└── README.md /README.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # How I Transition into Data Analytics (Self-Study Route) 2 | 3 | _(updated on 3 Apr 2024)_ 4 | 5 | Hello, I'm Katie and I'm sharing with you my personal experience and approach to self-studying for data analytics. 6 | 7 | **πŸ“• My Study Approach** 8 | - As a **visual learner**, I prefer watching video tutorials over reading textbooks to better understand how the code works on my screen. 9 | 10 | **🧐 What You Should Know** 11 | - Self-studying can be **challenging** because you are on your own without any syllabus, instructors, or classmates to guide you. 12 | - It requires resourcefulness in finding solutions and troubleshooting errors. 13 | - If time is a constraint, self-study may not be the best option. However, with consistency, hard work, and determination, it is achievable. 14 | 15 | **Disclaimer**: I'm not an expert, just someone who is passionate about data analysis and wants to help others who are transitioning into this field. 16 | 17 | **Another important note:** I'm not sponsored to recommend any of the courses mentioned below. 18 | 19 | ## πŸ“š Table of Contents 20 | - [How and Where to Start?](#how-and-where-to-start) 21 | - [What are the Technical Skills to Learn?](#what-are-the-technical-skills-to-learn) 22 | - [Where to Learn SQL?](#-where-to-learn-sql) 23 | - [Where to Learn Tableau?](#-where-to-learn-tableau) 24 | - [Where to Learn Python?](#-where-to-learn-python) 25 | - [Where to Learn Statistics?](#-where-to-learn-statistics) 26 | - [How to Create a Portfolio on GitHub?](#how-to-create-a-portfolio-on-github) 27 | 28 | ## How and Where to Start? 29 | 30 | If you're reading this, you're probably interested in starting a career in data analytics, but don't know where to begin or whether it's the right path for you. I totally get it - I was once in your shoes! 🧐 31 | 32 | To start, I recommend taking a **general data analytics course**, like the [Google Data Analytics](https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-data-analytics) or the [IBM Data Analyst](https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/ibm-data-analyst?) course. I started with Google's course as it was released more recently. I'm not sponsored for both courses. 33 | 34 | Both courses provides: 35 | - An **overview of data analytics** 36 | - An **introduction of the skills/tools** you need to learn 37 | - Flexible, study-at-your-own-pace courses 38 | - Relatively inexpensive. You can apply for financial aid and study for free. 39 | 40 | You can enroll in both courses on Coursera for around USD 20-40/month. I paid USD 39/month for Google's course last year, but a friend recently only paid USD 20+/month. 41 | 42 | On average, people complete the course in 2 to 4 months, and the faster you complete it, the less you pay. πŸ˜‡ 43 | 44 | **πŸ’‘ My Experience** 45 | 46 | I found Google's course to be very helpful, especially since I'm a visual learner. However, please note that the courses only teach basic Spreadsheet, R, BigQuery (SQL), and Tableau, so you'll need to take additional courses to gain more in-depth knowledge. 47 | 48 | **‼️IMPORTANT‼️** 49 | - The course claims that you'll learn everything you need to know to be job-ready. That is not true. πŸ₯² 50 | - What you learn from this course is **NOT ENOUGH to get an entry-level job** or pass a technical interview. 51 | - At most, the course contributed to 5% or less in my learning. 52 | 53 | Thus, I'm sharing the following resources to help you continue your studies after completing the course. 54 | 55 | ## My Advice on Technical Skills to Learn 56 | 57 | In my opinion, you should focus on these three skills in the following order: 58 | 1. SQL 59 | 2. Tableau (or Power BI) 60 | 3. Python & Statistics 61 | 62 | I found SQL to be the **easiest and most essential skill** for any data analyst role. It's a crucial language for extracting, manipulating, and analyzing data. Once you understand SQL, you'll have an easier time learning other tools like Tableau, which relies on SQL for creating calculated fields. 63 | 64 | Python is also an essential skill, particularly if you're pursuing a data scientist or data engineer role. However, it's not always a requirement for data analysts. In some companies, it's only a good-to-have skill, while in others, it's a must-have. I recommend becoming proficient in Python if you're planning to pursue a career in these fields. 65 | 66 | # πŸ•οΈ Bootcamp 67 | 68 | I highly recommend checking out Alex the Analyst's free [data analyst bootcamp](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUaB-1hjhk8FE_XZ87vPPSfHqb6OcM0cF) on YouTube. Alex is a well-known expert in the data analysis community, and his resources are top-notch. 69 | 70 | This bootcamp covers a range of tools, including SQL, Excel, Tableau, Power BI, and Python. It's an excellent resource if you're new to data analytics or want to improve your skills in any of these tools. 