Many people ask this common question “Can I get a job with just SQL and Excel?” or “Can I get a job with just Power BI and Python?”.

The answer to all of those questions is yes.

There are jobs that use only SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Excel, Python, or R or some combination of those.

However, the combination of tools you learn impacts the total number of jobs you are qualified for.

For example, let’s say with just SQL and Excel you are qualified for 10 jobs, but if you add Tableau to that, you are qualified for 50 jobs.

If you have a success rate of landing a job you’re qualified for of 4%, having 5 times as many jobs to go for greatly improves your odds of landing a job.

Does this mean you should go out there and learn every single skill any data analyst job requires?

NO!

It’s about finding the core tools that many jobs want.

And, in my opinion, those tools are SQL, Excel, and a visualization tool.

With these three tools, you are qualified for the majority of entry level data jobs and many higher level jobs.

So, you can land a job with whatever tools you’re comfortable with.

But if you have the three tools above in your toolbelt, you will have many more jobs to apply for and greatly improve your chances of snagging one.