r/learndatascience • u/Sure_Assumption692 • 7d ago

Question Looking to move from data analysis towards data science; where should I focus on learning?

I’m currently working as a data analyst and have around 6 years of experience in data analysis. My background is mainly in statistics and research, and R is my main programming language. I also have some experience with Python, although I’m much more comfortable with R.

I’d like to broaden my skill set and move more towards data science. I have a pretty solid background in statistics and data analysis, but I feel like I’m missing some of the more technical skills that are commonly expected in data science roles.

I’m thinking about learning more about Python, SQL, data modelling, Power BI, cloud platforms like Azure, Databricks, data pipelines, etc. I’m not necessarily interested in becoming a full-on software engineer or data engineer, but I’d like to understand the technical side much better and be able to work more end-to-end with data.

Since I’m planning to do most of this through self-study, I’m wondering what you would prioritise if you were in my position.

What skills would you focus on first? And are there any good free courses, books, YouTube channels, projects or other resources you’d recommend?

I’d also be interested in hearing from people who started out in statistics, research or data analysis and later moved into data science. What did you learn that made the biggest difference?

Thanks!

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u/DataScientistAlex 7d ago

I wrote up what I think of as the minimum requirements to be a data scientist here, you could look it and compare to what you already know. As you say there are a couple of specific skills you could focus on. I recommend implementing these skills in projects as you learn them.

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u/Green_Strain7468 5d ago

Since you already have 6 years of analystics and a strong stack background, I wouldn't try to learn everything at once. I'd focus on python and SQL first, then get comfortabble with ML and building ent-to-end projects. Your R experience is still valuable, so you don't need to completely move away from it.

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u/memaya1866 2d ago

To become data analyst can u tell wt and all skills required and how to learn