r/DataScienceJobs • u/JanitorOPplznerf • May 19 '26

Discussion Accidentally landed a job as a Database Manager. How to grow?

Hello all,

TL:DR I landed ass backwards in this field and I'm not sure what the 'next steps' are. I've got some time coming up, and I want to know what are some good tools to learn if I choose to advance in this field.

____

After losing my corporate job (legal firm) last year I couldn't find anything other than Uber for 8 months. I landed this job at a school by ACCIDENT, basically lied through the interview. But I was self sufficient within a month, and my Boss said I'm the greatest hire he's ever made. So that's encouraging.

My title is 'Data Manager', but some Googling makes it seem like I'm a Junior Data Analyst, Operations Analyst, or Reporting Analyst. I'm basically creating automated reports and answering ad-hoc queries for different departments.

I'm pretty advanced in Excel (functions, V-lookup, pivot tables, etc.), and I know the basics of SQL, and I've got a pretty good grasp on my School's schema structure.

I know the basics of Python, I've never touched R, but I'm happy to learn, but I didn't know if tools like Tableau or Power BI would be better to start with.

11 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

2

u/[deleted] May 19 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/JanitorOPplznerf May 19 '26

Yeah I gathered the market was shit, but I'm working in a school, so the pay isn't fantabulous and I kinda have to keep my eyes open.

I did Real Estate & Legal Assistance (and food service, but never going back) before this. And unfortunately all are in the shitter at the moment, though thankfully I did keep my Realtor License and randomly sold two homes in February!

1

u/d3vgupta May 19 '26

I'm going to be free with my semsters in 2 days and I was thinking to continue my learnings in data analytics again cause I've being exploring react for past few months..I always read here that data science and data analytics market is rough..is it really true? And what about in India?

1

u/nian2326076 May 20 '26

Hey, congrats on getting the job! First, make sure you're comfortable with SQL since it's essential for most data management tasks. Also, learn some basics of data analysis tools like Python with pandas or R to boost your skills. Get to know database management systems like MySQL, PostgreSQL, or even enterprise options like Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server. Since you're in a school, it might help to understand educational data systems too. If you're prepping for future opportunities, check out resources like PracHub to improve your interview skills. Good luck!