If you're thinking about doing the Google Data Analytics Certificate, you need to hear this: DON'T. In this episode, I list five reasons why it is a waste of time.

The ONLY Framework to Become a Data Analyst in 2025 (SPN Method): https://youtu.be/XUxWQgh3soo?si=v3SQV3zJ4h0jH1uQ

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction

00:11 - Reason 1: Certificates Don't Matter in the Data Industry

02:45 - Reason 2: The Course Teaches the Wrong Skills

06:32 - Reason 3: The Course is Slow and Theoretical

09:21 - Reason 4: Lack of Projects and Portfolios

14:15 - Reason 5: No Career or Networking Support

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

🎯 I analyzed 2,893 data analyst job postings so you don’t have to, and here’s what I found: **You might be wasting your time learning the wrong skills.** Find out how to pivot your career the data-driven way and stay ahead of the game.

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

02:28 - FindADataJob.com.

04:04 - Most In-demand skills in 2025.

06:22 - Live Data at DataAnalystSkills.com

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

Megan Bowers took an unconventional path to break into the data world. Starting from a self-guided Data Science Bootcamp, she shared her journey through blogging and gained millions of views, and then BOOM! Job offers and monetization opportunities flooded. This is her story.

📌 Interested in blogging for my publication? Get on this interest list: https://tally.so/r/3l4xQW

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction

03:28 - Gaining traction and recognition through blogging.

07:08 - Career Growth and transition to Alteryx.

14:18 -  Leveraging and advertising your domain expertise.

19:25 - What is a Data Journalist?

22:21 - Writing content.

24:29 - What is Alteryx?

🔗 CONNECT WITH MEGAN

🎥 YouTube Podcast Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSLx4WE4q501UZjL3Hx-DiS4zyeePEN2

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megandibble1/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alteryx/

💻 Alteryx Website: https://www.alteryx.com/

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

YOU want to break into data analytics but not sure where to start? This interactive choose-your-own-adventure episode will help you! Get ready to make real-life decisions that will shape your data career. Play now and see where your choices take you.

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ Control this audio using these timestamps:

1:54 - 1 - Data Scientist

3:48 - 2 - Data Analyst

5:42 - 3 - Python

7:36 - 4 - SQL

9:30 - 5 - Keep Learning

11:24 - 6 - Browse Some Jobs

13:18 - 7 - Move On

15:12 - 8 - Apply

17:06 - 9 - Try to Network

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Cindy Clifford, a seasoned educator of 25 years, refused to let age or past career define her. She used her skills honed as a teacher and pivoted to data analytics! If you feel you're too old to pivot and become a data analyst, it's never too late-- dive into Cindy's story.

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction

01:26 - Burnout with teaching.

11:34 - Cindy's first data role.

13:04 - FindADataJob.com and PremiumDataJobs.com.

19:14 - Cindy's second data job.

30:10 - Advice for teachers who want to become a data analyst.

🔗 CONNECT WITH CINDY

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-a-clifford/

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

Jen Hawkins went from delivering pizzas to becoming a six-figure data analyst at a FAANG company in just 17 weeks. In our chat, she shares her Data Accelerator Program journey, how she used her background and new skills to stay motivated, land job offers, and eventually achieve her dream role.

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

Jen Hawkins' Confessions of an Accidental Delivery Driver: Tableau Supply Chain Project:

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction

00:30 - The Struggles and Turning Points

07:49 - Transitioning to a Data Analyst Role

19:46 - Life as a Data Analyst at a FAANG Company

🔗 CONNECT WITH JEN:

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeandriska/

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

I talk with job search expert Steve Dalton about his radical approach to landing your dream job-- WITHOUT applying online! As the author of 'The Job Closer' and 'The 2-Hour Job Search, Steve advocates for a networking-based strategy and explains the importance of asking for advice rather than referrals.

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ TIMESTAMPS - How to Become a Data Analyst w/o Applying 1000 Jobs

00:00 - Introduction

02:18 - Steps to effective job searching

05:06 - The 2-Hour Job Search

10:54 - Asking strangers for advice vs. applying online

18:35 - Earned referrals vs. online referrals

20:24 - PremiumDataJobs.com and DataFairy.io

24:37 - Effective outreach messages

27:18 - The Role of AI in Job Searching

28:16 - The 6-Point Email

34:00 - Ed Bernier's "Three-Hour Rule"

38:57 - Advice for job seekers

🔗 CONNECT WITH STEVE

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daltonsteve/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalton_steve/

🎵 X: https://x.com/dalton_steve

💻 Website: https://2hourjobsearch.com/

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

In this episode I'll show you what it takes to land data analyst jobs! I'll provide in-depth insights and tips for six data analyst positions with salaries ranging from $35K to $200K-- and why should you apply even if you don't meet all the requirements.

