-2012 Data abstractor; 17/ hr -2015 Hospital Quality intern: 20/hr -J1 Data analyst 2016: 78k -J2 Sr data analyst 2018: 90k, 5k sign on bonus -J3 Data analyst 2019: 98k -J4 Sr. Data analyst 2021 Q1: 116k yr -J5 Sr. Data analyst 2021 Q2: 120k yr At J5, have gotten raises and am now 137/yr. Have been offered promotions to lead analyst that would push me to 145k. Didn't take them though because the job would have been rough. All these positions were at hospitals. Edit: This is Seattle area Answer from overdonecashew on reddit.com
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General Assembly
generalassemb.ly › home › data analyst career path & salary guide
Data Analyst Career Paths & Salary - 2024 Career Guide
August 28, 2024 - With dedication and General Assembly’s Data Analytics Bootcamp, you could transition from beginner to a proficient data analyst in as little as 12 weeks (and even get some help preparing for those multi-part interviews). But it’s not just beginners who benefit: while 70% of employers removed degree requirements for entry-level roles, 61% did so for mid-level roles, and 45% for senior-level roles. If you’re thinking about a career shift, comparable pay in data analysis is more accessible than you think. One self-taught Gen Zer increased his base salary 40% with a data analytics career change.
Discussions

Confused on Data Analysis Career Path

I am going to give you a plan that will be you absolute best shot at getting a Data Analyst job.

For background, I went from Data Analyst to Senior Data Analyst to Data Scientist in just under 3 years. I have also helped a few other people close to me get into the industry.

  • STOP working on the machine learning course. It is absolutely useless to you. You don't yet have the qualifications to be a data scientist and 99% of data analyst don't use those skills. Your time is better spent elsewhere.

  • FOCUS on getting to advanced or Expert level SQL skills. Can you use Window Functions, correlated subqueries, etc. While many courses teach things out of order, any course the covers that is almost certain to cover everything else you need with SQL. SQL is the most important skill a data analyst can have.

  • DEVELOP decent to strong Tableau skills. I generally tell people to get good at either Tableau or Power BI, since those are the two most popular Reporting/Visualization tools in corporate America.

  • GET a Tableau certification. You can either get the Desktop Specialist or the new Tableau Data Analyst certification. It doesn't matter. This is just to get you past the HR screener. I am sorry to say that your Google certificate probably doesn't mean much (REGARDLESSS of what YouTube influencers say) because a recruiter in Human Resources has probably never heard of it. Get certified in the tools that the job requires.

  • LOOK primarily (maybe even ONLY) at healthcare related companies and positions. Here you are leveraging your healthcare experience. Look especially at HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES. That is where I worked. They are some of the largest healthcare companies and hire ton of data analysts since they have a ton of data. Get a list of the 15 largest healthcare companies in the country, the 15 largest heath insurance companies in the country, and the largest healthcare companies locally. Go directly to the "careers" section of their website

  • SEARCH for jobs based on skills rather than title. Tons of people have data analyst positions that aren't actually called data analysts. Instead of searching for "data Analyst" search for "SQL Tableau Healthcare". My former company employed HUNDREDS of data analysts, but maybe 4 had the actual name "data analyst."

  • CUSTOMIZE your resume to the position. Reading that you applied to 150-200 jobs (and only got one interview) tells me that you 1) are just applying to anything and everything that is a data analyst position and 2) are not customizing your resume.

  • EMPHASIZE your experience in healthcare, in your summary statement you could say something like "SQL and Tableau expert with 6 years healthcare experience, transitioning to a data focused role in the healthcare industry...."

  • APPLY directly on the company's website whenever possible. If you can avoid applying on LinkedIn or Indeed, or through a contracting company, then go directly to the company. However, if you have to apply through a third party, then do it.

  • BUILD a portfolio project with real data. This is more for the interview with the hiring manager, although you can have it listed in the projects section of your resume. What would be a good project? how about one that is healthcare related. Where do you get the data? The Affordable Care Act resulted in a TON of health insurance information being publicly available. Did you know that the premium and deductible rates for every health insurance plan, at every age range, is available online at a government website? That is just one idea. When you talk to the hiring manager, talk about how you managed problems with real data (misspellings, missing data, etc.).

