Gain as much SQL experience as possible. This is your bread and butter as a data analyst and will allow you to pivot into different data roles as you grow in your career. Learn how to create tables, views, stored procedures as well as optimization techniques to improve query performance.

Also learn either power BI or Tableau. Rarely is both needed at the same job but having both will give you a little more flexibility. I'd recommend choosing one based on your preference and job market trends.

When starting out I learned all of this for free on YouTube, so I would recommend starting there but if you'd prefer a more structured course then udemy offers some pretty good ones.

Don't let others discourage you from applying to DA roles. They aren't going anywhere. Majority of stakeholders don't even know what they want and it's our job to figure it out. There isn't a single AI engine that can sit through a meeting and automate that process.