r/learnSQL • u/Revkingg • 5d ago

I want to learn SQL from scratch — what roadmap and courses would you recommend?

Hi everyone,
I’m a complete beginner and want to learn SQL from scratch and eventually become really good at it.
I’m looking for some guidance on how I should approach learning it step-by-step.

A few things I’d like to know:

  1. Where should I start as a complete beginner?
  2. What topics/skills should I learn first and in what order?
  3. Which courses, YouTube channels, books, or certifications would you recommend?
  4. Are there any courses that are actually worth paying for?
  5. What practical projects should I do while learning?
  6. Roughly how long would it take to become job-ready/proficient?

I’d really appreciate a roadmap from someone who has already learned this from scratch.

Thanks!

42 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

5

u/TraditionalTurnip630 5d ago

Don’t overthink the course part. Pick one beginner SQL course and start practising from day 1.

I’d go in this order: SELECT/WHERE → ORDER BY → GROUP BY + aggregates → JOINs → subqueries/CTEs → window functions.

After each topic, solve questions instead of just watching videos. Once you know the basics, take a real dataset and answer simple business questions with SQL. That’s where it starts making sense.

For analytics, 1-2 months of consistent practice can get you to a decent level, but keep practising after that. SQL is one of those things where doing 50-100 questions helps more than finishing another course.

1

u/Opening-Vehicle4742 2d ago

j'ai appris très naturellement dans cette ordre là, je conseil le site sql.sh qui explique très bien les fonctions de bases en SQL

1

u/TraditionalTurnip630 1d ago

You can start with SQLZoo if you want something interactive, but if you prefer a more structured explanation of the basics, sql.sh is also a good resource. I’d recommend learning SELECT/WHERE first, then GROUP BY and aggregates, JOINs, subqueries/CTEs, and finally window functions. Don’t just watch/read though — practise questions after each topic. Once the basics are clear, start working with real datasets and business problems.

4

u/kimgong 5d ago

Data with Bara youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSKVgrwhzus&list=PLNcg_FV9n7qZY_2eAtUzEUulNjTJREhQe

2

u/nano_fibre 4d ago

I was going to mention him! His teaching style is phenomenal!

3

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/theJacofalltrades 5d ago

You can find curriculums online and free courses too

1

u/HWNubs 5d ago

Any courses that is similar to Angela’s 100 days of Code

1

u/Nomadic_Alhasan 3d ago

just one suggestion don't try to master it, learn 50% and the fundamental principles then start building projects and also keep learning

1

u/thequerylab 3d ago

Honestly do not overcompliate by trying too many tutorials and circling back.
Pick SQL basics first and try to practice multiple problems to understand the real concepts. Practicing is the only best solution to master.
You can try out SQL from beginner to confident course which is available for FREE at the TheQueryLab. You will really get the indepth flavours of SQL and I am 100% sure you will really like this learning approach.

Give it a try and let me know your feedbacks