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Is analytics fun?

reddit.com › r › analytics › comments › ombgpz › is_analytics_fun

I'm an analyst that spends probably 5 or 6 hours a day looking at data for the company I work for and honestly the problem solving aspect is where I find the fun. Yes I do spent quite a bit of time looking at databases and trying to find what I need but getting a task to build something and then figuring out how to do it and showing it off is what keeps me entertained throughout the day. If you like that type if thing then you'll probably have a good time. Answer from 2020pythonchallenge on reddit.com

reddit.com › r/analytics › is analytics fun?

r/analytics on Reddit: Is analytics fun?

July 17, 2021 -

I am interested in possibly trying to get into data analyst role in the next 6 months. I have always liked math and statistics but unsure whether I will enjoy being a data analyst. When I watch tutorials on YouTube it looks very dry, watching them write code and stare at spreadsheets. Maybe it will be more interesting when I am doing the work myself ? Are there any online courses or books I can read that anyone would suggest would give me a good idea if I will enjoy the job of a data analyst ?

I'm an analyst that spends probably 5 or 6 hours a day looking at data for the company I work for and honestly the problem solving aspect is where I find the fun. Yes I do spent quite a bit of time looking at databases and trying to find what I need but getting a task to build something and then figuring out how to do it and showing it off is what keeps me entertained throughout the day. If you like that type if thing then you'll probably have a good time.

Been working in analytics for 18+ years. Online courses won't give you a good idea of your day to day. As an analyst, I spent most of my time gathering the right data and most of it on data cleansing. Doing querying is pretty straightforward. There is a large people aspect to the job that is often not discussed learning how to juggle multiple projects, pushing back on unrealistic requests, relying on other people for information, gathering proper requirements and be able to deal with ambiguity. You need to be curious, detail-oriented and resilient.

reddit.com › r/analytics › is data analytics a good job?

r/analytics on Reddit: Is data analytics a good job?

September 11, 2025 -

I’m struggling to find what I should do with my life. I have a degree in biology but I don’t want to work in healthcare at all. I’m looking for something in tech or business. I heard data analytics can be a good job but also heard people are struggling to land jobs. I would also like to ideally work remote eventually. I’m sure there’s a post somewhere already but I would still like to post this

I like it. I'm glad I do it. There is always going to be someone making more money, so the only number I compare myself to is the US median income. I make significantly more than that. I get to work remotely, I can travel anywhere in the US and continue to work remotely, I'm not outside swinging a sledgehammer in 100 degree heat, the work is mostly interesting, I have good job security. If I won the lottery tomorrow, would I keep working? No, of course not. But I do have to work and this is a pretty good gig.

The job is fun, but analytics is SATURATED with people who want to do it. It is bluntly a terrible time to try to break in. 10 years ago was a great time

reddit.com › r/analytics › is learning data analytics even worth it anymore?

r/analytics on Reddit: Is learning data analytics even worth it anymore?

September 5, 2024 -

With all these job postings for data analytics every single one of them has over 100 applicants. Like is there an over saturation? Do i continue to learn it and become part of the over saturation in finding a job?? Or do i keep going and hope for the best something comes. Can someone give it to me straight please.

95% of those resumes were unqualified We have people come in and interview with CS degrees and 10+ languages on their resume that can’t answer simple SQL questions.

Why is everything always over saturated? Software engineering? over saturated. Data analysis? over saturated. UI/UX? Over saturated. Astronauts? over saturated. Being homeless on the street? over saturated. Being a bird in the sky? Over saturated.

reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › what’s pros and cons being a data analyst?

r/dataanalysis on Reddit: What’s pros and cons being a data analyst?

October 16, 2023 -

So I’m interested in taking a course to get a cert in being a data analyst maybe even in cyber security. I’m just wondering from primarily experienced people in this fields what’s the good and bad starting out? I’ve been doing research already and seems to be a lot more to this field. Like business intelligence, data engineer etc, I’m a veteran just weighing my options. I may even go school and get a degree in this field if I decide I really like it. Also, been hearing good government jobs hire and good pay for this kind of remote work…

https://mavenanalytics.io/find-your-path This is a useful resource for beginners to best determine which area within data their interest lies. With you being a veteran, I would suggest connecting with a LinkedIn content creator, Albert Bellamy (veteran turned Alteryx instructor). He’s very generous with his time and will certainly answer any questions you may have.

