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20 minutes of straight genius data advice. Learn form the top data analysts on what hiring managers are looking for, how to ace the interview, the future of Data & AI, and networking effortlessly.

Listen to the episodes:

Alex the Analyst

Luke Barousse

Avery Smith

Ken Jee

Josh Starmer (StatQuest)

Matt Mike

Andy Kriebel

Matt Brattin

⁠

📩 Get my weekly email with helpful data career tips⁠

⁠📊 Come to my next free “How to Land Your First Data Job” training⁠

⁠🏫 Check out my 10-week data analytics bootcamp

🧙‍♂️ Ace the Interview with Confidence

Timestamps:

(0:00) Intro

(0:05) Alex the Analyst

(4:25) Luke Barousse

(6:08) Avery Smith

(7:47) Ken Jee

(9:50) Josh Starmer (StatQuest)

(14:26) Matt Mike

(16:19) Andy Kriebel

(17:33) Matt Brattin

Connect with Avery:

📺 Subscribe on YouTube

🎙Listen to My Podcast

👔 Connect with me on LinkedIn

📸 Instagram

🎵 TikTok

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

To build a successful career in data, you need to focus on the right skills. You need to focus on skills that will open doors, make you job-ready, help you attract employers, and put you on the right track toward growing your career. But where should you start? In this episode, Matt Mike will give his thoughts on the most important skills you'll need in your career, and will give you a roadmap for adding them to your tool kit and putting them on display to attract the right kind of attention. You'll leave this session with a solid understanding of which skills you should focus on first, how to tackle them, and with a plan to take action and make progress today. What You'll Learn: Which technical tools you should focus on to build a great data career Why soft skills can be just as important and which ones matter the most How you can build these skills, and put them on display to accelerate your career   Register for free to be part of the next live session: https://bit.ly/3XB3A8b   About our guest: Matt Mike is a multi-passionate Data Analyst and BI Developer who fancies Power BI.

He has been a data analyst for 2 years now and also transitioned into the data field from a non-technical background. This has given him a unique understanding of what it takes to be an analyst from the ground up. Check out Matt's YouTube channel for more! : https://www.youtube.com/@MattMike     Follow us on Socials: LinkedIn YouTube Instagram (Mavens of Data) Instagram (Maven Analytics) TikTok Facebook Medium X/Twitter

Join Avery Smith as he chats with data analytics expert Matt Mike about the secrets to building impressive data analytics projects.

In this episode, Matt Mike shares valuable insights on the importance of creating unique projects and why building from scratch challenges you to become a true expert in the field, helping you stand out and speak passionately about your work in interviews.

Don't miss out. Tune in now!

Connect with Matt Mike:

🤝 Connect on Linkedin

▶️ Subscribe to Youtube Channel

🎒 Learn About Data Skills Tracker

🤝 Ace your data analyst interview with the interview simulator

📩 Get my weekly email with helpful data career tips

📊 Come to my next free “How to Land Your First Data Job” training

🏫 Check out my 10-week data analytics bootcamp

Timestamps:

(03:00) - Matt’s story from teaching to data

(20:23) - Building Personal Projects

(35:55) - LinkedIn networking is essential for data job hunting.

Connect with Avery:

