career prospects?

I'd really appreciate honest advice, especially from anyone who made a similar transition. Thanks!


r/dataanalysiscareers • • 1d ago

Is Data Analytics Worth Learning in 4th Year of B.Tech in 2026? What Skills and Projects Do I Need to Get a Fresher Job?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I’m currently in my 4th year of B.Tech in Computer Science and learning Data Analytics.

I have a few questions:
Is Data Analytics a good career choice for freshers in India in 2026, considering AI?
Which skills should I master to get a job as a fresher?
What 3–4 projects should I build to make my resume stand out?
What salary can a fresher realistically expect in India?

My goal is to become job-ready before graduation. I’d really appreciate honest advice from people working in Data Analytics or those who recently landed their first job.