In this episode of the Data Career Podcast, Avery talks with his childhood friend, Paul Alstrom, about his journey into data analytics from a non-technical background.
Paul emphasises the importance of networking, understanding the business, and getting the requirements right at the start.
They also explore the day-to-day life of a data analyst, how to make yourself useful to the business, as well as how to manage senior stakeholders.
Connect with Paul Ahlstrom:
🤝 Connect on Linkedin
✉️ Discover what we wish we knew about landing the dream job
🤖 Data Analytics Answers At Your Finger Tips
🤝 Ace your data analyst interview with the interview simulator
📩 Get my weekly email with helpful data career tips
📊 Come to my next free “How to Land Your First Data Job” training
🏫 Check out my 10-week data analytics bootcamp
Timestamps:
(14:31) - The Importance of Networking in Job Hunting
(22:44) - Understanding User Behavior through Data
(23:12) - The Role of SQL in Data Analysis
(23:25) - Business Use Cases for Data Analysis
(27:55) - The Art of Reporting in Data Analysis
(29:14) - The Importance of Asking the Right Questions
(31:17) - The Role of Communication in Data Analysis
(31:46) - The Power of Iterative Analytics
(39:47) - Understanding the Business Context in Data Analysis
Connect with Avery:
📺 Subscribe on YouTube
🎙Listen to My Podcast
👔 Connect with me on LinkedIn
📸 Instagram
🎵 TikTok
Mentioned in this episode:
May Cohort of the Data Analytics Accelerator — Now Open
🔗 datacareerjumpstart.com/daa
The May cohort of the Data Analytics Accelerator is officially open for enrollment.
This is my comprehensive data analytics bootcamp that takes you from wherever you are to landing your first data job. Doesn't matter your background, your degree, or your experience level — we're going to help you get there.
What you get:
📊 Full curriculum covering Excel, SQL, Tableau, Python, and R
🛠️ 9 real-world projects across different industries to build your portfolio
💼 LinkedIn, resume, and interview prep so you actually stand out to recruiters
🤝 Weekly office hours, coaching, and a community of 900+ aspiring analysts who are in it with you
🎓 Lifetime access — go at your pace, come back anytime
May enrollment deal:
🔥 20% off when you enroll now
🎁 6 free months of my unreleased Data Portfolio Builder tool — this isn't publicly available yet, and every May cohort member gets early access
The live kickoff call is with yours truly on Monday, May 11th at 7:00 PM Eastern. Make sure you're enrolled before then so you don't miss it.
👉 datacareerjumpstart.com/daa
Or just click the link in the show notes down below. See you on May 11th.
https://datacareerjumpstart.com/daa
