SQL changed my life.

I know it is a bold statement to make but learning SQL was a pivotal moment in my life and my career.

Let me explain you.

Why I chose to learn SQL?

About two years ago, I wasn’t sure about what I was going to do. I have just finished my Master’s degree and I was looking for jobs on LinkedIn. I applied for a handful of jobs that were relevant to my studies.

However, there was a catch: None of them had any technical skills as prerequisite – and yes, I don’t consider Microsoft Office as a technical skill, maybe Microsoft Excel but we will get to that later.

At that time, I was quite proficient in Microsoft Excel and I have used IBM SPSS Statistics for my thesis. But still none of these skills were attractive enough to get me some interviews.

Luckily, there was an opportunity to work in a company as a reporting (data) analyst. My main task was to produce many kinds of reports based on its custom-made ERP & CRM system. This meant that I have to give up Excel spreadsheets and start using SQL. At the beginning, I was quite hesitant but I remember my mentor said to me, “Why don’t you give it a try? In case you don’t like it, at least you’ll know it”.

And so I did and I don’t regret it at all.

The first weeks were pretty demanding as I had little programming experience and I had to move to a role that required intermediate SQL. But as soon as I nailed the fundamentals, I was confident enough to use SQL for more difficult tasks.

Why should you learn SQL?

Okay, here are the main reasons to learn SQL:
  • SQL is still in high demand. A lot of companies are looking for people that are proficient in it. Also, it’s quite common for data analyst interviews to have SQL screening tests (it happened to me twice).
  • SQL is easy to learn and use. Compared to other programming languages, SQL has a smooth learning curve, especially for someone that doesn’t have any programming experience at all.
  • SQL improves your problem solving & analytical skills. Many times you have to deal with difficult or unexpected situations.
  • SQL is faster than Microsoft Excel. It can take minutes in SQL to do what it takes nearly an hour in Excel. Don’t get me wrong, Microsoft is an excellent tool (especially now that has Power Query). But what are you going to do if you have a ton of data to manipulate?

How can I learn SQL?

If you decide to go for it , I highly recommend the following courses. The first one is for beginners and the second one is more for intermediates, nonetheless both of them helped me a lot to learn SQL for data analysis. John is a great instructor and teaches you how to use SQL to solve real-world business problems.

Another useful link is w3schools. It’s very well organized and documented and you can find the most used SQL commands. Also, if you don’t want to spend any money, Youtube has some great free videos as well. Just search for “SQL” and see which one fits your needs.

What really changed in my life?

About two years ago, I was lost and I haven’t find how I can make a real impact. Today, I am working as a Data Analyst and although I can not say that I know coding (one can dream, right?), I always challenge myself to go the extra mile. Learning SQL was the spark I needed to explore new things, like data visualization and UI/UX, and to make my work and consequently my life more meaningful.

And if it changed my life for the better, it can change yours too.