*brutally* honest career Q&A

Hey friends,

I published a video brutally honest career Q&A answering your common data analyst questions but honestly there’s more important questions I didn’t get to answer! And as a special newsletter reader, I’m going to share 2 more common Q&A’s to give you insight into the data career.

Which of the data tracks can a total beginner start with, who knows nothing about data analysis?

Start with the learning Excel, SQL, and a BI visualization tool like Tableau or Power BI. As a junior, I wouldn’t focus on R or Python as those skills are not required to become a data analyst and honestly I started my career as a data analyst without those two skills too.

As for math, learn the basics (mean, median, max, min, average) and beyond that, I wouldn’t bother as a beginner. You will understand the math and statistics concepts better as you use it in the role.

A tip is to not overwhelm yourself with thinking you have to learn it all. Start with the basic skills and build upon them as you grow into your data role.

Can I become a data analyst without a formal degree. Now I'm in the end of google professional certificate.

Having a formal degree helps but it’s not a requirement to become a data analyst. Especially as online learning becomes more readily available and more commonplace, the value of a formal degree matters less than it did before.

But a certificate alone will not be enough to get a data analyst job either. The google professional certificate is a good start to learn the fundamentals of data analysis and from there you should plan to practice what you learned by working on projects and getting any hands on experience. The projects and experience is ultimately what will make you stand out and help you land a data job.

Talk soon,

Agatha

🎬 My New Video

Business Analyst or Data Analyst? Salary | Job | Skills What is a business analyst? Should you become a business analyst or a data analyst? By discussing the the jobs, responsibilities, salaries, and similar roles like a business intelligence analyst and a business intelligence engineer, I help you decide what role is best for you.

✍️ Quote of the Week

"You do not find the happy life. You make it.” — Camilla Eyring Kimball

Want to learn more from me? Check out 👇

• 📚 Resources → Data roadmap and helpful links

• 📄 Data Analyst Resume → Free ATS friendly resume template (make a copy in google docs to edit)