Professional sr. data analyst going on 9 years. It’s a fine career … as long as you’re personally committed to constantly building your skill set and finding the best ways to apply your constantly evolving skills. Several organizations I’ve worked and/or freelanced for are obsessed with the new hotness all the time. No certificate/bootcamp/etc course is going to make you worth a whole lot, but they can help you learn something to get a foot in the door. My biggest career successes have come from me realizing a different tool is needed to optimize things, given the constraints… and you have to learn just enough of a shiny new framework to get the job done. This is a crazy space to be in because literally everybody is trying to chase the new hotness every damn day. And… you’ll find that at least 70% of your job simply comes down to keeping stakeholders grounded in their requests. Soft skills are more important than “hard” data/query/programming skills here because you quickly realize people don’t know how to ask the questions they really want to ask and you have to constantly refine THEIR questions… for weeks, sometimes, in order to ensure you can get them what they want. They have questions, but they rarely actually know what they want, if that makes sense. Working through this is a huge chunk of the job. Writing queries and designing visuals for summarization is fairly easy once that hard part is done well.

reddit.com › r/analytics › is data analytics still worth it?

Is Data Analytics still worth it? : r/analytics

June 8, 2025 - One can do data analytics but master in something else, for added advantage ... This is good to hear, I was considering enrolling into this too. Can you share a bit about your background? I’m concerned with a BA in Psych and a decade in sales, they’ll either deny me, or I’ll need to bring myself up to speed on some math and python before starting. ... Fun ...

reddit.com › r/analytics › is it worth it?

r/analytics on Reddit: Is it worth it?

October 29, 2024 -

I am halfway through my bachelor's and I have been seriously questioning my choice of getting this degree. I originally got it to break into tech, to get the remote position possibilities, and to hopefully get the higher pay that IT people are able to get. The job itself sounds pretty good for me when i hear people that have actually managed to get one. But reading about the current tech job market, im questioning whether to drop out or not, specifically to change majors when i figure out what that would be. i originally wanted to do something creative or psychology or marketing. im not passionate about tech itself, but the benefits and opportunities that can be found drew me to it. i just dont know if those benefits will be obtainable.

is the degree worth it? what would you do if you were me?

So this is an extremely difficult question you're going to get a 100 different answers to, and is unfortunately a question you can only really answer yourself. But, if you want my hot take: Personally, I've always hating the endless dogma of "JUST DO WHAT YOUR PASSION IS!!" and the other end of "DO WHAT MAKES THE MOST MONEY!!" as both set grads up for failure. We live in a capitalist society and need to make money to live, so most of us can't just do our "passion", and honestly, most of us don't even know what that is during college. However, we're also emotional creatures and need to do something we at the very least don't hate, and, speaking from experience, no amount of money is really worth it. So, instead I think it in terms of "what benefits you that is most acceptable?" What career path benefits you in a why that is most financially acceptable to you? What career path benefits you in a why that is most emotionally acceptable to you? I think once you start looking into what are your standards, and what fulfills and even succeed those standards, you can start making a call that's right for you. Personally, I wouldn't bail just because of the job market. Job markets go up and down, so that's always subject to change. In my personal opinion, I really do think it's better to stay the course and see it through than to drop out and have it unfinished. And hey, there's the big wide internet, if you see something that looks interesting you should research more into it. And, I will tell you to in a general sense, marketing, psychology, and those creative endeavors, from what I've seen, are 10x tougher to get jobs for. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, I'm just saying that's what I've seen. I really which I could give a more definitive answer; I was super unsure when I was in college and pretty sure I made a post like yours years ago too. But really only you can make the call, and everyone else can only give their advice. I really, really feel for you right now, and I do wish you the best. You got this.

Tech companies have marketing departments, so why not study what sounds interesting to you. You can still work in tech just not in a technical role. You could also combine marketing + analytics.

reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › would i enjoy data analysis? is it what i think it is?

r/dataanalysis on Reddit: Would I enjoy data analysis? Is it what I think it is?