71 | 72 | In my experience, Alex's instruction has helped me develop my own data analysis skills, and I believe you'll find his bootcamp to be a valuable resource. 73 | 74 | # πŸ“• Where to Learn SQL 75 | 76 | 🌟 is my tried-and-tested favourite. 77 | 78 | ### πŸ“Ί Tutorial 79 | 1. Alex Freberg 🌟 80 | - Basic - A 4-part video series that covers the basics of SQL, including creating tables, inserting data, and querying data - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUaB-1hjhk8GT6N5ne2qpf603sF26m2PW 81 | - Intermediate - A 5-part video series that covers more advanced topics, including joins, subqueries, and functions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUaB-1hjhk8HTgPnBukmMq7QTe83ANirL 82 | - Advanced - A 4-part video series that covers advanced SQL topics such as window functions, recursive queries, and common table expressions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUaB-1hjhk8EBZNL4nx4Otoa5Wb--rEpU 83 | 84 | 2. Programming with Mosh 🌟 [Beginner] - A 3-hour course that covers the basics of SQL - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S_tz1z_5bA&t=44s 85 | 3. freeCodeCamp [Beginner] - 4-hour course - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXV3zeQKqGY&t=12282s 86 | 4. DataLemur SQL Tutorial 🌟 [Beginner] - https://datalemur.com/sql-tutorial 87 | 88 | ### πŸ“š Courses 89 | 1. Udacity SQL for Data Analysis 🌟 [Free][Beginner] - https://www.udacity.com/course/sql-for-data-analysis--ud198 90 | 2. Danny Ma SQL Masterclass Course 🌟 [Free] - https://github.com/DataWithDanny/sql-masterclass 91 | 3. Mode SQL Tutorial [Free][Beginner] - https://mode.com/sql-tutorial/ 92 | 4. freeCodeCamp Relational Database Course [Free][Intermediate-Advanced] - https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/relational-database/ 93 | 5. Maven Analytics SQL for Data Analysis 🌟 [Paid][Beginner] - https://www.udemy.com/course/mysql-for-data-analysis/ 94 | 6. Maven Analytics Advanced SQL [Paid][Intermediate-Advanced] - https://www.udemy.com/course/advanced-sql-mysql-for-analytics-business-intelligence/ 95 | 96 | ### ✏️ Practice Your SQL 97 | 1. SQL Bolt 🌟 [Free][Beginner-Intermediate] - https://sqlbolt.com/ 98 | 2. Select Star SQL 🌟 [Free][Beginner-Intermediate] - https://selectstarsql.com/ 99 | 3. SQL Zoo [Free][Beginner-Intermediate] - https://sqlzoo.net 100 | 4. SQL Climber [Free] - https://www.sqlclimber.com/home 101 | 102 | ### πŸ‘Ύ SQL Games 103 | 1. SQL Murder Mystery [Free][Beginner] - Interactive game that teaches you SQL basics by solving a murder case. - https://mystery.knightlab.com/walkthrough.html 104 | 2. The Schemaverse [Free][Beginner-Intermediate] - The Schemaverse is a space-based strategy game that allows players to write SQL code to control their spaceships and battle other players. - https://schemaverse.com 105 | 3. SQL Police Department [Free][Beginner] - Online game that allows you to practice your SQL skills by solving a series of crimes. - https://sqlpd.com 106 | 107 | ### πŸ“ Projects 108 | 1. Covid-19 Project (SQL & Tableau) [Free] - In this project, you learn how to use SQL and Tableau to analyze Covid-19 data. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfyynHBFOsM 109 | 2. Data Cleaning [Free] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rO7ztF4NtU&list=PLUaB-1hjhk8H48Pj32z4GZgGWyylqv85f&index=4&t=497s 110 | 3. 8-Week SQL Challenge 🌟 [Free][Intermediate-Advanced] - 8 different SQL projects designed to improve your SQL skills. - https://8weeksqlchallenge.com. (You can check out my Github repo for solutions: https://github.com/katiehuangx/8-Week-SQL-Challenge) 111 | 112 | ### ⏰ Practice For Technical Interviews 113 | 1. DataLemur πŸ’ (I work here!) 🌟 [Semi-free][Intermediate-Advanced] - DataLemur offers a database of real-world SQL interview questions, complete with detailed solutions and explanations. - https://datalemur.com 114 | 2. StrataScratch 🌟 [Semi-free][Intermediate-Advanced] - StrataScratch provides a variety of SQL interview questions with explanations and solutions. - https://platform.stratascratch.com/coding?code_type=1 115 | 3. Ankit Bansal Top 10 SQL Interview Questions - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv9qBz-cyVA, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBTZqjSKn0IeKBQDjLmzisazhqQy4iGkb 116 | 117 | ### πŸ’» Which SQL Software to Use? 118 | 119 | These are the most commonly free-to-use SQL softwares. In tech-speak, we call them SQL flavours. 120 | - MySQL (Windows and Mac) - [https://www.mysql.com/products/workbench/](https://www.mysql.com/products/workbench/) 121 | - PostgreSQL (Windows and Mac) - [https://www.postgresql.org/download/](https://www.postgresql.org/download/) 122 | - Microsoft SQL Server (only on Windows) 123 | 124 | *** 125 | 126 | # πŸ“Š Where to Learn Tableau 127 | 128 | Tableau is a business intelligence and data visualization software that allows users to create interactive dashboards and reports. Here are some resources to help you get started: 129 | 130 | ### πŸ“Ί YouTube 131 | 1. Andy Kriebel 🌟 - https://www.youtube.com/c/AndyKriebel/featured - A YouTube channel with many helpful Tableau tutorials. 