How it all started

I didn’t plan to become a data analyst.

One random day in 2025, I was scrolling YouTube just to “learn some skills” and clicked on a video where someone was interviewing a data analyst about his journey. He was asked a simple question:

“What did you do to become a data analyst?”

His answer felt very straightforward:
He said he had mastered Power BI, Tableau, Python, and had a good understanding of data cleaning, processing, and EDA, and that’s how he landed a “lakhs” package job.

That was the first time I properly heard the term “data analyst” in a serious way. In school and society, people usually only talk about engineers, doctors, or CAs. This was the first time I saw a different path that still involved logic, numbers, and problem‑solving.

I got hooked instantly. I didn’t waste much time thinking. I just decided:
“I want to try this.”

Learning Python from an AI

The first skill I picked was Python.

At that time, the free limits on ChatGPT were not very strict, so I basically treated it like a personal tutor. I learned Python almost completely from an AI — from basic syntax and loops to functions and small projects.

I wasn’t just watching tutorials; I was constantly asking questions like:

• “Explain this like I’m 15.”

• “Give me 5 small exercises.”

• “Check my code and tell me what’s wrong.”

Slowly, I started feeling a bit confident with coding.

Then ChatGPT suggested something bold:
Start freelancing with my beginner data skills.

My first freelancing attempt

So I opened my first account on Freelancer.com.

I wrote a small description about myself, uploaded a basic profile picture, and added a few tiny projects I had done — nothing impressive, just simple analysis and mini dashboards.

I wasn’t getting clients, but I also wasn’t just sitting and waiting. While my profile existed in the background, I kept learning:

• Power BI dashboards

• Basic Tableau

• More Python

• SQL fundamentals

Most of my projects in those early months were very basic, but they were important. Each one taught me a new concept, even if the output didn’t look like a “professional portfolio” yet.

From learning to hunting for internships

By the time June came, I had a small collection of beginner‑level projects and some confidence.

ChatGPT started recommending me some internships and roles I could apply for. That’s when a big doubt hit me:

“Who will hire me? I’m under 18.”

For a while, this thought sat in my head and tried to stop me. But I decided to ignore this “sorrow mind” and just try.

I created my first resume and CV with:

• My projects

• My skills (Python, Power BI, Tableau, SQL, EDA)

• A short intro about being self‑taught

Then I started applying.

My first ever interview: Market Researcher

After around 1.5 months of applying, I finally got my first interview call — not as a data analyst, but as a Market Researcher.

Honestly, I didn’t even fully know what to expect from an interview. I was nervous and clueless.

The interview started with a female HR professional. She asked the classic opener:

“Tell me about yourself.”

I tried to answer honestly, but my answer was not very structured. I even said something like, “I’ll skip the boring parts, sir, let me tell you…” — which sounds funny now, but in that moment, it was just pure nervousness.

Then she asked:

“How do you evaluate your work?”

Since this is the era of AI, I confidently said that I use Perplexity to help me check and research things. I even added that its CEO is Indian — even though at that point, I didn’t really know his name properly.

She then asked:

“How much experience do you have with Canva, Miro, and Notion?”

And there, I got stuck.
I didn’t have proper experience with those tools, and my answers were weak and unconvincing.

At the end, they mentioned some working hours and payment details, and for a moment, I thought:

“Maybe I got selected?”

But after that, there was silence. No email. No rejection. No confirmation. Just… nothing.

That was my first reality check.

The second chance: a data analysis interview

A few days later, around Shivratri, I got another call.

I had just returned from the temple when an HR person called and asked:

“Is this you?”

Then they asked me to introduce myself and explain who I was and what I do. This time, I was more prepared. I had practiced my introduction, and I was able to speak more clearly and confidently.

They told me that I would have a data analysis interview scheduled for the next day.

I started hoping:

“Maybe this is the one. Maybe this time, I’ll finally get selected.”

The next day, the interview started. There was a senior person on the call — his voice sounded strict and slightly angry.

He began asking questions.
I answered, but with some stuttering and hesitations. My responses were not perfect, but they were more honest and structured than before.

Somewhere between the 15th and 20th question, I silently told myself:

“I don’t think I’ll get selected again.”

At the end, they said:

“You will get a reply in one or two days.”

I remembered my first interview experience and didn’t keep many expectations this time.

The under‑18 question: managing school and work

In the middle of this data analysis interview, one question stood out:

“You are under 18. How will you manage your school, your studies, and this internship together?”

This was a very real question. It’s easy to think about doing many things, but actually living that schedule is different.

I replied confidently:

“Yes, I will be able to manage.”

And I meant it.
My plan was simple:
Come home from school, open my laptop, and work on internship tasks from 2 pm to 7 pm, or sometimes even till 10 pm.

For me, this wasn’t just about money or a line on my resume. It was about proving to myself that I could handle responsibility at a young age.

The message that changed everything

I almost forgot about the first Market Research interview. I didn’t receive anything from them — not even a rejection.

Then, about two days after the data analysis interview, something unexpected happened.

I got a message:

“You join this group.”

For a second, I didn’t fully understand. Then it hit me:

“Wait… did I get selected?”

I joined the group.
To introduce myself properly, I even used ChatGPT to help me write a clean and confident introduction message.

They welcomed me, and in that moment, it felt huge.

After 2–3 months of continuous effort — learning late at night, building small projects, applying despite being under 18, facing interviews without experience — I had finally gotten my first internship.

It wasn’t just a selection. It was validation.

Living the intern life as an under‑18

Once I joined the group, I also saw another intern who was completing his internship and attending his last orientation. It reminded me that this was real — people actually finished this, grew from it, and moved on to better things.

From that point, my days looked something like this:

• Morning: school and studies

• After school: come home, open laptop

• 2 pm – 7 pm (sometimes till 10 pm): internship work, learning, figuring things out

It was tiring, but it never felt meaningless. Every day, I was one step further from “just a student who saw a random YouTube video” and one step closer to “a real data analyst in progress.”

What this journey taught me

Looking back, a few things stand out from my 2025 journey:

• You don’t need permission to start
  A YouTube video and an AI tutor were enough to begin.

• Being under 18 is not a full stop
  It just means you have to prove your seriousness a bit more and manage your time better.

• Rejection and silence are part of the process
  No response from one company doesn’t mean you’re not capable. Sometimes, it just means “not here, not yet.”

• Consistency beats confidence
  I wasn’t always confident, but I was consistent — learning daily, applying, improving my resume, and trying again.

This was just Part 1 of the story.

The real journey started after getting that internship — the projects, the mistakes, the learning, the confusion, and how it shaped my goals for the future.

And that, maybe, deserves its own Part 2.