Example: from teaching to data
Tom is a fictional secondary school teacher who wants to become a data analyst, with about 6 hours a week to spare.
What Tom entered
- Current role
- Secondary school teacher
- Field and job title
- Data, data analyst
- Skills he already uses
- Presenting and explaining, spreadsheets and numbers, planning projects
- Time
- 6 hours a week for 6 months
The plan it built
Career switch plan: Secondary school teacher to data analyst
6 hours a week for 6 months, about 156 hours in total.
Skills you already have that carry over
- Presenting and explaining: turning numbers into a clear story is a big part of the job.
- Spreadsheets and numbers: the base of analysis. SQL and Python build on the same thinking.
- Planning projects: analysis work needs a clear question, a scope and a deadline.
Skills to learn, most important first
1. SQL to pull, filter and join data
2. Spreadsheet analysis and basic statistics
3. One dashboard tool, like Looker Studio, Tableau or Power BI
4. Python or R for cleaning and analysis
5. Turning a business question into an analysis and a short summary
Month by month
Month 1 (about 26 hours): Learn SQL basics: select, filter and join. Have one conversation with someone who works as a data analyst.
Month 2 (about 26 hours): Practice spreadsheet analysis and basic statistics. Start proof project 1.
Month 3 (about 26 hours): Finish proof project 1 and ask a mentor for feedback on it. Learn one dashboard tool.
Month 4 (about 26 hours): Build proof project 2. Learn Python or R for cleaning data.
Month 5 (about 26 hours): Build proof project 3, or improve your best project with the feedback you got. Rewrite your resume and LinkedIn for data analyst roles.
Month 6 (about 26 hours): Apply for roles, or ask about a move inside your current company. Practice interviews and talk through your projects out loud.
3 proof projects
1. Answer a real question with a public dataset, and write up the answer on one page.
2. Build a dashboard for something you know from your current job, using public or made-up data.
3. Clean a messy dataset with SQL or Python and show the before and after.
People to talk to
- Someone who moved into data from a role like yours. Ask: "What from your old job helped most, and what did you have to learn from scratch?"
- Someone working as a data analyst now. Ask: "What does a normal week look like, and what should a new person already know?"
- A mentor who can look at your proof projects. Ask: "What would make this project stronger?"
Fictional example. Your plan changes with the field, skills, hours and timeline you pick.
How to use the career change planner
Pick where you are going
Enter your current role, choose the field you want and add a job title if you have one in mind.
Add your skills and time
Tick the skills you already use at work, then set your hours a week and a timeline.
Build and adjust the plan
Build the plan, edit it to fit your life, and take it to a mentor who works in that field.
Questions people ask
How do I start a career change?
Write down what you already do well, pick one target role, and talk to a few people in that role before you pay for courses. Then learn the main skills and build small projects that show you can do the work.
How long does a career change take?
It depends on how far the new role is from your current one and how many hours you can give it. The planner shows your total hours for the timeline you pick, and tells you when the plan looks tight.
What are transferable skills?
Skills from your current work that the new role also uses, like writing, presenting, planning or working with numbers. The plan explains how each skill you tick is used in the field you picked.
Which fields does the planner cover?
Marketing, data, design, product management and engineering. Pick the closest one and add your exact target job title, and the plan uses that title.
Is the career change planner free?
Yes. There is no sign up, and what you type stays in your browser. We only record anonymous usage events, like which field you picked.
