2022 Data Analyst Roadmap

This is a generalized Roadmap that is supposed

to help you determine the steps that make the

Caveats: most sense for you to take on your journey

into analytics. As with most goals, how you

My work experience has been entirely in the United States

Almost everyone I know has a college education should approach getting a job in analytics

will have a lot to do with where you started. Shashank Kalanithi ©

Starting Points

(and the simplest way to get into Analytics)

No Degree and Have a relevant

Pursuing a Have a Degree Working in a degree, and the
no Intent to
Degree and Searching Company approriate
Get one technical skills

Obtain a Relevant Degree If you don't have a relevant Internally Transfer

degree don't worry, I have a

Google Data Analytics Certificate 
Apply More

and Internships
Find a team that you'd like to work
degree in Chemistry. Look at at, request a meeting with the This is the hardest position to break into the field from If you've really
Mathematics the chart below to see which manager and ask them what would and you'll have to work harder than most other learned everything
candidates to get in. Don't worry though, the Google Data that's outlined in
(Statistics) skills you'll need to build, and you need to do in order to become a
Analytics Certificate was created for candidates like this roadmap, then
Data Analyst on their team.
Computer Science start tackling them one after Look on the internal jobs portal and yourself. It teaches you a lot of the necessary skills in the only thing to do
another. Start applying as soon build a relationship with a recruiter order to become a Data Analyst and can be used in lieu of is apply more. Try
Engineering as you can, remember the only who can help you get into a job. a bachelor's degree at some companies.  and dissect what's
Additionally, if you have work experience, don't discount wrong with your
Data Science way to get a job is to apply
Recruiters have backlogs of jobs
on this and try to find ways to talk about how you've application and how
they're constantly trying to fill so
for it.  having a vetted internal candidate is always been an analytical person in your interviews. you can improve it if
always appreciated you're not moving
past a certain stage.

Define What Type of Job You Want

We'll focus on 3 major dimensions of job classification

Employee Type
Job Type
Industry

Full Time Employee: Full benefits, and more job security, even Consulting: Companies like EY, Deloitte, Bain & Co. You'll Industry in this case, refers to the
in right-to-work states like Texas, it's not easy to fire full work on many different, unrelated projects and leave with primary business of the company
time employees. You'll get job security, and additionally can the stamp of approval of a well-respected corporation  you're working at. Toyota works in
usually ask the company to invest more in your career Automobiles, Nordstrom in Retail,
development in the form of Udemy Courses or even having the Industry: Companies like Nordstrom, Toyota, or other non- and Exxon Mobil in Oil and Gas. 
pay off your degree.   tech, non-Consulting companies. These are normal companies
and jobs can range in quality from poor to very good.  Contrary to what Michael Scott
Part Time Employee: This can be a great way to break into the says, there are many different types
industry. You'll get less money, and fewer benefits but better Tech: I've separated out Big Tech companies like Facebook, of industries, and they almost all
work-life balance.  Google,  Stripe etc. because they tend to compensate their need Data Analysts. 
data analysts significantly better and have more mature tech
Contractor: Easy to hire easy to fire, contract work is a good implementations. Many "industry" companies also have tech
way to get started, but I argue that unless you actively want branches like Woven Capital for Toyota or Walmart Labs for
to be a contractor (Upwork), you should convert this position Walmart. These are typically the hardest jobs to get.
into a Full Time Employee as soon as possible. Companies
typically don't invest in their contractors and will fire them Startup: Newer, less established companies. Job-security is
at any sign of economic instability. As a side note, it is not as high, salaries tend to be lower, but you can make a
possible to get paid a bit more as a contractor in exchange significantly greater difference in your organization and
for the instability. might be able to get equity in your job. 

Non-Profit: Low-pay, and hard work, but can be much more

rewarding if you're into that. 

Roadmap to become a Data Analyst

Along with my suggested order of skill acquisition

Legend:  Green = Necessary Orange = Highly Recommended   Purple = Completely Optional

Stage Nulla Stage I

Stage Nulla Objective: 

Stage I Objective: Gain a basic understanding of how to manipulate data using a Graphical User Interface.

These are tasks/objectives 

that can take years

What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource
to develop and aren't
https://youtu.be/Gl2lg-TtRJo https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/powerplatform/power-bi
BI Tool

available to everyone.
BI Stands for "Business Intelligence" and talks
These tools are built to be easy to understand

but powerful enough to enable advanced data

If you are able

about a class of tools that help users organize

operations like Joins, and Unions. With relatively

a large amount of data and then present it to

to, then you should try

users in a typically visual manner. Examples
little effort, you can quickly bring advanced insights
https://app.datacamp.com/learn/courses/introduction-to-power-bi
and achieve the 
include Tableau, PowerBI, or Microstrategy. 
to your business stakeholders

objectives here but

they aren't necessary

Relevant What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource
Bachelor's Although Excel is generally not used for managing
shorturl.at/luvI4
very large amounts of data, I use Excel almost every

Degree

Excel

Excel is a data manipulation tool that is used 

day to quickly analyze data using Pivot Tables and 
I currently don't have an excel

by almost all companies all over the world. 

