Member Avatar for lewashby

I've been trying to learn how to program for several years now. I've struggled with everything from C++, C#, to Python, but never got passed simple DOS text based screen programs that were very short. I'M now 24 and I work in a factory. I would love to find a carer filed with computers, but I'll take anything with heat and air.
I've heard that database programming is an easier thing to learn that general programming and that there is money to be made.
So my question is, is SQL/MySQL the right place for me to be and get started? And how long much learning will it take to get a job? Thanks for any and all answers.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by GTR3521

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In this thread asked whether SQL/MySQL is a sensible path and how long it takes to get a job. SQL is a practical foundation: many roles depend on it, from analytics to backend work. It trains you to think in terms of sets and structured data rather than line-by-line UI code, which many people find easier to pick up and apply quickly.

Common career routes that use SQL include database administration (operational tasks like backups, security and monitoring), query/report developers (building complex queries and automated reports), data analysts (writing queries to extract insights and feeding visualizations), and backend engineers (SQL plus application integration). Each route requires different add-on skills: operational tooling and monitoring for admin work, query tuning and understanding execution plans for report/query roles, and a reporting or scripting tool for analyst roles. ’s observation about how companies split responsibilities reflects real-world hiring: some firms expect specialists, others want broader skill sets.

A focused, practical plan works best. Start with SELECT, JOINs, aggregations and filtering, then move to indexing, transactions and reading EXPLAIN/ANALYZE outputs. Build two small end-to-end projects (for example an inventory system and a sales-reporting mini-app): include schema DDL, sample data, queries, and a short README. Publish those on GitHub. With steady part-time effort (8–15 hours/week) expect basic competency in a few months and junior-hire readiness in roughly 3–9 months; full-time study shortens that. Formal classes help (as is finding), but concrete projects and real SQL work matter most to employers.

Practical resources: the MySQL manual, PostgreSQL docs, hands-on tutorials at SQLBolt and Mode’s SQL tutorial, and the Sakila sample database for realistic practice. Match your learning to local job ads, focus on a couple of projects you can show, and track progress in a single GitHub repo.

Member Avatar for baki100

learning the code will probably take you a year max but you should also learn about database concepts and principles (eg. normalization, database integrity, design etc)
the problem though is that it might be a bit difficult to find a job with only sql knowledge as sql on it own is not very functional that why it's situated at the back end and you would usually have a front end system (C#, C++,java, python etc) that utilises and interacts with the database. the company that i work for currently has a setup that has database programmers that exclusively work with programming packages, function, triggers, queries and the system developers that do the front end.
I suggest learning Oracle pl/sql you are most likely to find a job with that qualifications and you can use that a background knowledge to teach yourself MySQL.

Member Avatar for GTR3521

I've been trying to learn how to program for several years now. I've struggled with everything from C++, C#, to Python, but never got passed simple DOS text based screen programs that were very short. I'M now 24 and I work in a factory. I would love to find a carer filed with computers, but I'll take anything with heat and air.
I've heard that database programming is an easier thing to learn that general programming and that there is money to be made.
So my question is, is SQL/MySQL the right place for me to be and get started? And how long much learning will it take to get a job? Thanks for any and all answers.

I'm getting my degree in IT but I still don't know for sure what I'm going to be good at. There a lot of options to choose from, I'm doing the programming classes now and I love them. The only ones I've done is C ++ and SQL after that I have to do JAVA, Visual basic and some more... I can't wait...

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