🧠 How to Become a Data Analyst from Scratch (Even as a High School Student!)

Jashan Gill
2 days ago
2 min read

Data is everywhere. From your favorite apps tracking user behavior to companies making billion-dollar decisions — it's all powered by data analysis. And guess what? You don’t need a college degree or expensive bootcamp to get started.

Whether you're in high school or just starting out, this guide will walk you through:

What a data analyst actually does
What skills you really need (and what you can skip)
Free and paid resources to learn those skills
A roadmap to build your portfolio and land your first opportunity

🔍 What Does a Data Analyst Do?

At its core, a data analyst helps businesses make decisions using data. They collect, clean, and analyze data to spot trends and solve problems. Their work often involves:

Extracting data from databases
Cleaning messy data
Creating charts and dashboards
Presenting insights to teams or stakeholders

🧭 What to Learn (and What to Skip)

✅ Must-Learn Skills:

Excel or Google Sheets - Still one of the most used tools in data analysis. Learn formulas, pivot tables, charts, and basic dashboards.
SQL (Structured Query Language) - You’ll use SQL to extract data from databases. It’s essential!
Data Visualization Tools - Tools like Tableau, Power BI, or even Looker Studio help tell compelling stories with data.
Python (with Pandas & Matplotlib) - Python is great for automation, data manipulation, and analysis at scale. Focus on:
- Pandas for dataframes and wrangling
- Matplotlib and Seaborn for charts
- Jupyter Notebooks for interactive analysis
Basic Statistics - Know how to calculate averages, medians, standard deviations, and interpret data distributions.

❌ You Can Skip (For Now):

Deep learning and neural networks
Advanced machine learning algorithms
Cloud computing and big data platforms (nice-to-have but not essential at start)
Heavy-duty software engineering skills

🛠️ Free & Paid Resources to Learn

🎓 Free Resources:

Skill	Resource
Excel	Excel Easy
SQL	SQLBolt
Python	W3Schools Python
Python	Kaggle Learn (Intro to Pandas, Python)
Tableau	Tableau Free Training
Stats	Khan Academy Statistics

💸 Paid Resources (Optional, but Worth It):

Data Analyst Track – DataCamp (~$25/month): Offers interactive coding environments.
Google Data Analytics Certificate – Coursera (~$39/month): Industry-recognized and beginner-friendly.
Udemy Courses:
- The Data Analyst Bootcamp
- SQL for Data Analysis

💼 How to Practice & Build a Portfolio

Download Real Datasets - Use websites like Kaggle, Data.gov, or Google Dataset Search
Do Small Projects
- Analyze Netflix viewing trends
- Compare popular YouTube channels
- Create a dashboard showing your monthly expenses
Share Your Work
- Post on LinkedIn
- Write short Medium articles explaining your analysis
- Create a free website to showcase your portfolio using Wix or GitHub Pages

🚀 Final Words

You don’t need a fancy degree or years of experience to start your data journey. Start small, stay consistent, and keep building. Who knows? Your first dashboard could open doors to internships, freelance gigs, or even full-time roles!

🧠 Ready to become a data detective? Let’s go!