🎉 Elijah Butler: How to go From Junior Data Analyst to Senior Data Analyst
Avery Smith
📈 I help people land their first data job (even with no experience) 📊 Join 10k+ other analysts & get my newsletter! 🎙️ Host of The Data Career Podcast
A lot of you have been asking me how to go from junior data analyst to senior data analyst.
Well, meet my friend Elijah Butler. He went from junior to senior data analyst in a little less than 3 years. And you can too, here’s the 3 things Elijah did 👇
💻 Upskilled His Skills
Elijah, like so many of you, was always proactively upskilling.
At his job, he was using Excel & Power BI, and learning lots there.
If you didn’t know, when you land your first data job, the company will often actually PAYS YOU to learn data skills. That’s why in The Accelerator, we try to help you get your foot in the door as soon as possible—so you can get paid to learn.
However, at his current role, he wasn’t using Python (most data analyst jobs don’t, by the way - I wrote about that previously here).
So Elijah went above and beyond and learned Python outside his work. Often, learning these type of skills outside of the work can help you easily go from junior to senior.
But remember, data skills aren’t enough. You need the full SPN Method.
🤝 Networked Effectively
Elijah actually got this promotion to Senior Data Analyst by networking. Someone saw one of his LinkedIn posts and realized he’d be a great addition to their team.
LinkedIn is a great place to network online—it’s the modern professional meeting spot.
It can be hard to know where or how to start…but you can start off by just commenting on a post once a day (takes 3 minutes).
Recommended by LinkedIn
It’s an easy way to start networking in a friendly way.
👔 Took More Leadership Over His Projects
Many of you might be surprised to learn that as a junior data analyst, the expectation isn't for you to always know exactly what to do.
A lot of the time, your boss or teammates will outline what they need, and you'll execute their instructions.
So, if you haven't landed your first data job yet, don't stress too much about not feeling 100% confident in leading a data project…
That’s what Senior Data Analysts are for 😊
I’m thinking you might be next to get that big promotion.
Data Analytics | SQL | Excel | Python | R | Tableau | Storytelling | HIM
2moGreat post with some very important insights Avery Smith 👍
Data Analyst | Marketing Data Analyst | Media Buyer | Power BI | Tableau | MySql
2moOoo I can't wait to listen to this.
Client-centric Professional | Account Management | Insight-Driven Decision Maker | Passionate About Delivering Exceptional Customer Experiences | Tech Enthusiast
2moThank you for this advice. It's good to know I am on the right path to getting my first job.
Woohoo! Skills, projects, and network - the key ingredients for a successful data career journey. Getting that first job is crucial, then the doors open! Avery Smith
Data/Business Analyst || Make insightful decisions for business growth || Excel || Power BI || SQL ||Tableau
2moGreat insights! It’s so true that once you get your foot in the door, the opportunities for growth and support really expand