Three Key Successes in My Data Analytics Journey

n my previous post, I highlighted the mistakes I made and what I would change if I could go back. In this post I will lay out the 3 things I did do correctly that skyrocketed my progress.

Success 1: Focused Learning

While I had a small list of regrets, there was something I did right. First and most importantly, I didn’t multi-task. Despite knowing I had so much to learn, I kept in mind the importance of focus. I understood that when it comes to data analysis, SQL was at the heart of it. I already had some experience with Excel so I didn’t feel the need to start there. So going forward with SQL, I gave it all my attention and focus. Dissecting everything about it like a scientist. Understanding the joins (left, right, inner, full) Functions (CTES) case statement (CASE WHEN), subqueries, I even went a step further and learned things more DBA related. Some examples were creating tables, updating tables, primary & foreign keys. This knowledge didn’t pay off until later down the line but made my learning so much more enjoyable.

A mistake I could have made was trying to learn SQL, Power BI, Excel, Statistics, & Python all simultaneously .This would of taken a huge hit on my progress. I would have been in more of a memorization stage compared to understanding. When you have no depth, you automatically resort to memorization to feel as if you still know the thing it is you are learning. This delusion will come and bite you in the ass. This is critical to understand if you are more of a beginning stage of your career. Those with more experience will face less consequences but will pay the price regardless. Not building a solid foundation early will lead to you backtracking later when you try to put together the pieces.

All the tools in data analytics end up intersecting once you get into a role. The usage of them will vary by task so knowing when to implement a certain thing will have to be second nature. The last thing you want is to be in a position where you re-learn something you thought you understood months ago. It can be exciting and somewhat addicting to want to jump around all the different tools and expose yourself to new information. To combat this, you must develop patience and see the bigger picture. What you really want is clear-cut understanding that will allow you to showcase your skills to potential employers. Shortcutting the learning process will not work. Once I picked apart SQL nearly to the core, I then proceeded to learn my first visual tool which was Tableau.

Success 2: Relentless Job Application Efforts

This was more so on the actual job-hunting side. When it came to applying for jobs, I was relentless. I never took it personally and knew what I was up against. When having little to no experience, it can be demoralizing to realize you are up against candidates with more experience and credentials than you. I knew there were only a few things that were in my control. One being how many job applications I sent out. Even for someone who is fully qualified and has prior experience, it is still a numbers game. I remember hearing an analogy from Alex Hormozi that involved sales. He mentions when rolling a dice, imagine if it lands on two sixes you make money. If the goal is to make as much money as possible, what would you do? Roll the dice as many times as possible. The only way to win is to keep rolling.

Applying for jobs can be seen as the same way. There is only upside when you move past the emotions and attachment to the application process. I allowed persistence to become my ally. I was cranking out 5-10 applications a day regardless of how I felt. I didn’t care how many times I received a rejection email, I found humor in it. I knew all it took was one yes. Knowing I had put in the extra work into my learning process, I liked my chances to prosper when the right opportunity surfaced.

While I was confident, there was no avoiding the negative thoughts that the mind will stir up. I simply didn’t listen to them. It would be days where I would get the thoughts of “what if all of this effort leads to nothing,” “you're not ready,” “maybe you need to try something else.” I was 100% willing to take the chances of being wrong. If you are not willing to stand for something, you will fall for anything. Despite facing self-doubt and negative thoughts, I persisted in my job application efforts. I didn't let rejection the phase me. As cliché as it may sound, all you really do need is one yes.

Success 3: Finding Joy in the Journey

For the final thing that I did right in the beginning stages of my journey, I enjoyed what I was doing. Don’t get too caught up in your emotions and overlook what you’re doing. Learning, doing projects, testing my knowledge, failing, being confused, the combination of all of these became enjoyable for me. The goal is to have the same thing be the same for you. Waking up every day to chip away at your goal should be the thing that makes getting out of bed in the morning easier. Knowing you have more progress to make. Knowing you have been given another opportunity for growth.

When I approached it with this mindset, I instantly had purpose. I no longer saw myself as this victim of rejection or someone who was “trying” to break into data analytics. I was no longer trying; I WAS breaking into data analytics. Giving up and trying something else was no longer an option for me. I burned the boats. Stop taking yourself seriously and instead take your outputs seriously. An easy way to frame this is to ask, “What action have I taken today to push me toward my goal?” The universe has a weird way of rewarding those who have the true burning desire for the things they want.

Thank you for reading.