Why Is the SQL Practice Set my Favorite Online Course?

My friends know that I cannot sit still. I always have to do something, read something, and learn new stuff. It's stronger than me. But I don't complain, because this approach has only helped me in my life. I have done a ton of different online courses, but the SQL Practice Set has proved to be the best so far. Find out why.

Learning SQL was not easy for me. I started getting interested in databases a few years ago. I was browsing job postings and wondering how I could leverage my previous professional experience while doing something new.

I was a journalist for many years. I worked on news television and in various newspapers before that. But after nearly two decades of constant stress and pressure, I was fed up.

Long story short, I got to the point in my career where I had to leave the past behind and learn new things to move on. While browsing various blogs, I came across LearnSQL.com. The editor in me woke up – these articles were very well written. I thought, maybe I could do something like this? That was how I decided to learn SQL.

I Started From Scratch

I have to admit, SQL Basics was not my first choice. First, probably like many people, I checked YouTube. Then, I got terrified because the things about SQL I found there were ... mostly horrible.

Hours of talking heads with desktop images in the background. It couldn't be like that. After all, people learn SQL and then normally apply it at work. How do they do it? There had to be a better way.

Ultimately, I figured I wouldn't get very far without a proper interactive SQL course. I narrowed my search to a few places. Do you want to know which ones? You can read about them in this article by Arleta.

What made me bet on LearnSQL.com? The course quality, the good feedback, the pricing, and the great UX. I liked the platform right away – it is intuitive and simple with no frills. It's pretty and gives you a real interactive experience. As you learn, you write real SQL queries, the results of which you see immediately. You don't need to install anything; all you need is a web browser.

Do you want to know exactly what my adventure with the SQL Basics course looked like? I described it in this article. Spoiler alert – everything ended well.

The Need for SQL Practice

People often ask me what to do to become an SQL expert. They think it's some secret, reserved for computer geeks and nerds. I usually tell them they need SQL practice.

There is no way to make progress in SQL unless you write queries and test your theoretical knowledge in action. It's just like any other skill. You have to practice.

Can you imagine completing a marathon without any training runs in the park or the streets? Or band concert performances without rehearsals or practices playing an instrument? No way! It's the same with SQL.

SQL practice makes perfect!

Okay, this all sounds good, but what does it mean, exactly? After all, it's hard to just sit in front of your computer and start writing SQL queries. You need to have a project to do or some exercises to challenge you. This is why you should check out the SQL Practice Set.

What's Inside the SQL Practice Set?

This great interactive SQL course consists of 88 exercises divided into five parts.

Each part begins with a brief reminder of the relevant topics. So, even if you haven't dealt with some of these SQL topics before, you have an opportunity to learn and test them in practice right away.

The SQL Practice Set consists of the following:

1. Warm-up. Review the fundamentals of SQL. Practice using SELECT and WHERE to filter data.
2. Aggregation and Grouping. Use GROUP BY and ORDER BY clauses
3. SQL JOINs. Do exercises on JOIN, LEFT JOIN, and non-equi JOIN.
4. SQL Subqueries.
5. The Challenge. Practice all your SQL skills.

At the end of the course, there is a quiz to test your SQL mastery.

I really like that you have to combine knowledge from various fields of SQL, think outside the box, and solve the SQL problems in the test. It's not an easy challenge. But don't be afraid – you will be fine. If you come across something you can't do, that just means you need to work on it.

I love online courses. I collect certificates of completion. It was not easy for me to get this particular one, and I had to try hard to get it.

But it is even more valuable to me because of that. I put it on my LinkedIn profile and showed it to my friends. After all, no one can say as many good things about you as you can about yourself. I call it my personal brand marketing.

If you want to publish your certificate, use the guide I wrote some time ago. It will help you do it quickly.

Why Is the SQL Practice Set my Favorite Online Course?

Like all SQL tutorials at LearnSQL.com, the SQL Practice Set is simply brilliantly designed. The difficulty of the exercises increases gradually as you progress. This makes you feel challenged all the time, but it doesn't discourage you from continuing to learn.

So why is this course my favorite? For three reasons.

1.   Moving Up from the Beginner to the Next Level

The SQL Practice Set was the first course I did after SQL Basics. I felt much more confident in SQL, gained additional knowledge, and above all, got past the inflection point where I turned from a beginner to an intermediate user. I owe this to the SQL Practice Set.

It was then that I installed PostgreSQL and started using it for my day-to-day work tasks. I started using SQL to analyze data from marketing campaigns, to analyze SEO, and create SQL reports on expenses from the activities in my department.

So, I can say the SQL Practice Set was the point at which I became a conscious user of SQL and databases in general.

2.   Practice, Practice More, and Repeat

This course is reusable. What do I mean? That even if you complete it once, you can come back to it many times.

Do you want to develop your SQL skills? Are you preparing for a job interview and want to review your knowledge? Or maybe you just don't want your SQL to get rusty and need some practice? The SQL Practice Set will be perfect for any situation.

3.   Great Knowledge and UX

I wrote it once before, but I will say it again. This course is well designed. On other platforms that offer multi-discipline courses, I sometimes get lost or see that something is not working.

Here, you immediately feel that the creators really understand SQL. LearnSQL.com teaches SQL and nothing else – instead of trying to sell courses in other fields, they focus on what they are passionate about and what they do best.

If you want to learn SQL, you've come to the right place.

More SQL Means Better SQL

LearnSQL.com offers many more hands-on courses. Don't stop at one – keep going!

If you want more, you can choose to do the entire SQL Practice track. This is a set of five SQL courses:

• The SQL Practice Set.
• SQL JOINs. A great interactive course, with which you can finally learn how to use SQL JOINs freely in your queries.
• Basic SQL Practice: A Store. Another serving of SQL exercises. This time, it's 169 interactive tasks. Take on the role of a store owner – you will oversee orders, suppliers, and sales. Very practical knowledge!
• Basic SQL Practice: Run Track Through Queries! 119 SQL exercises in which you will analyze statistics and sports results.
• 2020 Monthly SQL Practice Sets. Still not enough? Here are another 160 interactive SQL exercises. We've gathered for you all the 2020 monthly SQL challenges in one place. Enjoy!

Of course, you can do each course separately. The choice is yours. You can take it as a challenge and try to complete all the exercises. Can you do it? If you succeed, share it in the comments or on our Facebook profile.

Try the SQL Practice Set!

Now you know why the SQL Practice Set is my favorite online course. And believe me, I've completed a lot of them. Hopefully, I have convinced you to try this SQL course. Remember you are not risking anything. You can check out the free trial and do the first few exercises to see how the platform works.

Do you want to know how much practice you need to become an SQL professional? Read Timothy's article. Imagine what you can achieve with a little motivation and time!