📺 Subscribe on YouTube

🎙Listen to My Podcast

👔 Connect with me on LinkedIn

📸 Instagram

🎵 TikTok

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

“This book takes the somewhat daunting process of database design and breaks it into completely manageable and understandable components. Mike’s approach whilst simple is completely professional, and I can recommend this book to any novice database designer.” – Sandra Barker, Lecturer, University of South Australia, Australia “Databases are a critical infrastructure technology for information systems and today’s business. Mike Hernandez has written a literate explanation of database technology–a topic that is intricate and often obscure. If you design databases yourself, this book will educate you about pitfalls and show you what to do. If you purchase products that use a database, the book explains the technology so that you can understand what the vendor is doing and assess their products better.” – Michael Blaha, consultant and trainer, author of A Manager’s Guide to Database Technology “If you told me that Mike Hernandez could improve on the first edition of Database Design for Mere Mortals I wouldn’t have believed you, but he did! The second edition is packed with more real-world examples, detailed explanations, and even includes database-design tools on the CD-ROM! This is a must-read for anyone who is even remotely interested in relational database design, from the individual who is called upon occasionally to create a useful tool at work, to the seasoned professional who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Simply put, if you want to do it right, read this book!” – Matt Greer, Process Control Development, The Dow Chemical Company “Mike’s approach to database design is totally common-sense based, yet he’s adhered to all the rules of good relational database design. I use Mike’s books in my starter database-design class, and I recommend his books to anyone who’s interested in learning how to design databases or how to write SQL queries.” – Michelle Poolet, President, MVDS, Inc. “Slapping together sophisticated applications with poorly designed data will hurt you just as much now as when Mike wrote his first edition, perhaps even more. Whether you’re just getting started developing with data or are a seasoned pro; whether you've read Mike’s previous book or this is your first; whether you're happier letting someone else design your data or you love doing it yourself–this is the book for you. Mike’s ability to explain these concepts in a way that’s not only clear, but fun, continues to amaze me.” –From the Foreword by Ken Getz, MCW Technologies, coauthor ASP.NET Developer's JumpStart “The first edition of Mike Hernandez’s book Database Design for Mere Mortals was one of the few books that survived the cut when I moved my office to smaller quarters. The second edition expands and improves on the original in so many ways. It is not only a good, clear read, but contains a remarkable quantity of clear, concise thinking on a very complex subject. It’s a must for anyone interested in the subject of database design.” – Malcolm C. Rubel, Performance Dynamics Associates “Mike’s excellent guide to relational database design deserves a second edition. His book is an essential tool for fledgling Microsoft Access and other desktop database developers, as well as for client/server pros. I recommend it highly to all my readers.” – Roger Jennings, author of Special Edition Using Access 2002 “There are no silver bullets! Database technology has advanced dramatically, the newest crop of database servers perform operations faster than anyone could have imagined six years ago, but none of these technological advances will help fix a bad database design, or capture data that you forgot to include! Database Design for Mere Mortals™, Second Edition, helps you design your database right in the first place!” – Matt Nunn, Product Manager, SQL Server, Microsoft Corporation “When my brother started his professional career as a developer, I gave him Mike’s book to help him understand database concepts and make real-world application of database technology. When I need a refresher on the finer points of database design, this is the book I pick up. I do not think that there is a better testimony to the value of a book than that it gets used. For this reason I have wholeheartedly recommended to my peers and students that they utilize this book in their day-to-day development tasks.” – Chris Kunicki, Senior Consultant, OfficeZealot.com “Mike has always had an incredible knack for taking the most complex topics, breaking them down, and explaining them so that anyone can ‘get it.’ He has honed and polished his first very, very good edition and made it even better. If you're just starting out building database applications, this book is a must-read cover to cover. Expert designers will find Mike’s approach fresh and enlightening and a source of great material for training others.” – John Viescas, President, Viescas Consulting, Inc., author of Running Microsoft Access 2000 and coauthor of SQL Queries for Mere Mortals “Whether you need to learn about relational database design in general, design a relational database, understand relational database terminology, or learn best practices for implementing a relational database, Database Design for Mere Mortals™, Second Edition, is an indispensable book that you’ll refer to often. With his many years of real-world experience designing relational databases, Michael shows you how to analyze and improve existing databases, implement keys, define table relationships and business rules, and create data views, resulting in data integrity, uniform access to data, and reduced data-entry errors.” – Paul Cornell, Site Editor, MSDN Office Developer Center Sound database design can save hours of development time and ensure functionality and reliability. is a straightforward, platform-independent tutorial on the basic principles of relational database design. It provides a commonsense design methodology for developing databases that work. Database Design for Mere Mortals™, Second Edition, Database design expert Michael J. Hernandez has expanded his best-selling first edition, maintaining its hands-on approach and accessibility while updating its coverage and including even more examples and illustrations. This edition features a CD-ROM that includes diagrams of sample databases, as well as design guidelines, documentation forms, and examples of the database design process. This book will give you the knowledge and tools you need to create efficient and effective relational databases.