January 9, 2024 -

Hello! Hoping someone can point me in the right direction or tell me if this isn't even semi what I think it is/might be.

During covid my work got super flipped around and I ended up working for 3~ years as a covid testing administrator. Basically I had to learn excel and create many spreadsheets to track everyones covid tests, when they were done, when the next was required, results, contact info etc. Just lots of info to track and keep all neat and clean and turns out I loved it. I loved cleaning up other peoples sheets and making them "nicer", I loved the info tracking, I loved the little statistics of it, and I especially loved the hybrid but mostly WFH aspect. Cut to testing requirements ending and me not wanting to go back to the physical and long hours in person job I had beforehand, but also not knowing what else I could do with some of the skills I learned from this. Someone recently mentioned data analyst to me and I've been trying to dive in on understanding what it actually entails. But the prospect of playing around with excel all day again does sound kind of intriguing. Though of course, I'm sure there's much more to it than just that. That job also involved A LOT of email communication with people to get results/schedule tests/get testing locations etc, which I also surprisingly really enjoyed.

Where could I begin with exploring this as an option? I've seen the course on Coursera, and other little bootcamps - but what is an actual legit recommended way to start? Am I on the right track with thinking I might enjoy it with how much I liked what I was doing through covid tracking stuff?

Data is three fields: analytics, engineering, and science Analytics is just applied stats (it really is) with a cool name and involves answering questions with data/creating data products. This includes: constant self improvement figuring out how to wrangle clean data working with stakeholders who might make three times more than you and explaining, very, very respectfully why building sky net in excel is not possible Does any of this sound interesting? If so, give it a shot.

What you’re describing is called database admin, not to be confused with database administration. Data analytics is more statistics oriented and focused on collecting business intelligence and management.

reddit.com › r/analytics › falling in love with data analysis

r/analytics on Reddit: Falling in Love with Data Analysis

June 30, 2025 -

Hi guys,

I work in HR and recently took a one-hour introductory course on data analysis, which gave me a general overview of the field. After doing some research, I believe the path to becoming a data analyst involves learning the following:

SQL
Power BI
Python
Data Modeling
Data Visualization

I've become very interested in this field. I feel that my way of thinking is quite compatible with it, and honestly, I’m a bit disappointed I wasn’t exposed to it earlier.

Based on this, I’ve outlined a learning plan:
I want to learn SQL and Python in parallel, and once I feel confident in both, move on to Data Modeling and Data Visualization.

I have a few questions and would appreciate your input:

Do you think learning SQL and Python in parallel is problematic or inefficient?
Can you recommend any good resources for learning both? (For context: I’m currently taking the CS50 course on edX for Python, and I’ve completed a basic SQL course on Coursera.)
Do you have any advice on how to structure my learning effectively while working on both languages at the same time?

Also I would love any other advice/ tips or tricks.

Thanks

no YouTube this is just a job and you are going to spend the rest of your life learning. Never forget that.

My two cents: - You may or may not need python. I've been a data analyst at B2B SaaS startups for over two decades and never wrote python or felt like I needed to - PowerBI is a popular tool, but it's not universal. If you end up working for startup or tech company, chances are you'll be using something like Hex, Omni, or any of the many cloud-hosted BI platforms out there. Good news: all of them allow you to query data using SQL :) - When I interview junior data analysts, the biggest gaps I see are not technical skills, they're communication skills. The ability to interact with stakeholders, understand their priorities and constraints, and present recommendations cohesively is huge and may be hard to get from a class. Is there a way for you to start practicing that?

reddit.com › r/analytics › is data analytics still a good field?

r/analytics on Reddit: Is Data Analytics still a good field?

December 12, 2025 -

I’m thinking of making a career change, it takes time with effort, I just don’t want to waste it in the wrong field. Is data analytics still a good field with ai booming?

