The demand for Data Analyst roles is on the rise (27% growth from 2016–2026 as per the US Bureau of Labor Statistics with a 2018 median pay of 81k), and many seasoned professionals are looking to make the switch. But moving to a new career path can be daunting, so what skills should you focus on?

SQL

Even though NoSQL and Spark have become major players in the analytics space, you will still need to have a solid grasp on SQL. SQL (structured query language) is a declarative language that allows analyst to gather, transform, clean and filter data as well as analytical functions.

Before applying to a data analyst position you should be proficient at SQL, understand joins, group by/aggregates, window functions and have a good grasp on the multiple ways to solve problems with SQL. If you are new to SQL here are a few resources:

Head First SQL: Your Brain on SQL — A Learner’s Guide: I always recommend those brand new to SQL start here. Read the entire book cover to cover. Don’t worry if some of the concepts seem a bit abstract, once you get your hands on some SQL it will begin to clarify.

SQL Zoo: Start with Tutorial 0 and complete all 13. It is unlikely you will need to create a database in your data analyst role, but you should understand the concepts.

Hacker Rank SQL: Spend 10 minutes and complete 1–2 problems per day. This will expose you to the real-world business challenges but also help you fine tune the skills you learned earlier. Keep doing this even after you land a data analytics position, if you master all the SQL challenges move on to Python or R.

Look at your current role for opportunities to learn SQL. By far the best way to become a SQL expert is using it every day to solve challenging problems. I always recommend looking at your current role to see if there are opportunities to use SQL to help the business. Maybe convert a messy excel notebook to a SQL report, or give a data analyst a hand on a lower priority project.

Domain Knowledge

Do not overlook the value of the domain knowledge you have already gained. If your career has progressed in a specific industry you hold a wealth of knowledge that any employer in the industry would be happy to have (as long as you can communicate that value).

It is very rare to find a data analyst with in-depth knowledge of a specific domain, and many companies will be willing to mentor and coach you on the technical skills if you can immediately add value on the business side. As a data analyst you will need to think critically about the information the data is providing, validate it against reality and determine what actions (if any) it is indicating.