VLOOKUPs and formatting it in a method that's easy
tutorial I can link
Engineering
Google Sheets is a great alternative although, 
for stakeholders to absorb. Excel is great for adhoc 
https://app.datacamp.com/learn/courses/data-analysis-in-excel
Statistics
in the United States, I would recommend you 
analyses but be careful of investing too much time 

Data Science
learn about Excel.

Mathematics

into Excel as advanced data teams usually don't 

use it for most operations.

Project I
Data
Science/Data
Now that you have some proper technical skills in the form of a BI Tool and some decent Excel knowledge, you can go ahead and demonstrate

Analyst your knowledge in the form of a project. Both Tableau and PowerBI have free versions of their software that you can use in order to bring some 

Internships 
life to an otherwise boring dataset. I always recommend gathering your own data if you can, but if you don't have the time to do this, then 

Data.gov or Kaggle.com are great websites to download clean and interesting datasets.
If you're able to
snag internships
while in college,
these will be Stage II Apply to Jobs
your golden
ticket into a job Stage II Objective: Now we're getting to the more advanced parts of your analytics journey. SQL will be the first "hard-core" skill that you learn and is a
After you've finished the 

in Analytics. They staple of any analyst's toolkit.  "green" skills in Stage I, 

can very easily be you should start actively

more important
applying to jobs. It can take

than your actual

What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource companies up to 3 months

degree. Look for

Data Science
https://youtu.be/gwp3dJUsy5g
to respond to you even if

Standing for "Structured Querying Language"

SQL is a standard tool used by organizations large 

Internships if you and small. Most companies will store their data in 
https://app.datacamp.com/learn/courses/introduction-to-sql they want you. The earlier

SQL is the standard method for retrieving data 

can. Aim high, you you can start putting in

SQL

from databases. It's sort of a pseudo-programming databases and although there might be tools you can 

have nothing to language and is used by analysts at all kinds of 

use to access the database without learning SQL, 
https://www.kaggle.com/learn/intro-to-sql applications, generally

lose at this stage companies to access the vast amount of data

you'll drastically reduce the number of jobs you're eligible

for by not learning SQL.

the better.
and an internship stored in databases. 

https://www.hackerrank.com/domains/sql
at a major
company can lead Skillful resume building is the 

to a job offer in cornerstone of your application. 

the future. 
Grind Session I Watch my video here in order to 

understand what makes a good 

Resume Building

Rise and Grind. SQL doesn't lend itself to particularly interesting projects. Normally candidates will list SQL as a skill and then be tested on it
resume. 

during their interviews in a process called a "Technical Interview". In a technical interview someone (usually one of your future co-workers)

will ask you to perform some data operations on a table. Even if you excel at the behavioral parts of the interview, if you fail the technical

Data Science
interview, you will most likely not get the job. SQL is a skill that only improves with practice, websites like HackerRank and DataCamp have

Bootcamp
numerous exercises that simulate real world interview questions that you might encounter. Try and finish as many of these as possible with

These can be daily practice. Understand that at some companies (usually FAANG companies) the technical interview might be harder than any of the actual

good for people work you end up doing while working for them. 
who might need
https://youtu.be/D9oP2TqZiMo
the structure of
a classroom in Stage III
order to more Stage III Objective: These skills can help take you to the next level but aren't necessary for a lot of Data Analyst jobs. I highly recommend learning them
A dreaded domain for many, 

effectively learn. networking doesn't have to mean

but you can actively be applying while you're learning these skills.
Be careful, while trying to make small talk with 

there are many random people at job fairs. 

Networking

excellent Oftentimes you'll find that people 

programs out What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource you have met earlier in life through 

Although not required by all data analyst jobs (and less

college or high school might might 

there, there are https://youtu.be/sZDgJKI8DAM

Python / R

Python and R are general purpose programming

requested than SQL), because Python/R are general
be able to get your application

also many languages. They have been adopted by all kinds

purpose programming languages, learning them unlocks

https://www.kaggle.com/learn/python
directly to a recruiter at a company. 

programs that of advanced analytics by data teams because of 

a whole world of possibilities for your career. You'll
Don't be afraid to reach out, I've 

will charge you their ease of use, power, and robust libraries of 
be able to extract, transform, and load data using a 

https://www.kaggle.com/learn/pandas found that even people I haven't '

tens of thousands data-centric functions. Everything from basic

single coding pipeline, automate data jobs, and 
talked to since Middle School

statistics to the most advanced Machine Learning

analyze data using more advanced techniques than 

https://app.datacamp.com/learn/
are more than willing to help. 