Do you have a technical background? Do you have a degree in STEM? Are you in a job market that demands analyst? You haven’t given us anything to work with

Yes, but I think the traditional means of breaking into the field are narrow. I work for a large employer (50k employees) in a centralized department for analytics with dozens of analysts. In the last few years, when someone quits or retires, the position is often eliminated and that work is absorbed by the rest of the team. Maybe about 30% of the time, we do actually hire to refill that vacancy. Those vacancies are filled by people that are extremely qualified (i.e. BA in computer science or MA in data science). Gone are the days where folks like me can get an entry level position without the exact preferred degree. Sadly, we don’t “take risks” on people with lots of Excel experience, a random BA, and a good head on their shoulders. I think the way to break into data analytics is to backdoor your way via internal transfer. Get a position that works with lots of reports, uses Excel a lot, and interacts with the analytics team. When a position becomes available internally, they can justify your lack of perfect credentials because they’ll know you have industry-relevant experience. Bonus points if you can teach yourself some of the technical skills that your employer’s analysts use.

Find elsewhere

Google Bing Mojeek

reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › is data analytics still a good career choice even though the rise of ai?

r/dataanalysis on Reddit: Is data analytics still a good career choice even though the rise of AI?

August 3, 2023 -

I keep seeing videos about how AI is gonna take over the data analytics field. I am about to do a bootcamp and wondering if I should just save my money and switch to a different career. What are your guys thoughts?

AI isn't going to affect data analytics. AI doesn't have domain knowledge. Can't tell if the results if a query are correct. It f any even write a query unless you feed ut most if the information. AI can't do visualizations either. AI today is a large language model trained on a ton of text. Take what you've get from it with a grain of salt

No fucking way anytime soon, I’m not saying that to cope, there’s just no way. There’s a vast difference between having chat GPT analyze a small data set, and doing the same in massive organizations with massive amounts of data and dozens of people with their hands on the data in some way. I do Business Intelligence, but my role mostly comprises of Data Analytics, governance and developing models. The amount of knowledge needed about the company is unbelievably nuanced and I just don’t see how an AI any time soon could manage it. And then there’s the issue of confidentiality. Is a company really willing to hand over all their data to a language model managed by another company? Idk about the others here but I have an NDA and not that I would ever want to, but I would be fucked if I disclosed privileged information to anyone outside of my company… and all of a sudden you would expect these companies to hand it all over? Would their clients be okay with that? Seems like a legal mess.

reddit.com › r/analytics › does anyone hate their career/job in data analytics?

Does Anyone Hate Their Career/Job In Data Analytics? : r/analytics

April 29, 2021 - But while on that job I got some opportunities to explore data analysis tools (SQL, python scripting) and found those really fun. I took lots of classes in my spare time (free online courses as well as stats courses at the local university) so that I could actually pursue Data Analysis. And y’know what, if you try doing Analytics for a while and realize you don’t like it much, that’s okay too.

reddit.com › r/analytics › is working data analyst suppose to be difficult?

r/analytics on Reddit: Is working data analyst suppose to be difficult?

September 25, 2020 -

Hi everyone,

Context: I have a degree in (traditional) engineering and worked 5 years in manufacturing/design engineer.

Reason: I got a job as a data analyst for an insurance company last year because I thought coding math with data was fun in my engineer role.

Situation: Hitting my 1 year mark and I have not gotten a good rest ever since I started working as an analyst. I have been incredibly stressed at work because 70% of time is trying to sell my model to stakeholders while having to explain every aspect of my model. I didnt have to deal with this amount of "interrogation" as an engineer(we built machines that potentially killed people if done incorrectly).

Most of my day to day work is pulling queries on sql, create BI dashboards, and working on predictive models. But so many of my models have been beaten and butchered down to the tiny details where I lost a lot of my self-confidence to produce anything. Only 2 things I am comfortable doing is pulling queries and creating/automating BI reports. But when it comes to my data analysis results or my model, they never seem to be happy with my explanation. My coworkers are slowly getting frustrated with me because I have not been able to provide value to the team. I talked to the manager on ways to improve but no matter how hard I try to improve, the next project always seems to bite my ass.

Is this what data analyst do on a regular basis or should I try other companies or am I not meant to be an analyst?

My manager told me that if I don't improve by the next the review, things will be bad.(IE: fired)

TLDR: Suck at being an analyst.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your advice! It really is great to hear different perspective from others. I may look into data engineering since I am more fond of building rather than finding insight.

