225 Online Courses to Build Tech Skills as a Data Analyst
The number of online courses for data analyst technical skills is remarkable. And confusing. Here is a consolidated list of 225 courses to help makes sense of what is available.
I compiled a list of 225 online courses for Excel, SQL, and Python. You can download it here:
The list has the following information for each course:
Subject (Excel, SQL, Python, or Analytics)
Platform
Course Name
Course Link
Cost
Time Estimate
The State of Online Learning
I compiled courses from 111 online learning platforms. Here is the pricing information for each platform:
And here are my 10 takeaways on the current state of online learning for Data Analyst technical skills.
1) There are LOTS online learning resources
There are 225 courses on this list, and it’s not exhaustive. I can see how the huge number of options can make it difficult to decide on a learning plan. Hopefully this consolidated list brings some clarity to the options. Speaking of clarity…
2) It is hard to figure out the actual cost of online courses
I usually had to click a couple of buttons to figure out the actual cost of online courses. In some cases I had to create an account with the platform. The cost of the course (or the subscription needed to access the course) is included on the list.
Some of the LinkedIn courses can be purchased individually or accessed through a subscription. In those situations, I listed individual course price (there is fine print saying the pricing might be different when you actually go to purchase the course).
All of udemy’s courses can be purchased individually (often at a steep discount - see #8 below). That’s the price I have in the list. They also have a subscription option for a 7-day trial + $29.99/month (or $199/year).
3) Subscriptions are most common
Six of the 11 platforms only offer courses through a subscription. Most of those have a monthly and annual rate.
The annual rate is usually quoted as a price per month, but you have to pay the whole amount up front. The price per month is just dividing your one-time payment by 12 months.
Here is an example where the price per month is listed as $16.66 / month, but you actually pay $199 upfront.
Three platforms have subscriptions and options to pay for individual courses. Two platforms offer all courses in the list for free. Speaking of free…
4) Free is possible
As I mentioned, two platforms offered all courses for free. Also, many of the platforms offer “intro-level” courses for free. In total, 43 of the 225 courses can be taken for free.
5) edX has the most free course
All edX courses in the list have an “audit” option that is free. You don’t get the certificate for completing the course (no big deal in my opinion). The downside with these courses is they are not always available. You might have to wait (and check regularly) if the course you want to take is not currently available.
6) Everyone has a time estimate
Every course has an estimate of how long it will take. Sometimes the estimate is just the duration of the videos. Other times it is an estimate of the weeks or months the course will take based on an expected hours per week.
7) There are lots of videos on YouTube for Data Analyst
YouTube is free, and there are lots of videos for Data Analysts. Alex The Analyst is a good place to start if you are looking for an introduction to important technical skills for Data Analysts.
8) udemy has deep discounts on their courses
udemy allows you to purchases individual courses. The price in the list is the “original price”. It looks like they regularly (three different times in the last two weeks) discount the prices by 70-85%. It might be worth your time to check on a course for a few days if it’s not discounted.
Speaking of discounts…
9) Lookout for subscription discounts
If you’re going to subscribe to a platform, you might be able to snag a nice discount. I got emails from two platforms in the last three days offering steep discounts. You have to give them your email and sift through the junk email though. Speaking of junk email…
10) Be cautious with datacamp
After creating an account, I got an email asking if my skills are “falling behind”? It is important to make learning a priority, but someone else creating a sense of fear or uncertainty is not ideal for learning. I don’t know if this is an exception or pattern for datacamp. Be careful.
Was there an awesome course you’ve taken that wasn’t on the list? Share it in the comments!
The list also includes one free Python course from Google and two free intro courses from udacity. Most of udacity’s offerings are “nanodegrees” which have a noticeably higher subscription price compared to the other platforms I reviewed.