of dollars courses/intro-to-python-for-data-science
without a libraries can be easily executed using R or Python.
are available from a BI tool or Excel. I highly recommend
LinkedIn is your best friend here.

this skill after you've finished the other "Green" skills. 

guarantee of a
job. Also beware
of income
What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource Very few people are naturally 

sharing Statistics is another skill that I don't specifically see 

https://youtu.be/wwsizzg6UjU good at interviewing, which is why

agreements, Statistics is a branch of mathematics that is 

outlined in a lot of Data Analyst job descriptions. 
interview prep is an important part

Statistics

make sure you concerned with using representative samples

Although I've used it in very limited quantities in my 
of becoming a Data Analyst. 

of a population in order to infer attributes of the 

career, I believe that a good understanding of basic

can pay them off https://app.datacamp.com/learn/courses/

You can usually do This after you've

overall population. 
statistics as it relates to Exploratory Data Analysis and 

Interview Prep

introduction-to-statistics-in-python already you've scheduled your 

early without hypothesis testing can really give your analyses that 

penalty as you interview. To see some of my tips

extra pop of insight. I would recommend learning this 

on the general interview process

should be able to after you have picked up the other "green" and "yellow"
with Nick Singh, check out the 

make a solid skills.   

video below:

income working
https://youtu.be/5pYyNm6DUj8
in Analytics. 

Project II & Grind Session II

Now that you've learned how to do more advanced analyses using tools like Python/R and some statistics
https://youtu.be/-pLjEgCunpI

you'll need to do two things:

a technical project to demonstrate that you know what you're talking about, and grind some Python/R

problems to pass a technical interview. The project possibilities with Python are endless, but the most

basic and simplest would be to take a dataset from Kaggle.com and then create a Jupyter Notebook of

your analysis. This could demonstrate both your Python/R skills and you statistical skills as you craft a

compelling and detailed narrative about the dataset that you select. You'll also want to start practicing

Python problems. Most Python/R technical interviews at large companies will involve a number of data

manipulations accomplished using Pandas or Tidyverse. As with SQL, daily practice is what keeps your skills sharp. 

Stage IV
Stage IV Objective: Either you're an experienced analyst or you have some free time on your hands following  the previous skills,

these are very much additional skills that aren't necessary but can propel your career forward into that of a Senior Analyst or allow you

to negotiate a more lucrative pay package.

What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource
Machine Learning

As you continue your growth and development as an 

https://youtu.be/KLjTAcH7Ikk
analyst, you'll continually be exposed to new analytical
Kaggle has one of the best Machine

Machine Learning is a name for a group of

techniques. Machine Learning, although not normally the 
Learning courses available and is where

mathematical and statistical techniques that when

domain of analysts, is becoming more ubiquitous in data
I learned the basics of the science. 

Apply, Apply, and Apply Again!

combined with the power of computers, can help

teams. Although application will most likely be left to 

take analyses to the stratosphere in regards to

Data Scientists and Machine Learning Engineers, a basic
https://www.kaggle.com/learn/intro-to-machine-learning
impact.
understanding of Machine Learning and the ML process

can go a long way to being a more effective analyst.  This can easily be the most 

frustrating part of the Application 

Process. Just know that many 

Project Management

people, including myself have 

What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource had to apply to dozens of companies

All aspects of managing various stakeholders and 

As you become a more experienced analyst, 
before we got through the door. 

technical experts to ensure everyone knows exactly

you'll work with more people from Data Engineers
I had to apply to over 80 companies

to Data Scientists to bring more advanced projects

I currently don't have a resource on
I will put in project management tools here in the
before getting two interviews, one 

what they're responsible for, when it's due and 

to life. Knowing how to clearly track and manage

project management
future, I'm currently not too sure what the best 
of which was at my current job.

managing their abilities against the expectations of

tutorials might be
executives and managers. 
many different individuals and track who knows

what within an organization along with people's 

deliverables can be a relatively simple set of 

skills that you can learn that pay massive 

dividends and get you promoted. 

Sold to
What is this? Why should you learn this? Shashank's Resource Alternative Resource
Also known as "version control", GIT is the industry
This is also a more advanced skill and as you work 

standard way to maintain versions of code that you 

in organizations that have more advanced data 
[email protected]
I currently don't have a resource on GIT

https://youtu.be/aw14VK9sN2s
GIT

write and ensure that it is deployed to systems 

implementations, analysts will be expected to 

safely and thoroughly tested. 

write more of their own code. The only way to 

organize a large team of coders effectively is 

through some form of version control, which 

is where GIT comes in.