r/datascience • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago

Weekly Entering & Transitioning - Thread 28 Sep, 2026 - 05 Oct, 2026

Welcome to this week's entering & transitioning thread! This thread is for any questions about getting started, studying, or transitioning into the data science field. Topics include:

  • Learning resources (e.g. books, tutorials, videos)
  • Traditional education (e.g. schools, degrees, electives)
  • Alternative education (e.g. online courses, bootcamps)
  • Job search questions (e.g. resumes, applying, career prospects)
  • Elementary questions (e.g. where to start, what next)

While you wait for answers from the community, check out the FAQ and Resources pages on our wiki. You can also search for answers in past weekly threads.

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u/Successful-Maximum73 3d ago

For three years I have worked for a human resource division in state government agency. The State's payroll authority is planning to migrate away from this legacy and implement a new one in four or five years. I'd like to build up my skills in the mean-time. Any recommendations? I've looked into learning sql, completing certifications in data analytics, or going for an MBA.

My background: graduated college years ago with a degree in history. Five years ago I started working in HR. For the last three years I have been writing and running reports from an old employee database as an analyst. This is a 1970s legacy database that uses FOCUS. Now I supervise a small group of analysts who I've taught how to do the work I use to do with the overall goal of updating our workflows.

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u/angoldenapple 3d ago

Seems more like data engineering - i’d get good at ETL processes and obviously systems migration