Education · 1 of 5

The path

A degree helps, but what gets you hired is proving you can answer a question with real data.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Statistics and any programming class. Learn spreadsheets properly. Almost every analyst still lives in them.

2. 2

   Degree

   2 to 4 years

   Statistics, economics, mathematics, computer science, information systems or a science with heavy quantitative work. Any major works if you can show the skills.

3. 3

   Learn the three core tools

   6 to 18 months, overlapping school

   SQL (Structured Query Language) for pulling data, Python or R for analysis, and a dashboard tool for showing results. SQL is the one every job posting asks for.

4. 4

   Build a portfolio

   During school

   Three or four projects on public data where you asked a real question, cleaned messy data and explained the answer. This matters more than your GPA.

5. 5

   First job, then specialize

   Ongoing

   Start as an analyst, then choose: deeper statistics toward data science, engineering toward pipelines, or business toward strategy.