Recommend Resources for Diving into Data Analysis

Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes

This is the book I read to learn Python. I had very little prior coding experience (just an elective class in college) and this book is remarkable at introducing the fundamentals of Python in an approachable and fun way. It distinguishes different uses for Python, such as game development, data visualization, and web application development, and dedicates the latter half to delving into these practical applications. Also, there is an abundance of supplementary material available, including a handy Python cheat sheet PDF.

Mining Social Media: Finding Stories in Internet Data by Lam Thuy Vo

This book is from the same publisher as Python Crash Course, No Starch Press, which is a fantastic resource for approachable books on programming languages and techy topics. Mining Social Media is a wonderful introduction to scraping data from social media, working with APIs, and analyzing data with Python. Some of the information is redundant from Python Crash Course chapters on data analysis, but it is definitely worth the read. Also, this book is small but mighty at about a third of the length of Python Crash Course.

Practical SQL: A Beginner’s Guide to Storytelling with Data by Anthony DeBarros

This is another book from No Starch Press. I am in the process of reading it, and everything I have learned so far has been valuable. It is straight to the point and efficiently introduces the basics of setting up a SQL environment, importing/exporting data, querying and manipulating the data.

blondiebytes YouTube channel

Kathryn is one of my favorite creators on YouTube and is a big source of inspiration for me. She has been making videos regularly since 2015 on just about every aspect of coding. Her videos are helpful and well-made, and I am a fan of her teaching style. Her newer videos are more vlog-like, while her older videos are tutorials and can be found by sorting videos by date added (oldest)). I recommend her series on Terminal, as well as her videos on web development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap).

ExcelIsFun YouTube channel

There are an overwhelming amount of YouTube videos and channels catering to teaching Excel, but Mike is in a league of his own. With hundreds of videos for all skill levels on everything to do with Excel, this channel is a one-stop shop for mastering Excel. The pace of the beginner-level videos may be a little slow for some people, but you will gain full understanding of the concepts. Spreadsheets are available to download so you can easily follow along, including practice problems. Mike is also currently writing a book, which I am eagerly anticipating.

TowardsDataScience.com

A subset of Medium.com, this is a vast and ever-growing resource of articles written by independent contributors for every aspect of data science. Articles include tutorials, guides, recommendations, and blog posts. I cannot emphasize enough how much this site has helped me. When I need to efficiently learn a data analysis concept, this is the first place I look. A Google search for TowardsDataScience and the topic in question usually yields some helpful results. Other subsets of Medium, such as BetterProgramming, are great, too. You can only read 3 Medium articles per month for free, but a subscription is inexpensive ($5/month or $50/year) and absolutely worth it.