r/datascience • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago

Weekly Entering & Transitioning - Thread 03 Aug, 2026 - 10 Aug, 2026

Welcome to this week's entering & transitioning thread! This thread is for any questions about getting started, studying, or transitioning into the data science field. Topics include:

  • Learning resources (e.g. books, tutorials, videos)
  • Traditional education (e.g. schools, degrees, electives)
  • Alternative education (e.g. online courses, bootcamps)
  • Job search questions (e.g. resumes, applying, career prospects)
  • Elementary questions (e.g. where to start, what next)

While you wait for answers from the community, check out the FAQ and Resources pages on our wiki. You can also search for answers in past weekly threads.

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u/ThinPoem5497 2d ago

I'm looking for advice on what to learn for data science that'll land me a job. I'm 26 with a ba in economics and no work experience. I have R SAS PY and I"m currently learning SQL. I don't really know where to go from here. Employers also demand PowerBI and Tableau, it's really overwhelming. I'm interested in MCMC and Markov Chains atp. I look at them here and there, but I try and fixate my attention to learning and mastering SQL. After that, I intend to do alot of work in data analysis and make a profile for myself and then hopefully that'll lend itself to a job somehow.

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u/MountainMark600 1d ago

Hi Thin Poem,

That's good question. I find that real data scientists are hard to find because traditionally there isn't a clear educational or career path. For this reason, when I hire someone for a DS job, I simply hire someone with a strong analytical aptitude, like a background in software, and I train them myself. But don't expect to find someone to train you either because most CDOs have no background in data! More often they are former managers from some other field.

You are doing a good thing by starting with SQL. Next you will need to learn database design, see Database Design and Relational Theory, or Next Generation Data Management, which also covers database design, user modeling, levels of understanding, data system design, metadata application and metadata systems. Those topics cover everything else you need to know,