Edit: when I mean by sell, I mean try to convince my model is correct, which I understand is part of the job. I guess it was different in engineering since if I can prove that a machine does what it's built to do then thats all the proof needed to sell. Different way of thinking.

Yes, this is what data analysts do with their time at most any other organization. Our job is not to code; it's to help the business make smarter decisions so much of your value is in presenting your findings and influencing decision-makers. Much of that involves taking your data and present it. If you aren't enjoying this part of the work, the code-heavy part of analytics is on the Data Engineering side of things. I'd ask your manager for some help transitioning to one of those teams, or reach out to some manager/director on the Database/DE teams to see if you can discuss the role to see if there's a match.

Hello fellow former engineer who moved to data/financial analyst that works in the insurance space! I have some good news and some bad news. As a entry level data analyst what you’re describing is a manager level problem. You’re pulling the data, doing the model and explain it and the results. The underlying data, it’s meaning, it’s source and understanding how this impacts the model is what your manager is suppressed to because they have experience with the data. They already know what the market expects, understands and frankly what they never understand. However, you mentioned you have 5 years of engineering experience which makes me believe that you got hired as a senior data analyst and not entry level. Here’s the bad news - as a senior you’re expected to be able to grasp these issues and work with the market. While you’re not expected to know then when you first start with the company, you’re expected to learn them fast so you can provide value for the team, your manager and prove your worth. It sounds like this is the area you’re struggling with - data cleaning, summarizing and understanding. Here’s what helped me - Know the “true source” or where the data originally comes from and what it means in the context for where it’s originating from - example - Paid can mean a million things - but paid by patient means it’s a copay they paid to their doctor. Know it comes from the claim forum the provider submits Keep an excel file with the true source or logic used to create every field in the tables you deal with everyday or manage. Become a SME on these. Understanding the data only come with asking a million questions to anyone and everyone that even partially understands the data. I was the guy who always had a question for the first 6 months of my job and it’s carried on today as a joke now but it paid serious dividends for me. TLDR: Yes, but only because your manager sucks or your hiring was to high for your experience Hope this helps!

reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › why do you like data analysis?

r/dataanalysis on Reddit: Why do you like data analysis?

April 14, 2023 -

Title. I have worked in data analytics for nearly 2 years and I wanted to ask the community, what do y’all like about the field? For me, creating a story with data is my favorite part. I love creating order from chaos.

Being able to work on my own 90% of the time as I hate dealing with people. I also love building Power BI reports and dashboards from scratch and enjoy coding.

A big need for me in my career is to always be learning. Data analysis is a career that’s constantly evolving. It’s a bonus (and also a much needed bonus) that the results (stories from the data) make me feel accomplished.

reddit.com › r/dataanalyst › is data analysis worth getting into? what are your experiences in this profession?

r/dataanalyst on Reddit: Is Data Analysis worth getting into? What are your experiences in this profession?

April 10, 2024 -

I'm on the fence if I should pursue this career path. I am nearing the end of my BA in Psychology, and while I love the subject, I don't see it being a sustainable career for me (maybe, I don't know). I have a minor in data in data analytics and am doing pretty well in all my courses related to statistics, data visualization, and other data oriented courses and projects. I have experience with R and a little bit of SPSS but I know a lot of data positions favor Python and SQL. Because of that, I'm thinking of furthering my education in a more data-oriented direction by getting a certificate in Python and then moving into a Masters in Data Analytics. BUT... that is a big commitment and I'm on the fence about what to do next. I talked to my professor but he didn't really give me a concrete answer.

So, is it a fulfilling career path? What are your experiences? What do you like/dislike about this field?

Analysts come from all kinds of fields and have different job descriptions. Even if most analysts say they have a fulfilling career, nobody can suggest, why you should be a data analyst or not be a psych major. Only you can judge that for yourself. Do you prioritize a certain work environment? do you prioritize money? do you prioritize the kind of work you have to do daily? or is it all of the above. Only you can answer for yourself if this is the right career path for you. I'm not sure influencing yourself using what others like/dislike about their careers is a good idea. You should maybe ask yourself why do you not want to make this commitment? Professors won't be able to tell you in concrete terms what you should do next, try a career counselor.

