Where/How to learn SQL on a functional level?

Posted by RedditUsrnamesRweird@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 10 comments

Tl;DR: How do I develop SQL skills? Are there good sources to practice somewhere? Do I just have to build my own mock database and practice with it?

I'm an amateur coder: Python , html/css/JS.

I want to get comfortable at using SQL but am not sure how to write anything that will make me confident telling a future employer that I KNOW how to use it.

I don't really have any doubts that I could understand and use it - Just not sure how to gain the experience without having a job that has me use it.

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AffectionateZebra760@reddit

For sql explore r/learnsql also try to explore and look at courses from udemy/coursea/datacamp/weclouddata for sql to see which one is more aligned to the jobs u are applying

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honestly sqlbolt and the postgres route others mentioned are solid but the thing that makes sql actually click is having a question you want to answer. like grab a dataset from kaggle that you're genuinely curious about -- sports stats, movie data, whatever -- and just start asking yourself questions about it. "which actor appeared in the most movies in the 2010s" type stuff.

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JGhostThing@reddit

I installed PostgreSQL on my linux box and programmed a database for creative works into it. It got fairly complex as I went with pen names and multiple creators for each work.

Just create a database that would be useful for your hobby.

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Feline_Sleepwear@reddit

I initially practiced it by building small full-stack react apps, since you already know the main web dev languages that could be a nice place to start, nodeJS backend with a simple SQL database with Postgres or something.

If you want to focus only on learning SQL and nothing else, maybe just look for a udemy course, there are some great ones out there. I did one to brush up on the fundamentals before interviewing for an entry level position and it helped a lot. I can’t remember exactly which one it was but it was a high rated one that used Microsoft SQL Server, role ended up being for Snowflake but once you know any SQL it’s very easy to pick up a variant.

After that you can start looking into beginner data analytics or data engineering personal project ideas.

When I first got an entry level job, I had a CS degree, a couple of simple full-stack web apps and that online course to show experience working with data and SQL. Main expectations was a solid grasp on fundamentals - Unions, Joins, aggregate functions, group by, subquery/CTEs (they were surprised I even knew about window functions lol, but I assume requirements today may be more demanding).

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RedditUsrnamesRweird@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the breakdown! Some good things to work on here

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AMajoris@reddit

Sqlbolt

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RedditUsrnamesRweird@reddit (OP)

Thx i'll check it out!

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Outrageous_Duck3227@reddit

grab a free postgres or mysql db locally and use sample datasets like pagila or chinook, then just hammer it with queries you invent every day. joins, group by, window stuff. repeat. getting real experience without work is annoying, especially when getting any job now is this hard

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RedditUsrnamesRweird@reddit (OP)

Thank you! And yea... the job market is crazy right now - all previous roles i would've filled a couple years ago basically requires SQL now to even pretend to be competitive

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stiky21@reddit

There are a bunch of little websites for Murder Mystery and Firefighting that have you going through trying to find out where the murder was or where there's a fire using SQL

I'll edit this with the links one sec