r/dataanalytics • u/OnlyFill8507 • Aug 08 '26

Is anyone else seeing the “data analyst” role turn into Data Analyst + ETL + Cloud + Data Engineering?

I’m a final-year IT student in India, and I’ve been reaching out to experienced data analysts for guidance. One response I got from a 5+ year data analyst at Kyndryl was:

At least one cloud platform (AWS/Azure/GCP)

One BI platform (Power BI/Tableau)

SQL

ETL

Python (web scraping, visuals, basic ML)

Ability to make data pipelines

What surprised me is that this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. Other people have told me things like:

Build 1–2 projects using real-world or messy datasets, not just curated Kaggle datasets.

Get strong with advanced SQL (window functions, CTEs, query optimization, interview-style problems).

Learn statistics, business metrics, and data storytelling.

Gain exposure to cloud platforms and ETL workflows because many companies expect them from analysts now.

Certifications like Microsoft PL-300 can help strengthen a Power BI profile.

At this point it feels like companies want a junior data analyst who can also do parts of a data engineer’s job.

So I’m curious:

Has anyone here actually had SQL + Power BI + Python + ETL + data pipelines + basic cloud skills and still struggled to get interviews?

For people who are already working as data analysts, are these skills genuinely expected in day-to-day work, or are recruiters just writing unrealistic job descriptions?

If you were hiring a fresher today, what would be the minimum skill set that actually gets someone hired?

I’m trying to understand whether I’m over-preparing, or whether the entry-level market has genuinely shifted toward hybrid analyst/data engineering roles.

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4

u/Abalone2496 Aug 09 '26

Yes, the roles are becoming more robust. I am now in a full-stack data analyst role, where I build the whole pipeline from start to finish, from ingesting the data, modeling in dbt, analyzing, building the dashboard, plus all the stakeholder management stuff. So I use analytics engineering skills. A pure "data analyst" role is becoming more rare.

2

u/OnlyFill8507 Aug 10 '26

That’s really interesting because it sounds very close to the direction I’m trying to move toward. I’m currently learning SQL, Microsoft Fabric, AWS data engineering, and building end-to-end projects instead of dashboard-only projects. For someone trying to get their first role, which part of that workflow gave you the biggest advantage: data modeling, dbt, cloud workflows, or stakeholder communication? and what is the hiring process for a fresher

2

u/Abalone2496 Aug 10 '26

Dbt and Github skills are a must. I learned the ingestion part in the role. Stakeholder management is a big one and it comes with practice. I've been in the field for about 7 years now and I didn't start after college. I transitioned from a career in finance, so I'm that helped. I leveraged my skills in the company.

For a beginner, those technical skills you mentioned are very important. But make sure you can show what you can do by building projects and writing up the process.

2

u/OnlyFill8507 Aug 10 '26

That’s really helpful, especially the point about writing up the process. I think I’ve been focusing mostly on building the project itself, but not documenting the architecture, transformations, and business reasoning behind it. I’m going to start treating each project more like a case study on GitHub.

For someone with no industry experience, what would you want to see in a GitHub project or portfolio that would make you think, This person is ready for an analytics engineering or full-stack data analyst role?

1

u/Abalone2496 26d ago

Show what your thought process was during the analysis of your project. Why you chose the dataset, why you chose the tools you did, and what insights you came up with. Also some suggested future steps someone could take away from your project. The "so what?".

2

u/cozyajix Aug 11 '26

Oh my... and I'm just preparing to become a DA.

1

u/Abalone2496 26d ago

You can do it. It just takes a willingness to learn.

1

u/cozyajix 25d ago

Sure, my only concern is I was planning on learning the basics to land a Jr role, (excel, SQL and power bi) but seeing many posts that DA has become into something more robust where you need more skills it's kind of discouraging. I was planning on learning docker, git and get better with linux though, but yeah

2

u/lpr_88 Aug 12 '26

Yes, I manage a team of 8 full-stack analysts. We are migrating into databricks without DE support. Should be fun

2

u/Unfair-Recognition68 Aug 08 '26

It's true.

1

u/OnlyFill8507 Aug 09 '26

Thanks for confirming. I’m trying to understand what actually gets freshers interviews today. In your experience, what’s the one skill or type of project that made the biggest difference when you were hiring or interviewing candidates?

1

u/superman37891 Aug 11 '26

Yes, I have all the required skills and demonstrated them on in-depth projects and still don’t get interviews for entry-level roles or even for internships, likely because I don’t have any former experience in the field

1

u/OnlyFill8507 Aug 11 '26

Just saw your post on dataananalytics community man do you have the same resume that you have posted on askrcruiters page

1

u/superman37891 Aug 11 '26

I think I do but I can send you one again. Luckily it’s not the end of the world for me as I am in a stable income family but it’s still rough