Now a days it seems like the best way to get in is by accident from doing something else. I feel like if you study it directly with no experience you will have too much competition to land anything.

reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › what is it like being a data analyst? hard? creative? boring?

r/dataanalysis on Reddit: What is it like being a data analyst? Hard? Creative? Boring?

July 27, 2022 -

I am a help desk technician and need to get more money (a lot more). I was looking around for Python jobs on indeed and most stuff that came up was data analyst. I had no idea what that was so I did some research and now I’m one week (course wise) into the google analytics certification.

Now that I know a little bit about data analytics, I’m curious to know what some real data analysts think of their jobs.

What do you do in a day? What is the relationship between you and your boss?

My greatest hang up with the idea right now is that they’re just going to tell me “we don’t have enough customers, figure out why”. Is that what happens?

Sort of. It's more like "We're trying to figure out why X has gone down?" And so you present management with data that shows them why, but the why turns out to be their pet project that they like very much and fought very hard for and so they don't like the answer and they do all they can to poke holes in it while another manager actually wants that data so they can throw the pet project manager under the bus and it all turns into a stupid squabble... But ultimately no one really gets held accountable, especially not you, and everyone forgets about it until next week when some new flavor of the week is all the rage... But yeah - the money is whole a lot better than my call center days. And honestly - the drama's higher-class drama than was in the ol' call center. So there's that. :) In addition to Python (I actually don't even known Python), I'd recommend developing skills in SQL, Excel, Powerpoint and - if you get the opportunity - Tableau. Google Analytics is good for web analytics specifically - which is a specific form of data analytics but not a generalist skillset. (It's the form I have a job in - and would recommend - web analytics pays better than general data analytics, but is also harder to get into because fewer jobs.)

I sit on my ass all day and do like 4 hours of actual work a week The hardest part of my day is pretending like I’m not doing exactly that when I meet with my boss

reddit.com › r/dataanalytics › is becoming a data analyst still a good career path in 2026?

r/dataanalytics on Reddit: Is becoming a data analyst still a good career path in 2026?

March 15, 2026 -

Hi everyone,

I’m currently exploring different career paths in tech, and data analytics is one of the fields I’m seriously considering. Before committing several months to learning it, I wanted to ask people who are already working in the field for some honest advice.

A bit about me:

I enjoy analytical thinking and understanding patterns in systems. I like figuring out why things happen the way they do and making sense of data or behavior. I’m interested in technology, digital products, games, and user behavior, and I find the idea of using data to understand decisions and trends very appealing. My major was Business Administration and I'm 26 years old.

At the same time, I’m trying to approach this realistically. I want to choose a field that has a healthy job market and good long-term opportunities.

My long-term goal would be to work in tech or product-driven companies and ideally build a career that could eventually open opportunities internationally.

I’m not choosing this field purely for money, but I do want a stable and reasonably well-paid career.

Before investing a lot of time into learning data analytics, I wanted to ask a few questions to people who are already working in the industry.

Here are the things I’m trying to understand:

Would you recommend data analytics as a career for someone starting today?
How does the current job market look for junior data analysts?
Is it difficult for someone with no prior experience to land their first job?
Realistically, how long does it take to reach a “junior-ready” level if someone studies consistently?
What do junior data analyst salaries typically look like?
What tools, programming languages, or skills should someone focus on learning to become a junior data analyst?
How concerned should beginners be about AI affecting data analyst jobs in the next 5–10 years?

Any honest insights or advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

As a former AI skeptic who had been using it more in the past few months, I'd be very concerned about AI as an entry level analyst. It allows me to spend a lot less time doing grunt work and spend a lot more time doing higher level thinking. Given how quickly these models have gone from really bad to actually useful, I can see them replacing the need for entry level positions. If I were in your shoes, I'd focus on developing higher level thinking skills and learning how to effectively use AI. I wouldn't worry as much on specific languages or techniques.

