Learn SQL And Start Your Journey Towards Personal Growth

Are you at the very beginning of your career and don't know what employers are looking for? Maybe you already have a lot of experience, but feel like it's time to change or update your skillset. Learning SQL can be a great choice. Read on and find out why.

Regardless of your career stage, you cannot neglect your personal development. Whoever does not move forward falls behind. As you start learning new things, new opportunities will open up for you, both in your personal and professional life.

Gaining new qualifications should be an integral part of your life. Even if you don't feel the need to learn new things at this point, sooner or later you will. Investing in future skills and competences is what we call a high ROI activity – it brings a good return on your investment. In other words, it pays off!

The most important thing is to have a positive attitude! Be hungry for knowledge and new career opportunities. Your current job may become too undemanding and you will want something more engaging that really stimulates your intellect. So how can you start your journey towards personal development and gain from it at the same time?

Self-Development Methods

First, realize that learning is not a chore. It can be an adventure. Getting deep into an idea can be exciting and have many benefits. There is a set of common tools and practices for personal development. Some are more effective for people with lots of experience; others are suitable for novices. There is a lot to choose from.

Second, there are many methods of learning new skills. You can learn in a group or alone, in organized lectures or at your own pace. Decide for yourself what works for you.

From my personal experience, I’d say that one of the best ways to develop new knowledge and skills is to take an online course. Why, you ask? What about books, YouTube tutorials, or just asking an expert? All of these things have merit, but the best method depends on what you want to know. I can assure you that online courses, especially if they are interactive, are at least worth considering.

However, there are pitfalls for self-paced learners. It's hard not to procrastinate or lose motivation. After all, it's easier to binge-watch Netflix than to complete exercises or read an article on the subject you’re learning.

Fortunately, you can avoid these pitfalls by learning from the mistakes of others. I recommend the articles How to Study Online: 5 Steps to Becoming an Effective Learner and 5 Reasons You Might Fail to Learn SQL. Read and apply.

The Meaning of Data

The world is all about data. Each company, regardless of its size or industry, collects data. However, this data can bring a measurable benefit only if it is properly stored, secured and processed – and when you know how to use it.

No matter whether you work in a small enterprise or in a global corporation, business activity is often based on data. Knowing how databases work helps you use information appropriately. All of this ensures that the business processes run as efficiently and effectively as possible.

This year, the amount of data collected worldwide is set to reach 44 zettabytes – that’s 44 trillion gigabytes. The largest increase in the amount of data collected began when the Internet of Things (IoT) was popularized. E-commerce brought another wave of data. The development of online stores was accelerated by the COVID pandemic. We stayed at home and instead of going to the market, we checked the web. This is an enormous amount of data from which insights can be squeezed like juice from fresh lemons.

Now imagine that all that collected data must be compiled and used; it certainly doesn't look like data analysts or data engineers will become unemployed in the near future! Data is the new gold. If you have a knowledge advantage over the competition, you can get higher profits and make better strategic decisions. Knowing your data will help you do this, and SQL reports will help you understand what the data is saying. By learning SQL and working with data, you actually become part of an elite group.

What Is SQL?

SQL (Structured Query Language) is the language used to process data stored in relational databases. Almost all enterprises, websites, and mobile applications use databases and SQL. When it comes to processing data, SQL technologies are more common than you think.

Knowing SQL is useful both for the employees who operate on databases and for any managers or team leaders who have to make data-based decisions. In fact, SQL is also key to becoming a better boss!

And the good news is that SQL is relatively simple to learn! If you can speak English, you already know how SQL syntax works. Even if you’ve never heard of them before, you can probably guess that JOIN() combines information from two tables and SELECT() chooses certain records from a table. SQL is logical and based on plain English; you can learn it even if you've never dealt with coding before.

How do you start learning SQL? Just create an account at LearnSQL.com and start the SQL Basics course, your first step on your way to personal development.

Where Can You Use SQL?

Whether you dream of becoming a SQL developer, a data analyst – or if you’re thinking of learning SQL to help you run your own business – you’re headed in the right direction. SQL is a very good start on your way to personal growth. This language is used in practically every company, and you don't have to work in IT to benefit from SQL knowledge; this skill is universal enough for employers from many industries to crave it.

SQL can also be useful in finance and controlling, management, and logistics. If you don't know which SQL career path to choose, read this article. It will definitely help you with your decision. Do you know what your work will look like if you decide to become a SQL Developer? Find out in the article A Day in the Life of a SQL Developer. Still not sure if SQL is worth your time? My friend Kasia will convince you that SQL is worth learning.

It is also definitely worth mentioning that learning new skills, especially those that involve mental effort, will help you become smarter. It will gradually become easier and more obvious for you to define your personal goals and pursue them. You will gain more topics for discussion as well as expertise that you can later translate into business practice. Understanding more is being able to do more, so maybe learning SQL could be your first step to becoming the next Jeff Bezos. Who knows? If you don't try, you’ll never know.

Will You Be Learning SQL This Year?

You already know why you should learn SQL. Do it for yourself and focus on acquiring skills that will help your personal and career development and maybe even support your wallet.

Data has become incredibly important and the ability to manage it can pay off. Learning SQL and working with databases can be the key to accelerating your career. Imagine a raise, promotion, or even a job change, all thanks to SQL.

I hope that I managed to convince you that it is worth developing new skills. LearnSQL.com offers interactive SQL courses that will teach you this language from scratch. I recommend that beginners start with the SQL Basics course. You don't need to install anything, just log in and start learning today.

Finally, remember that practice makes perfect. You will need a lot of it, so here are 12 ways to practice SQL online.

Ready to conquer the world? I think you are!