How I Became a Data Analyst Without a Degree in Data
I had no idea about the world of Data. I, a 20 years old girl, had recently moved from a village in Eastern Europe to Germany, and there was just so much I was not aware of. That changed one day.
In an Accounting course at my university, our professor made the time to distract us from the world of Accounting and let us know that there is another world out there, the Data world. I was doing a Business degree at that time. This world, he said, would become bigger in the future. I became curious, so I started googling. I became interested, so I started learning. I said, why not?
1. Google, research, and start learning basics
I started learning Python, having no prior coding experience. Smart, would you say? I dropped it after some months. It was too complex, I was too ambitious and too early. I realized after this experience that it would be better for me if I start with the basics. So I chose SQL. Best decision so far. Today, I’m coding mostly in SQL. It’s not sexy, but it’s a must-have in a Data Analyst’s toolbox.
I was also particularly interested in data visualization at that time, so I decided to learn R in parallel. This I would not recommend to everyone. It might be frustrating learning two languages at a time.
If you understand your struggle to learn multiple new things at a time, stop. Take small steps, and be slow. Super slow.
For me, it happened to work, because I had time, and I was passionate about it. I knew what I wanted, and chose the right tools for it. Most people around me, including non-experts, were advising me to learn Python since the market requested it. I happen to be a stubborn person, so I did not listen to them. Learning Python was not part of my initial goal, I just wanted to use statistical operations to understand the data. That was it. I did not want to build models yet. SQL and R were enough.
Remember, each tool is good in its own way, you have to know what you will use it for. Keep it simple. You have time to learn more later on.
2. Tell everyone
Once you took the decision to work in Data, act like you already work in it. That is especially important if your current job is not in Data. The key action is to share with people around you, colleagues, friends, and friends of friends that you want to pursue a career in Data. Believe in what you are pursuing.
In my previous job, although I was working in Product, I let some of my colleagues know that I would like to combine it with Analytics. My boss heard me and encouraged me to check with the Analytics department if they had any extra positions. Unfortunately, there was no available position at that time, but this was a start. It made me more passionate. Finally, there was motion and it was not just me writing code in my cave.
Even if I had a job, I was also checking available positions, to see their requirements, and to be prepared.
3. Sell it in the interviews
When I was applying for a data analytics job, I had no data degree and no data experience in the industry. All I had was SQL and R knowledge. I started applying for jobs: both in Product and in Data. Some days later I got an interview for a Sales Engineering position. In the interview, they asked me where would I see myself in 5 years. Toughy. My honesty could not be avoided. I told them I wanted a career in Data in 5 years. The feedback from the interview was: “Why are you even applying for this job?”. They were right. I was lying to myself out of fear of failure. I got rejected.
After another rejection, I finally got an interview where I was fully into selling myself as a Data Analyst. I had a bit of Product knowledge experience, which I could rely on, but I decided to keep it as my background, and not my focus. I told them I wanted to work in Data. Throughout the course of the interview, I stayed consistent and clear about what I wanted to do. So I took the risk of failing. I got the job.
You could say, I was probably lucky. To which I will undoubtedly say, yes. I was lucky to get this interview. I was lucky to meet people who would believe in me and give me this job. However, I would have not even gotten to this place if I had not realized early on, I needed to expose myself to the path I wanted, and believe in it. It took time. And I’m still in the beginning.
Thank you for reading, dear data lovers; I hope you found something useful :)