132 | 2. Alex Freberg's Tableau Tutorials 🌟 [Beginner] - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUaB-1hjhk8GwbqoVmo_5zuhOa0Tcl3xC 133 | 134 | ### πŸ“š Courses 135 | 1. Codecademy Learn Tableau for Data Visualization [Free][Beginner] - [https://www.codecademy.com/learn/bi-dashboards-with-tableau 136 | 137 | ### πŸ“ Projects 138 | 1. Alex Freberg's Covid-19 Project 🌟 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfyynHBFOsM 139 | 2. Alex Freberg's Visualisation Project - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QILNlRvJlfQ&list=PLUaB-1hjhk8H48Pj32z4GZgGWyylqv85f&index=3&t=14s 140 | 3. Maven Analytics Monthly Challenges 🌟 [Free] - A series of monthly Tableau challenges posted on LinkedIn by [Maven Analytics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/maven-analytics/). 141 | 142 | *** 143 | 144 | # 🐍 Where to Learn Python 145 | 146 | A YouTube video on installing Jupyter Notebooks, which is a notebook to code in Python - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUeBzT43JyY 147 | 148 | ### πŸ“Ί YouTube 149 | 1. Programming with Mosh 🌟 [Beginner] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uQrJ0TkZlc&t=8118s 150 | 2. freeCodeCamp Learn Python [Beginner] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfscVS0vtbw&t=2565s 151 | 3. freeCodeCamp Data Analysis with Python [Beginner] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-uOLxNrNk8 152 | 153 | ### πŸ“š Courses 154 | 155 | **Free** 156 | 1. HarvardX CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python 🌟 [Free][Beginner] - https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-to-programming-with-python 157 | 1. Udacity Intro to Data Analysis 🌟 [Free][Beginner] - https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-data-analysis--ud170 158 | 2. freeCodeCamp Data Analysis with Python [Free][Beginner-Intermediate] - https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/data-analysis-with-python/ 159 | 3. WorldQuant University Applied Data Science Lab [Free][Intermediate-Advanced] - https://www.wqu.edu/programs/applied-ds-lab/ 160 | 161 | **Paid** 162 | 1. Maven Analytics Python Foundations for Data Analysis 🌟 [Paid][Beginner] - https://www.udemy.com/course/python-foundations-for-data-analysis/ 163 | 2. Maven Analytics Data Analysis with Python: NumPy & Pandas 🌟 [Paid] - https://www.udemy.com/course/python-pandas/ 164 | 3. Maven Analytics Data Visualization with Matplotlib & Seaborn 🌟 [Paid] - https://www.udemy.com/course/python-data-visualization-matplotlib-seaborn/ 165 | 166 | ### Books πŸ“• 167 | 1. Khuyen Tran's Efficient Python Tricks and Tools for Data Scientists [Intermediate][Free] - https://khuyentran1401.github.io/Efficient_Python_tricks_and_tools_for_data_scientists/README.html 168 | 2. Python for Data Analysis - https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/python-for-data/9781449323592/ 169 | 170 | ### πŸ“ Projects 171 | 1. Amazon Web Scrapping [Guided][Intermediate] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiOtQMcI5wg&list=PLUaB-1hjhk8H48Pj32z4GZgGWyylqv85f&index=7&t=510s 172 | 2. Automation Crypto Website using API [Guided][Intermediate] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB2CtEDrglY&list=PLUaB-1hjhk8H48Pj32z4GZgGWyylqv85f&index=10 173 | 3. freeCodeCamp Projects [Unguided][Intermediate] - https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/data-analysis-with-python/ 174 | 4. WorldQuant University Applied Data Science Lab [Free][Guided][Intermediate-Advanced] - https://www.wqu.edu/programs/applied-ds-lab/ 175 | 176 | *** 177 | 178 | # β™Ύ Where to Learn Statistics 179 | 180 | ### πŸ“Ί YouTube 181 | 1. StatQuest with Josh Starmer Statistics Fundamentals 🌟 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLblh5JKOoLUK0FLuzwntyYI10UQFUhsY9 182 | 183 | ### πŸ“š Courses 184 | 1. Khan Academy Statistics & Probability [Free][Beginner] - https://www.khanacademy.org/math/statistics-probability 185 | 2 Codecademy Probability [Free][Beginner] - https://www.codecademy.com/learn/probability-mssp 186 | 187 | *** 188 | 189 | # How to Create a Portfolio on GitHub 190 | 191 | Looking to showcase your coding projects and skills to potential employers or clients? Creating a portfolio on GitHub is a great way to do so. 192 | 193 | Check out this guide on how to create a portfolio on GitHub: https://github.com/katiehuangx/How-to-Create-a-GitHub-Portfolio/blob/main/README.md 194 | 195 | You can also refer to my [portfolio](https://github.com/katiehuangx/Portfolio-Guide/blob/main/README.md) for inspiration on structure and content. 196 | 197 | *** 198 | 199 | If you find this guide helpful, give me a 🌟! 200 | _(simply click on the Star button on the top right of this page)_ 201 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------