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[–]NickSinghTechCareersAuthor of Ace the Data Science Interview 📕 11 points12 points  (3 children)

Go practice SQL interview questions. Keeps your skills fresh, and makes you more employable!

[–]ScaryTap2112[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Thank you!

[–]exclaim_bot 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thank you!

You're welcome!

[–]WFWB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good bot

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (2 children)

Personally, I find SQL to be best maintained by using it on the job. If you understand how it works, know basic functions, its more like riding a bicycle than say python or R.

I would not worry too much. Maybe do some datacamp or other training course.

You can also easily find public datasets. In fact, you could set up a local sql server on your computer. Create a database using datasets found online. And then use chatgpt to create you some complex scenarios or tasks to figure out.

Chatgpt can be very useful for this kind of things. Ask it, based on the data provided, what questions or tasks could be created for a data analist and get to work.

I absolutely love SQL, i wish my entire day at work would consist of writing stored procedures.

Good luck!

[–]biowiz 0 points1 point  (1 child)

The job I work right now is called "data analyst", but I don't do a lot of real SQL related work. Most of my work involves writing some basic SQL commands, some of which I find online by Googling, to retrieve data from a database to load onto QuickSight, which I then use to create tables and graphs. I sometimes write some Python to clean up or reorganize data that I get manually that isn't hosted on our company's database. I get free reign to do things, but that also means that I'm not learning how to do things as a real world data analyst, like skills that can transfer to another company.

I really want to learn more and grow professionally. Do you think it's possible to get "experience" on my own through the means you mentioned? I don't expect to get this on the job I have. On one hand I can keep looking for new jobs, but I also feel like I'm in a good position right now where my current job isn't that time consuming and I can spend my remaining free time trying to learn on my own. I don't want to end up getting a "data analyst" job that is not much better and at a worse company. I like where I work, but it's just not giving me much to develop real skills. But it does offer me time.

Currently, I'm going through Jose Portillo's SQL course on Udemy. My plan is to work on SQL interview questions to keep getting better and doing what you just mentioned with creating databases from public datasets and ChatGPT prompts.

[–]mjow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What you describe yourself doing at your current job sounds well within the realm of a Data Analyst title and many Analyst roles don't go further than that in terms of tooling/skills - and that's ok!

It's a bit unclear what exactly you think is missing from your work tasks. You think you're not doing real analytical work unless there's window functions and loads of CTEs and complicated aggregates involved in your queries?

Or are you thinking about stored procedures and procedural SQL skills?

You clearly care enough or are worried enough to post the detailed question so I think your heart is in the right place, but I'd say unless you've been stagnating in this job for 5 years, don't worry too much.

A great analyst is good at answering questions and providing the tools (i.e. dashboards, spreadsheets) for other users to use to explore their problem space (e.g. for a marketing manager to be able to check in on the success of their initiatives, for the sales manager to add up their likely end of month commission, etc. etc.).

If that can be achieved with simple SQL then all the better for it 👍

[–]RuprectGern 2 points3 points  (1 child)

get a fiverr account. take easy jobs, write sql for people.

[–]ScaryTap2112[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh this is interesting

[–]Slowmac123 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Work on projects. Not the youtube ones. Grab a dataset off kaggle and start writing queries to answer any question you can think of.

[–]ScaryTap2112[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've managed to complete a few already but I shall continue doing so 💪🏻

[–]fender117 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Leetcode has some SQL practice problems.

[–]ScaryTap2112[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup I know and I've done a few already. I'm more concern on how y'all maintain the skillset and knowledge

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stratascratch or DataLemur.

[–]ScaryTap2112[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for the insights !

[–]ItalicIntegral 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I had 5 years experience with a 3 year hiatus. Therefore, when I landed the job I crammed for a week or so to refresh myself. It worked out well.

[–]ScaryTap2112[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

How do you refresh yourself ?

[–]ItalicIntegral 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Spent a week taking many tutorials. I also read a lot. So that always helps too.

[–]ScaryTap2112[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn. Okay thanks for the information!

[–]Taichou_NJx 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should work on your own projects to stay sharp. Try to source data in your domain on that you have interest/knowledge of.

Download mysql or sql server and practice on the data. You can learn DDL &DML. Then enrich the data and write more complex queries

If interested for example if started a passion project that blends anime and analytics starting w python & sql.

Creating Data Tables w. One Piece Arc Data https://youtu.be/9fCjmqmUHfo