I really hope this helps. Healthcare is one of the most data intensive industries around. You can leverage your prior experience to get your foot in the door.

More on reddit.com
🌐 r/dataanalysis
65
105
August 9, 2022
How should I start my career as a data analyst
the job market is brutal right now, especially for entry-level data analyst roles. recruiters ghost you, and everyone wants experience for even basic positions. it's tough when you're stuck in a role that's not even in your field. just trying to get a foot in the door feels impossible sometimes. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/careeradvice
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5
October 20, 2025
What's the best way to get a data analyst job with no exp?
Work up to it through another role. Internships or just an analytics adjacent office role. Learn Excel and get really good. Check out Chris Dutton's Udemy courses. Start learning how to get data for yourself using SQL. Learn joins, aggregate functions, and CTE tables. Start learning basic python. Automating basic reporting tasks, emails. Check out "automate the boring stuff with Python" Tableau or Power BI for reporting or exploratory analysis. That's the basic gist of it. The important part is not just doing tutorials, but applying the things you learn in your own projects. That's how the knowledge stocks and gets integrated into your skills set. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/analytics
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September 12, 2022
What's the 1 advice you'd give to someone starting in data analysis?
Learn some domain knowledge, a data analytics degree alone is not going to break in easily. A data analytics degree plus domain knowledge can help you rise to the top of the applicant pile. More on reddit.com
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iSchool
ischool.syracuse.edu › home › articles
Data Analytics Salary: How Much Do Data Analysts Make?
April 3, 2026 - Data analytics salary varies widely ... earning potential and career growth. Entry-level analysts can start around $70,000, while senior professionals and specialists often exceed $130,000....
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IE
ie.edu › portada › what does a data analyst do? career paths, roles and progression
What does a data analyst do? Career paths, roles and progression
March 23, 2026 - A data analyst career path and salary are closely linked to scope and responsibility. Entry-level roles are paid for execution: producing reports, answering defined questions, and supporting decision-makers.
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Coursera
coursera.org › coursera articles › data › data analytics › how much do data analysts earn in 2026? your salary guide
How Much Do Data Analysts Earn in 2026? Your Salary Guide | Coursera
March 10, 2026 - Glassdoor reports that analytics managers earn an average salary of $131,202 in the US, while directors of analytics earn $184,828 [5, 6]. Learn more about advancing your data analyst career.
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Gsdcouncil
gsdcouncil.org › blogs › data-analytics-career-path-salary-growth
Data Analytics Career Path with Salary Growth Insights
The data analytics career path is structured yet flexible, with opportunities for both technical specialists and business-focused professionals. Career progression ranges from junior data analyst to senior analytics engineer and eventually to leadership positions. Each step forward adds ...
Find elsewhere
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Indeed
ca.indeed.com › career guide › career development › data analyst career path (with requirements and salary)
Data Analyst Career Path (With Requirements and Salary) | Indeed.com Canada
June 19, 2024 - If you're interested in pursuing a career as a data analyst, understanding the typical qualifications and steps necessary for establishing yourself in the field is important for determining if the role is right for you.In this article, we explain what a data analyst career path is, list the job titles that align with the stages of an analyst career path, discuss the field's requirements, provide beneficial skills for the role, and offer its typical salary.Key takeaways:
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Investopedia
investopedia.com › articles › professionals › 121515 › data-analyst-career-path-qualifications.asp
Guide to Data Analyst Careers: Skills, Paths, and Salary Insights
November 29, 2025 - Machine learning analyst: May work on various aspects, including data preparation, data feeds, analysis of results, and more · Jobs in the data analytics sector are plentiful, salaries are high, and the career paths you can take are abundant.
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Bureau of Labor Statistics
bls.gov › ooh › math › data-scientists.htm