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

No College Degree As A Data Analyst Playlist: https://youtu.be/mSWtnjq4LRE?si=FlfChqSxIPBXc_Lb

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

Data Analyst Jobs: How Much $$$ Could You ACTUALLY Make???

00:00 - Introduction

00:21 - Data Analyst Job #1: Data Specialist ($35k)

04:00 - Data Analyst Job #2: Business and Data Analyst ($55k)

07:48 - Data Analyst Job #3: Data Visualization Analyst ($75k)

10:21 - Data Analyst Job #4: Senior Financial Analyst ($90k)

13:04 - Data Analyst Job #5: Senior Investment Operations Data Analyst ($125k)

14:35 - Data Analyst Job #6: Business Intelligence Engineer ($107k to $189k)

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

Over the past 1000 days, I've interviewed some of the brightest minds in the data world. And in today’s episode, you’ll hear genius career advice from 6 of my favorite female data analysts. They’ll teach you what it’s like working in data, and help you learn what it takes to actually land a data job.

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Introduction

00:45 - Sundas Khalid: Keep going, no matter what.

05:26 - Cole Knaflic: It's less about analysis and more about presentation.

11:38 - Rachael Finch: Always be networking.

23:22 - Jess Ramos: Be proactive in your job search and networking.

28:44 - Hana M.K.: Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome!

32:41 - Erin Shina: The importance of having projects.

Check out the full episodes from this compilation!

1. How This High School Drop Out Became a $500k Data Analyst (Sundas Khalid) - https://datacareerpodcast.com/episode/148-how-this-high-school-drop-out-became-a-500k-data-analyst-sundas-khalid

2. Meet The Woman Who Changed Data Storytelling Forever (Cole Knaflic) - https://datacareerpodcast.com/episode/142-meet-the-woman-who-changed-data-storytelling-forever-cole-knafflic

3. How She Landed a Business Intelligence Analyst Job in Less than 100 Days (w/ Rachael Finch) - https://datacareerpodcast.com/episode/125-how-she-landed-a-business-intelligence-analyst-job-in-less-than-100-days-w-rachael-finch

4. Navigating Your Data Career Journey w/ Jess Ramos - https://datacareerpodcast.com/episode/49-navigating-your-data-career-journey-w-jess-ramos

5. Presenting for Data Analysts w/ Hana M.K. - https://datacareerpodcast.com/episode/84-presenting-for-data-analysts-w-hana-mk

6. From Music to Spreadsheets: Erin Shina’s 90-Day Transformation from Music to Financial Data Analyst - https://datacareerpodcast.com/episode/65-from-music-sheet-to-spreadsheets-erin-shinas-90-day-transformation-from-music-to-financial-data-analyst

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

In this episode, I uncover the nine biggest LIES about landing a data job. Maybe what's stopping you from pursuing a data career is just a big lie.

No College Degree As A Data Analyst YT Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo0oTKi2fPNjHi6iXT3Pu68kUmiT-xDWs

Don’t Learn Python as a Data Analyst (Learn This Instead):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVhURHXMSlA

💌 Join 10k+ aspiring data analysts & get my tips in your inbox weekly 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/newsletter

🆘 Feeling stuck in your data journey? Come to my next free "How to Land Your First Data Job" training 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/training

👩‍💻 Want to land a data job in less than 90 days? 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa

👔 Ace The Interview with Confidence 👉 https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/interviewsimulator

⌚ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction

00:05 You Need a Computer Science or Math Degree

01:20 You Have to Be Good at Math and Statistics

03:00 You Must Know Everything About Data Analytics

04:27 Certifications Matter

05:35 Skills Are Enough

07:20 AI Will Take Your Job

09:24 You'll Spend 80% of Your Time Cleaning Data

10:08 Data Titles

11:44 There Are Lots of Remote Jobs

13:17 The "Self-Taught" Data Analyst

🔗 CONNECT WITH AVERY

🎥 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@averysmith

🤝 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/averyjsmith/

📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/datacareerjumpstart

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@verydata

💻 Website: https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

💙 Thank you for subscribing & leaving a review

Thanks to YOU we recently became the most popular data podcast out there. Thank you so much for listening. If you haven't subscribed yet, hit subscribe. It costs $0.

Join The Next Cohort of The Accelerator

Want to land your first data job? Join my data bootcamp to get EVERYTHING you need to land your first data job! Excel, SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Python, R? Yup. Projects? Lots of them. LinkedIn help? Of course. Resume optimization? You betcha. Job hunting strategy? Duh.

https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa