If you had told me four months ago how much would fit into this time at The Data School, I would not have believed you. It has been intense, exhausting in a good way, and probably the steepest learning curve of my life.
Most people think The Data School is just about learning Tableau and Alteryx. And yes, you absolutely do that. But after sixteen weeks I can say it is just as much about how you think, how you work with people, and how you handle messy, real life problems.
Learning at full speed with Tableau and Alteryx
From day one it feels like someone hit the “fast forward” button on your learning. Tableau is not just “a tool” anymore. It turns into your main language for exploring ideas. You learn how to build dashboards that are not only pretty but also clear, focused, and honest. You start to think about the person on the other side of the screen.
Alteryx brings a different kind of joy. It is like Lego for data. You clean, blend, reshape, and automate workflows that would take hours in spreadsheets. You make mistakes, break everything, fix it, and then suddenly it all clicks.
What surprised me most is how quickly “I have no idea what I am doing” turns into “I can actually solve this.” You spend so much time in the tools that they start to feel natural. Not comfortable all the time, but familiar.
More than tools: learning to think like an analyst
The biggest shift for me has not been technical. It has been mental. At The Data School you are pushed to think like a consultant, not just a person who knows shortcuts in Tableau. You learn to ask better questions that are more structured and allow you to gain access to the information that you need to complete your work. Now if I get stuck I keep going back to one very important question "What problem are we really trying to solve?" It's like a reset button for me when I get lost in my analysis.
You start to realize that charts are not the point. The point is to help someone make a decision. That means making trade offs, cutting extra charts, and letting go of work that took you hours if it does not add anything or provide clarity to your client.
You also get constant feedback. Sometimes it is gentle. Sometimes it is very direct. Both are useful. You learn how to defend your choices, change your mind quickly, and adjust your work without taking it personally.
Being surrounded by smart, like minded people
One of the best parts of these sixteen weeks has been the group itself. You walk into a room full of people who are curious about the same things, who get excited about an LOD or an Alteryx flow, and who also know how to laugh at themselves when something completely breaks.
You pair up, swap ideas, share shortcuts, and complain about calculations that refuse to work. It is a rare feeling to be surrounded by people that want to get better at the same thing as you are. It keeps you moving on days when your brain is tired and the data is not cooperating.
The company, the instructors, and learning from the top
The training itself is very demanding and not easy, but the company culture around it makes a big difference. You are not tucked away in a corner. You actually meet and interact with the people who built this place. You are encouraged to come out of the classroom and ask for help if you are stuck. You have a room full of people that will drop what they are doing just to help you.
We get to see and speak with Tom Brown, the Founder and the CEO, which is not something you experience at most companies. It makes the whole thing feel very human. You see how much thought went into The Data School model and how invested people are in your growth.
Having someone like Carl Allchin come over from the UK to teach for a week is its own experience. You get a different angle on problem solving and storytelling with data. You see how the same tools can be used with a slightly different mindset and it changes the way you think and approach the problem.
The instructors are not just “trainers.” They're coaches who have worked with real clients and real disasters. They share the tricks that do not show up in textbooks. They teach you small things that make you a great analyst and developer.
A big part of the Data School that people don't always see from the outside is the consulting side. You are not just building cool visualizations for yourself. You are preparing to work with clients who have their own pressures, politics, and constraints.
You learn how to:
- Ask questions without sounding like you are challenging everything
- Turn vague asks into something you can actually deliver
- Push back when needed but stay respectful
- Translate technical things into clear language
We also talk about what to do when things get difficult. When a client is not clear. When priorities keep changing. When the data is not what everyone thought it was. Those moments are uncomfortable, but they are also where you grow the most. You practice staying calm, being honest, and focusing on what you can do rather than everything that went wrong. That is consulting in real life.
Four months later
Sixteen weeks at the Data School is not a casual “course.” It reshapes how you see data, how you work with people, and how you see your own potential.
After the training, I move onto client placements for the next two years, where I'll be working on real projects and keep sharpening my skills. I find that I feel more confident looking at a messy problem, asking better questions, working with different people, and building something that actually helps.