In this episode of the Data Career Podcast, Avery talks with his childhood friend, Paul Alstrom, about his journey into data analytics from a non-technical background.
Paul emphasises the importance of networking, understanding the business, and getting the requirements right at the start.
They also explore the day-to-day life of a data analyst, how to make yourself useful to the business, as well as how to manage senior stakeholders.
Connect with Paul Ahlstrom:
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Timestamps:
(14:31) - The Importance of Networking in Job Hunting (22:44) - Understanding User Behavior through Data (23:12) - The Role of SQL in Data Analysis (23:25) - Business Use Cases for Data Analysis (27:55) - The Art of Reporting in Data Analysis (29:14) - The Importance of Asking the Right Questions (31:17) - The Role of Communication in Data Analysis (31:46) - The Power of Iterative Analytics (39:47) - Understanding the Business Context in Data Analysis
Connect with Avery:
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Mentioned in this episode: Join the last cohort of 2025! The LAST cohort of The Data Analytics Accelerator for 2025 kicks off on Monday, December 8th and enrollment is officially open!
To celebrate the end of the year, we’re running a special End-of-Year Sale, where you’ll get: ✅ A discount on your enrollment 🎁 6 bonus gifts, including job listings, interview prep, AI tools + more
If your goal is to land a data job in 2026, this is your chance to get ahead of the competition and start strong.
👉 Join the December Cohort & Claim Your Bonuses: https://DataCareerJumpstart.com/daa https://www.datacareerjumpstart.com/daa