Yes and no. You'd be surprised by how many companies don't have strong data analytics / reporting in place. So yes, despite AI there's still plenty of work left for humans. Near term. But I'd say No, because the job "data analyst" is often quite boring, unless you like building dashboards and pulling reports/lists. A lot of people claim Data Analyst while not really being skilled at providing meaningful, actionable insight. Many can barely handle SQL. I don't see a long term future in "i can make viz in a BI tool," or "Here's a Google sheets file with the list of companies you asked for." Analysts dont directly generate revenue, and it's hard to quantify your impact...if you want to work in tech (esp remote) be prepared to deal with high competition, layoffs and unclear career paths. If you love data, I'd look for something more complex.

reddit.com › r/dataanalysiscareers › is learning data analytics in 2026 still worth it for freshers?

r/dataanalysiscareers on Reddit: Is learning Data Analytics in 2026 still worth it for freshers?

January 9, 2026 -

Hi everyone, I’m a fresher and currently planning my learning path for 2026. I’m looking for honest and practical advice from people who are already in the data field.

First of all, is Data Analytics still worth learning in 2026? I’ve heard very mixed opinions. Some people say the future is very bright, while others say there are almost no jobs for freshers.

I’ve also heard that many people complete full Data Analytics courses but still struggle to find a job for 3–4 months or even longer. So I want to understand — are jobs really that limited for freshers, or are these just exaggerated / fake claims?

If Data Analytics is still a good option, I would really appreciate guidance on a clear learning roadmap, for example: • Where should I learn Excel from? • Where should I learn SQL from? • Should I learn Python (and to what level)? • What about Power BI / Tableau? • In what order should a beginner learn these skills?

Also: • Are certifications like Google Data Analytics, IBM, Microsoft, etc. actually helpful for getting interviews? • Is self-learning + projects enough, or is a paid course necessary?

And if there is anyone here who is currently working as a Data Analyst, please share your personal experience: • How did you start? • How long did it take you to get your first job? • What skills mattered the most? • What mistakes should freshers avoid?

Thanks a lot in advance 🙏 Any genuine advice will be really helpful.

USA. graduated in 2023. worked remotely as a data analyst for 1.5 years with a promotion until a layoff. now i've been unable to get an interview, it's been a year.

The DA skills are very helpful for all kinds of positions that aren't DA. In the US at least, if you don't have at least five years of DA experience already, then it is an extremely tough job market. PL-300, the Microsoft certification for Power BI, is the only one that I've seen be considered of much value in DA and that is in some IT shops that are Microsoft shops. Most of the "certifications" or certificates do not really have the testing thoroughness that is useful for employers to give any weight to. The priority order is in most cases Excel->SQL->Power BI.

reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › is data analysis for me? it doesn't excite me .

r/dataanalysis on Reddit: Is data analysis for me? It doesn't excite me .

June 11, 2024 -

Freshman stats major student here. Just did a bar chart to visualise average movie budgets by genre. I'm new to this, it was so boring and kinda frustrating. I hate excel. Each row has more than one genre info . How can I automate filtering by genre name and calculating average budget of filtered values?

Might not be for you. I personally love messing with Data. Shit makes me happy to take someones request and figure out how to acheive those results into a meaninful report/visualization and help them gain insights into what is going on within their area.

Sometimes it takes being good at something to begin to enjoy it. As a stats major, Excel is unavoidable, so you’ll have to learn it regardless. And to answer your specific question, if you’re trying to calculate average budget by a specific value, you can potentially use AVERAGEIFS which will only average values in a column if they meet a number if criteria you set.

reddit.com › r/dataanalyst › what is like to be a data analyst?

r/dataanalyst on Reddit: What is like to be a data analyst?

October 22, 2025 -

For context, I am a student who notoriously switches majors. I’ve bounced between psychiatry to pharmacy to law to computer science to biochem to human resources and am now considering data analysis. I can never make up my mind. I’m intelligent enough to get a degree anywhere and although math isn’t my favorite, it’s something I can do very well in. I’m tired of wasting my time and taking more gap semesters than actually being in school. I’ve completed all my associates degree credits and it’s beyond time I settle into a major and buckle down to finish a Bachelor’s degree. I really am looking for something flexible that I can do from home because I would really like to become a mother one day soon. I think data analysis can be that for me. I’ve done some research but would love to hear from people actually in that line of work.

