Want to be a data analyst? Well there are three main ways to become one.

1. Learn for Free

2. Pay to Learn

3. Get Paid to Learn

Here's how you can do each 👇

📚 Learning for Free

A lot of people want to start their data journey without spending any money. And I get it. I think that's smart, especially when you are JUST starting. You have to know you ACTUALLY like this stuff before you spend $30,000+ on a degree.

Luckily for us, the internet offers a treasure trove of free educational materials that can help you build a solid foundation in data analytics.

📺 Utilizing YouTube and Podcasts

YouTube and podcasts are two of the best platforms for free learning. They often provide high-quality content that rivals traditional education, allowing you to learn quickly and at your own pace.

I'm biased but this is my favorite Youtube channel 😉

And my favorite data podcast 😜

💻 Online Learning Platforms

In addition to video platforms, websites like Khan Academy and W3Schools offer structured courses on various topics, including SQL and data analytics. While these resources are easily accessible and free, they may lack interactive support, which can be crucial when you encounter challenges.

They also don't have much of a community which makes the learning process boring and lonely.

💰 Paying to Learn

The problem with free resources is

1. They often are a bit superficial

2. There is no help when you get stuck

Notice I said "when" not "if" you get stuck. That's part of becoming a data analyst--you will get stuck.

If you feel like free resources just aren't cutting it, paying to learn is a good option. Don't let pride of being "self-taught" stand in your way. There are loads of options out there, from regular degrees to boot camps and online courses. Let's talk about pros and cons.

🎓Traditional College Education

Obtaining a college degree in data analytics can provide a comprehensive education.

However, this route is often the most expensive, with costs ranging from $10,000 to $60,000, even if it's all online. Some of the material might be a bit outdated and not relevant to industry. I see this a lot with teaching SAS, R, and SPSS.

Plus there's never any real, helpful career advice or services.

👢 Boot Camps

Data boot camps offer a more condensed educational experience, usually lasting between six to twelve months and costing between $10,000 and $30,000. These programs are designed to try to teach you as much as you can possible handle as quickly as possible.

But often, they just throw a BUNCH of skills at you.

I see a lot of data analyst bootcamps teaching JavaScript all the time. JS is used in maybe, maybe 1% of data analyst roles. If you want to spend two weeks of your life dedicated to less than 1% of data openings, go ahead. But it's a hard pass for me.

Many universities "run" bootcamps with their brand and name attached to it, when the actual work is outsourced to someone else.

I would know, I ran MIT's Data Engineer Bootcamp for a year. 🤣

Plus, a lot of times, these bootcamps are quite expensive, costing close to $20,000.

If you want a data BootCamp you can trust, at a fraction of the price, consider The Accelerator. It's affordable, fast, and focuses on LANDING A JOB--not just learning a bunch of buzzwords

📰 Online Certifications

Certificates from companies like Google and IBM can also serve as affordable learning options. They can be a good place to start, but they're not all what they're cracked up to be.

They can honestly take forever to complete.

They aren't super relevant (for example, you spend forever on R--and you just don't need to).

You just don't really get any hands-on learning; it's all kinda just boring lectures.

Plus, there is no coaching or community if you get stuck or lose motivation.

👨‍🎓 Getting Paid to Learn

Alright, I'm guessing if you're anything like me, you're most interested in this one.

Who wouldn't want to get paid while picking up some new skills? It's totally doable and honestly pretty common in the data world.

👔 Entry-Level Data Positions

Contrary to what you might think, many data jobs do not actually require you to know everything about data before landing the job. Some positions just require Excel, and only Excel. These type of roles will help you get your foot in the door and then learn the rest on the job.

There are plenty of jobs that will allow you on to learn on the job.

In fact, companies want you to learn on the job for two reasons:

1. it's cheaper than hiring someone who already knows everything

2. data is always changing and if your employees aren't learning, you're falling behind.

Fun, secret fact: I didn't know SQL until I landed my second data job...please don't tell anyone that, okay?

But my second data job actually paid me to learn it on the job.

How cool is that?

🏫 How Companies Pay Employees to Learn Data

Companies may pay for online courses or in-person training sessions. Some companies will even cover things like bachelor's or master's degrees.

Even if companies don't have a formal employee education structure or program (and it's rare they don't). You'll still get paid to learn by learning on the job.

Just learning from your colleagues, or spending time to Google and read online tutorials online at your desk is you getting paid to learn.

This is BOUND to happen at all data jobs, at every level.

It's not rare, it's necessary.

🔑 How to Become a Data Analyst

Becoming a data analyst is an achievable goal, whether you choose to learn for free, pay for your education, or get paid to learn. By leveraging the right resources and opportunities, you can develop the skills necessary to thrive in this exciting field. Remember, the key is to start learning the basics and then continue to grow your expertise on the job.

If you're looking to get your foot in the data door as quickly as possible so you can get paid to learn the rest, consider joining the next cohort of The Data Analytics Accelerator.

We're all about helping you get paid to learn ASAP.