Data
Data Analyst.
Data analysts ask precise questions, clean and query data, summarize patterns, visualize results, and explain what the numbers mean for a team or business.
Median time
9
5–12 months
Nodes
32
8 phases
Proof artifacts
3
portfolio-worthy
Hours est.
~200
across the path
What people in this role actually do
Turns messy data into clear insights, dashboards, and recommendations for business decisions.
A typical week mixes deep focus with collaboration — the hardest cognitive work up front, and coordination, reviews, and planning around it.
Skills you'll build
8 core competencies, ranked by importance
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheets applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
SQL
SQL applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
Statistics basics
Statistics basics applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
Dashboard design
Dashboard design applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
Data cleaning
Data cleaning applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
Visualization
Visualization applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
Business interpretation
Business interpretation applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
Insight storytelling
Insight storytelling applied to Data Analyst work, including practical judgment, communication, and quality expectations.
Tools of the trade
Career progression
Typical titles, not the only path
Step 1
Junior Analyst
Step 2
Data Analyst
Step 3
Senior Analyst
Step 4
Analytics Manager or Analytics Engineer
Proof-of-skill projects
Portfolio artifacts that prove the skill
Sales performance dashboard
Clean a sales dataset, define metrics, build a dashboard, and summarize decisions.
SQL cohort analysis
Write SQL queries to inspect retention patterns and explain user behavior.
Executive insight memo
Answer one business question with charts, caveats, and a recommended action.