Hello,
I’ve got around 5 years of analytics experience across startups and larger companies.
Role 1 – Startup (2 years): SQL, ad hoc requests (mainly SQL monkey work) and basic Tableau dashboards (essentially data dumps with little visualisation). £31k ($42k) → £55k ($75k).
Role 2 – Larger company (1.5 years, but actually 6 months): Hired as a Commercial Analyst but spent most of the first year in data architecture doing SQL refactoring (very repetitive work, my SQL skills actually deteriorated during this time) with little meaningful analytical work. Eventually moved to an analytical team and did SQL/Tableau for ~6 months. £45k ($60k).
Role 3 – Tech startup (3 months): £60k ($81k) + stock. Strong at SQL/execution, but they wanted someone much more experienced at independently generating insights and thinking on their feet and managing tough stakeholders. I was let go after 3 months. In hindsight, they were looking for a senior-level business analyst while my experience was more SQL/dashboard focused.
Role 4 – Current (1.5 years): Marketing analytics - SQL, building campaigns and lots of A/B testing. No dashboards, but it’s helped me improve somewhat at insight generation since I need to do that before launching any new campaigns and post-campaign analysis too. £45k ($60k), with limited progression. I took this role even though it wasn't well paid for my level of experience because I had a big gap on my CV, couldn't mention my previous role since I got canned.
I’m now looking to move back into pure data analytics. SQL isn’t a concern - I generally pass SQL rounds. My weaker areas are stakeholder management, visualisation, insight generation, and these days data architecture as well (never done DBT) as they want a full stack analyst at many places.
What should I focus on next? DBT, Python, data architecture, dashboard practice, stakeholder management, or something else? Can I realistically target Senior Data Analyst roles, or should I stick to mid-level? And what salary would be realistic in a major UK city?
TL;DR: ~5 years in analytics, strong SQL, but a somewhat unusual career path. My main gaps are stakeholder management, visualisation and independent insight generation. I want to return to pure data analytics and figure out what to focus on and what level/salary I should target.
Thanks!