Data Scientists : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
CareerOneStop includes hundreds of occupational profiles with data available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.
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Northeastern University
graduate.northeastern.edu › home › what does a data analyst do?
What Does a Data Analyst Do? Roles, Skills, and Salary
January 8, 2025 - The average salary of data scientists is $100,588, while analytics managers make about $106,103 per year. If you’re interested in building a career in analytics, take the first step by downloading our free, comprehensive guide below. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in ...
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Quora
quora.com › Is-data-analyst-a-good-career-What-is-would-be-the-salary-of-entry-level-data-analyst
Is data analyst a good career? What is would be the salary of entry level data analyst? - Quora
Answer: Yes, Data acts as medicine to any organization which helps to survive it in market. Data Analyst explores the ways in which data can be used to answer business questions and solve problems a company is facing. In simplest terms, they act as a bridge between data (accumulated through vario...
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Masters in Data Science
mastersindatascience.org › home › careers › data analyst › data analyst salaries
Guide to Data Analyst Salaries | 2026 Edition
1 week ago - For pay context, BLS reports that in May 2024, median wages were $76,950 for market research analysts and $91,290 for operations research analysts, while data scientists earned a median of $112,590. This salary guide uses these BLS benchmarks to explain how industry and career stage can influence ...
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Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › credentials › certifications › data-analyst-associate
Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate - Certifications | Microsoft Learn
April 20, 2026 - As a candidate for this certification, you should deliver actionable insights by working with available data and applying domain expertise. You should: Provide meaningful business value through easy-to-comprehend data visualizations. Enable others to perform self-service analytics. As a Power BI data analyst, you work closely with business stakeholders to identify business requirements.
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ProjectPro
projectpro.io › blog › the ultimate data analyst career path you need in 2025
The Ultimate Data Analyst Career Path You Need in 2025
January 2, 2025 - Entry-level analysts earn an average salary of $78,202 per year, while senior analysts can earn up to $92,495 per year in the US. All these reasons are good enough for anyone to consider pursuing a data analyst career path...
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TripleTen
tripleten.com › tools › entry-level-data-analyst-salary
Entry-Level Data Analyst Salary Calculator
February 17, 2026 - ... When you know what the market actually pays, you can push for 10-20% more during negotiations—that's $6,000-$16,000 extra in your pocket every year. ... Seeing how salaries go from entry-level ($65,000) to mid-career ($90,000) helps you ...
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StarAgile
staragile.com › info › data-science › data-analyst-salary
Data Analyst Salary in 2026: What to Expect and Key Factors
Data Analytics Certification Course Online
In 2026, the average data analyst salary remains one of the most attractive aspects of this career path. Good training and to the point. The trainer made the sessions lively and interactive.
Rating: 4 ​
Price   $400
Call   9513393880
Address   No. 549, 2nd Floor, 14th Main Rd, Sector 7, 560102, HSR Layout
(4.8)
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Springboard
springboard.com › blog › data analytics › 7 career paths for data analysts [2025 career guide]
7 Career Paths for Data Analysts [2025 Career Guide]
January 27, 2025 - ‌ · On average, data analysts in the U.S. make $83,000 a year. The higher end of the salary range goes to $106,000, while those at the lower end make $65,000 a year. ‌ · Even if you are working in the lower 10%, the salary is quite impressive.
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LearnSQL.com
learnsql.com › blog › data-analyst-salaries
Data Analyst Salaries: Benchmarks for 2025 | LearnSQL.com
Senior-level: $100,000 and $150,000 a year, with the top 10% reaching up to $120,500 or more. Starting your career as a data analyst in 2025 is a great move, with entry-level salaries ranging from $65,000 to $75,000 annually (Glassdoor).
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › confused on data analysis career path
r/dataanalysis on Reddit: Confused on Data Analysis Career Path
August 9, 2022 -

