SQL is most useful in data-focused careers, but it’s also valuable for Web Developers and Software Engineers. While learning SQL alone won’t get you a job, it’s a great place to start. In combination with other programming languages like Python, SQL can help you launch your career as a developer or data specialist.
There are various relational database management systems (RDBMS) that data professionals and developers can use with SQL. Each RDBMS uses its own syntax of SQL but serves essentially the same functions.
Data Scientists, Data Analysts, Machine Learning Engineers, and Data Engineers typically use MySQL, a free and open-source RDBMS. SQL is used to pull information from a database by way of an RDBMS. SQL is by far the most common tool used by Data Scientists. Data professionals can also use SQL in combination with Python and its frameworks, data science best practices, and mathematics.
Data Analysts spend most of their time evaluating data for insightful conclusions and predictions while Data Engineers and Data Scientists focus on writing algorithms and creating programs. Data analysts can specialize even further to provide valuable insights for businesses. The majority of Business Analysts utilize SQL Server from Microsoft alongside other Microsoft tools. Business analysts use SQL to retrieve data, explore and analyze data more efficiently, and create more in-depth reports.
While SQL is important for data science and analysis positions, it’s probably the most important to Database Administrators. Database Administrators can choose to specialize in any SQL syntax or RDBMS they’d like. They can look for jobs based on their preferred RDBMS or default to the syntax and RDBMS that the company they work for chooses to use.
SQL isn’t the main driving force behind web development, but Web Developers and Software Engineers use SQL to display data on their websites or to store and retrieve user information. They can use almost any syntax and RDBMS but typically choose PostgreSQL or MySQL.
Within web development, you could specialize to enter a career such as Python Developer, Full Stack Developer, or Back End Developer. Developers also need to know web or software development principles, a back end programming language (Python, Ruby, or PHP), version control (Git), the basics of HTML and CSS, as well as JavaScript and its frameworks.
