Your roadmap
Step by step to your first data job
Start with onboarding, then pick your career track. Every step is actionable — theory, real projects, mock interviews, and job prep all in one place.
Getting Started
10 tasksYour journey starts with a few simple steps — introduce yourself, discover what Surfalytics is about, and plug into the community rhythm. Here's a taste of what's ahead:
Write the Introduction post about yourself
▾
Write the Introduction post about yourself
The fastest way to get help later is to be a name people already recognize. Your intro is how the community meets you.
Do this:
- Open the #introduce-your-self → channel in Discord.
- Scroll through a few intros first. Copy what you like about the good ones.
- Click New Post to start your own thread — don’t reply inside someone else’s.
- Paste the template below, fill in the blanks, and post.
👋 **Hey everyone!**
**Name:** [Your name]
**Location:** [City, Country]
**Current role:** [Your job title or "Student"]
**Goal:** [What you want to learn or achieve]
**Fun fact:** [Something interesting about you]
Excited to be here! 🚀While you're there
React to two other intros. That one click is how the habit of engaging starts.
Done when
Your intro thread is live in #introduce-your-self.
Share your weekly progress on Discord
▾
Share your weekly progress on Discord
This is the habit that carries you through the weeks when motivation dips. Saying out loud what you did — and what you’ll do next — makes you far more likely to actually do it.
Do this:
- Every Monday, open the new thread in #share-week-progress.
- Reply using the template below. A short, honest update beats a perfect one.
- Read two other updates and reply to one.
**Job Search** 🧑💼:
**Learning** 👨🎓:
**Interesting Stuff at Work** 🧶:
**Wellbeing** 🎹:
**Goals this week** 🚩:Don't skip a slow week
“Not much this week — life got busy, back on it Monday” is a valid update. Showing up is the point.
Done when
You’ve posted your first weekly update in #share-week-progress.
Read the blog post - What is Surfalytics
▾
Read the blog post - What is Surfalytics
From the blog post
"Surfalytics is a community-focused learning platform designed to assist individuals in launching and advancing their careers in data analytics and data engineering. It offers practical skill development, career transition support, and guidance for securing top job offers — with a particular emphasis on achieving significant business value and fair compensation."
Read the full post →
Ten minutes that explain how everything here fits together — the community, the projects, the weekly calls, and what “success” actually means.
Do this:
- Read What is Surfalytics → (about 10 min).
- Post one takeaway in #ask-anything — what surprised you, or what you want to get out of the community.
Everything Surfalytics does, on one page. Membership on the left is where you are now. The free course in the middle is the roadmap you will follow.
The short version
- Surfing + analytics. A community-driven platform for building a data career while delivering real value to businesses.
- Who it’s for: career switchers with zero data experience, analysts moving into engineering, senior engineers who’ve plateaued, and people relocating to North America or Europe.
- How it works: a Discord community, monthly hands-on projects, weekly Saturday sessions (Snowflake, dbt, Docker, and more), mock interviews, and career guidance.
- The goal is fair pay. We track real outcomes — all the way to the Club 500 level ($500K+ per year).
- Community first. You grow faster when you set goals in public, report progress, ask questions, and help others.
Done when
You’ve posted one takeaway in #ask-anything.
...and 7 more tasks — set up your workspace, explore Discord channels, prepare your resume, write a LinkedIn post, and everything else you need to be job-ready.
Join Surfalytics to unlock the full roadmap →Pick your career path
Once you've completed onboarding, you'll follow a structured track tailored to your goal role. Each path includes theory modules, live mock interviews, hands-on pet projects, and dedicated job prep.
Data Analyst
Master SQL, BI tools, and business communication. The fastest path to your first data role.
Theory
SQL, data modeling, visualization fundamentals
Mock interviews
SQL challenges, case studies, stakeholder Q&A
Pet projects
End-to-end dashboards on real public datasets
Resume & LinkedIn
Templates, review sessions, and profile optimization
Topics covered
- SQL & Databases
- BI Tools (Tableau, Power BI)
- Statistics & Analytics Thinking
- Business Dashboards
- Job Interview Prep
Data Engineer
Build pipelines, cloud infrastructure, and data platforms. High demand, top salaries.
Theory
Python, cloud architecture, warehouse design
Mock interviews
System design, coding rounds, scenario walkthroughs
Pet projects
Real ELT pipelines deployed on cloud infrastructure
Resume & LinkedIn
Portfolio setup, GitHub tips, recruiter-ready profiles
Topics covered
- Python & Git
- Cloud Platforms (AWS / GCP / Azure)
- ETL / ELT Pipelines
- Data Warehousing
- Orchestration & dbt
Analytics Engineer
Bridge analytics and engineering with dbt, modern data stack, and transformation pipelines.
Theory
dbt, dimensional modeling, CI/CD for analytics
Mock interviews
Technical SQL, dbt scenarios, modeling decisions
Pet projects
Full dbt project with tests, docs, and deployment
Resume & LinkedIn
AE-specific positioning, portfolio tips, keyword audit
Topics covered
- Advanced SQL
- dbt Core & Cloud
- Data Modeling (Kimball / Data Vault)
- Testing & Data Quality
- Modern Data Stack
What's included in every track
Every career path follows the same proven structure:
Theory modules
Structured lessons with video walkthroughs, covering tools and concepts used in real jobs.
Mock interviews
Practice SQL, system design, and behavioral questions with real feedback from Dmitry.
Pet projects
Hands-on portfolio projects on real-world datasets — the kind recruiters actually care about.
Job prep
Resume review, LinkedIn audit, job tracking templates, and weekly accountability check-ins.
Weekly online meetings
Live sessions every week — Q&A, progress check-ins, and group problem solving with the community.
Offline events
In-person meetups worldwide — put a face to the community and grow your network in person.
Personal brand events
Workshops and panels on LinkedIn presence, public speaking, and building visibility in the data world.
Deep dives
Extended sessions going deep on a single topic — architecture patterns, real production incidents, tool comparisons.
Job references
Get a personal reference from Dmitry or a senior community member when you are ready to apply.
Interview shadowing
Join live mock interviews as an observer and help solve problems alongside the candidate — learn by doing.
Offer negotiation
Practice negotiating salary and benefits so you walk into every offer conversation confident and prepared.
Salary intelligence
Know the real market ranges for DA, DE, and AE roles — understand your worth and never leave money on the table.
Ready to follow a full structured path?