I started off learning about data analysis through Googles Data Analytics Certificate program on Coursera. I felt like it gave me a pretty solid foundation but knew I would have to build on it, and that it wouldn’t alone get me a job. Since then I’ve done a few case studies, some just taking clean data and analyzing and visualizing it, and some starting by gathering the data and cleaning it myself. I have experience with Tableau, Excel, Sheets, SQL, Python, R, and feel pretty comfortable using all of these. I have a portfolio showcasing what I can do for work. I have six years of experience working in healthcare and a bachelor’s degree, but I can’t land a job in data analysis.

So far I’ve only had one interview, and it was for a pretty low paying position, but most of the interview questions were about machine learning algorithms (which I know nothing about). I am unsure if this is par for the course (I figure it’s not and they were trying to get a data scientist for the price of an underpaid junior data analyst).

I don’t know where to go from here. I’ve been doing the courses on Kaggle to learn about machine learning, although I do understand they do not cover the theory behind machine learning and more the implementation of it. I am not sure where to go from here in my learning journey, and don’t know why I am having such a hard time with landing an interview. Any advice of what to do would be greatly appreciated because I definitely feel a bit lost.

Top answer
1 of 5
170

I am going to give you a plan that will be you absolute best shot at getting a Data Analyst job.

For background, I went from Data Analyst to Senior Data Analyst to Data Scientist in just under 3 years. I have also helped a few other people close to me get into the industry.

  • STOP working on the machine learning course. It is absolutely useless to you. You don't yet have the qualifications to be a data scientist and 99% of data analyst don't use those skills. Your time is better spent elsewhere.

  • FOCUS on getting to advanced or Expert level SQL skills. Can you use Window Functions, correlated subqueries, etc. While many courses teach things out of order, any course the covers that is almost certain to cover everything else you need with SQL. SQL is the most important skill a data analyst can have.

  • DEVELOP decent to strong Tableau skills. I generally tell people to get good at either Tableau or Power BI, since those are the two most popular Reporting/Visualization tools in corporate America.

  • GET a Tableau certification. You can either get the Desktop Specialist or the new Tableau Data Analyst certification. It doesn't matter. This is just to get you past the HR screener. I am sorry to say that your Google certificate probably doesn't mean much (REGARDLESSS of what YouTube influencers say) because a recruiter in Human Resources has probably never heard of it. Get certified in the tools that the job requires.

  • LOOK primarily (maybe even ONLY) at healthcare related companies and positions. Here you are leveraging your healthcare experience. Look especially at HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES. That is where I worked. They are some of the largest healthcare companies and hire ton of data analysts since they have a ton of data. Get a list of the 15 largest healthcare companies in the country, the 15 largest heath insurance companies in the country, and the largest healthcare companies locally. Go directly to the "careers" section of their website

  • SEARCH for jobs based on skills rather than title. Tons of people have data analyst positions that aren't actually called data analysts. Instead of searching for "data Analyst" search for "SQL Tableau Healthcare". My former company employed HUNDREDS of data analysts, but maybe 4 had the actual name "data analyst."

  • CUSTOMIZE your resume to the position. Reading that you applied to 150-200 jobs (and only got one interview) tells me that you 1) are just applying to anything and everything that is a data analyst position and 2) are not customizing your resume.

  • EMPHASIZE your experience in healthcare, in your summary statement you could say something like "SQL and Tableau expert with 6 years healthcare experience, transitioning to a data focused role in the healthcare industry...."

  • APPLY directly on the company's website whenever possible. If you can avoid applying on LinkedIn or Indeed, or through a contracting company, then go directly to the company. However, if you have to apply through a third party, then do it.

  • BUILD a portfolio project with real data. This is more for the interview with the hiring manager, although you can have it listed in the projects section of your resume. What would be a good project? how about one that is healthcare related. Where do you get the data? The Affordable Care Act resulted in a TON of health insurance information being publicly available. Did you know that the premium and deductible rates for every health insurance plan, at every age range, is available online at a government website? That is just one idea. When you talk to the hiring manager, talk about how you managed problems with real data (misspellings, missing data, etc.).

I really hope this helps. Healthcare is one of the most data intensive industries around. You can leverage your prior experience to get your foot in the door.

2 of 5
18

I have experience with Tableau, Excel, Sheets, SQL, Python, R, and feel pretty comfortable using all of these. I have a portfolio showcasing what I can do for work. I have six years of experience working in healthcare

Have you been looking for/applying to data jobs in public health and/or healthcare-related companies? I'm talking about government agencies (e.g., state health department) but also nonprofits, startups, etc. that work with healthcare data or that do work on public health policy.