What is your day to day like? Do you enjoy what you do or dread it daily? Is it really a lot of math or more just getting used to programs and tools to analyze data? Was it difficult to get into? Why did you choose it? Would you go a different direction if you could, and why?

Tell me EVERYTHING, please!! I am sick of feeling directionless. I need to get on with the show!!

Get coffee. While waiting for coffee, go through a mental checklist of things that need to be done (what is priority, what data pulls will take the longest, how to resolve that one insight that is driving you up the wall). Log in. Open email. Suppress the panic as ALL the emails and notifications pile up. While the inbox is still loading, check dashboards to see if they are broken. If yes, that takes top priority. Check calendar. If there are meetings, make notes on how much this will delay other things. Email is now loaded. Check notifications to see if anything broke over night. If yes, investigate immediately. Then sort through requests to see which are priority (leadership gets dibs, followed by "fires", followed by new requests) and what will need time (data request, need additional info). Post in Slack what is on my queue and hope that bossman doesn't add "one more thing." Start the data pipelines that will take the longest to run. Go to bathroom and poo. Start work. If you come in at 8am and are lucky, all of the above is done before 10am. Now you can actually start crunching numbers (between meetings). In all seriousness... analysis is mostly... getting asked a question asking clarifying questions yourself finding and pulling data looking through/manipulating data to see if it answers the question transforming data into simple numbers graphs that are digestible then spinning a story with the numbers and charts for people with 30 second attention spans and an unhealthy love of PowerPoint presentations. Now... here are my questions: What part of a project to you generally gravitate towards? How are you with people? Especially people with... difficult personalities? How well do you communicate your thoughts? How do you handle tedium? These questions are not specific to data analytics, but there is crossover.

Hey, as a DA at Bix. Here's the basic version: • Data Detective (60%): A lot of my time is spent pulling data from different places (using SQL) and cleaning it up. It's not so much "math" as it is puzzle-solving to make messy data usable. • Finding the "Aha!" (20%): This is the fun part. I use tools like Tableau or Python to dig in and find the story. (e.g., "Why did sales drop?" -> "Oh, the checkout button was broken on Android.") • Storytelling (20%): I take that "aha" moment and put it into a simple chart or dashboard that a non-data person (like a manager) can understand in 30 seconds. On your points: You don't need to be a math wizard, just logical. It's perfect for remote work. If you like solving puzzles, you'll probably enjoy it. My advice: Grab a free dataset from Kaggle, open it in Google Sheets, and try to answer one simple question. You'll know right away if you like the process.

reddit.com › r/dataanalysis › any regrets?

r/dataanalysis on Reddit: Any regrets?

October 21, 2023 -

Hi, currently taking courses to become a Data Analyst and I was wondering if anyone ever felt any regrets when picking up the career. I know that I want to become a Data Analyst after I graduate but I'm still a bit anxious about the work field. Any advice would be great!

edit: Hi everyone, I just wanted to thank everyone for taking time out of their day for responding. I really appreciate all the advice as the school I attend just now made a data analytics major which is how I'm able to learn about the field, but unfortunately its lacking some information that I had no clue existed so the advice on and reading about personal experiences was very helpful! Thank you all.

0 regrets. However, I enjoy coding, math/stats, learning about how to provide data-driven insights and the data viz aspect of things. For context, I started college as an Art Major and graduated with a Business Major; no post-grad schooling. I thrive on the ability to own the evolution of logical tact toward insightful visualizations: it allows me to satisfy both the concrete and creative sides of my brain. Disclosure: not all DA jobs allow for both. Some are more focused on the data wrangling/reporting, some more on the viz side, e.g. Tableau, and some provide the freedom to do both. Test it out. Either way, the skills you learn along the way will edify you both personally and professionally regardless of what direction you elect. 👍🏽

Not getting into it sooner. And not learning to code earlier when it easier to absorb. Other than that I have absolutely zero regrets. I fucking love this job. Even my worst days as a data analyst are better than my best days working any other job.