Nowadays, data is gathered from a variety of sources, and information is of great value to organizations. However, with an increasing amount of data comes the need for databases that can store information for retrieval and analysis by trained specialists. That’s where Structured Query Language comes in. Is SQL worth learning? In this article, I’ll explain why it definitely is.

Relational databases, which logically group information into chunks, are basically used to store and organize large amounts of data. Of course, if you’re looking to retrieve any kind of information from a database, you need to speak its language! The most widely used language for interacting with databases is SQL (Structured Query Language), the gold standard of relational databases. (is learning SQL worth it? remember about its universality!) SQL queries, which are essentially requests or instructions that you send to a database, allow you to retrieve information and update, insert, or delete data.

SQL is mainly associated with the IT sector and is an everyday tool for database administrators. Developers use SQL to write applications that require database connections, and systems architects use it to design database models. All of this means that learning SQL is a great choice for anyone who would like to pursue a career in IT.

However, if you’re not into all those zeros and ones, rest assured—IT specialists are not the only ones who benefit from SQL. It is, in fact, essential for any professional working with lots of data, such as a data analyst or scientist, and it’s a common tool in the fields of finance, banking, and marketing. When you know SQL, you can easily retrieve and process data you need without any assistance from an IT expert. You can also create reports and analyses more quickly and efficiently! Is learning SQL worth it if you can do your analytical work more quickly and independently? Decide yourself!

Now, we know what you’re thinking—is SQL worth learning if I don’t work with big amounts of data? Well, employees with SQL skills tend to earn more. Nowadays, many organizations are seeking specialists with SQL knowledge because retrieving and analyzing data is incredibly important for staying ahead of the competition and fine-tuning your business strategy. Thus, a specialist with SQL skills has a greater chance of earning a higher salary and working a better job.

Let’s take a quick look at the list of 2017 jobs, sorted by salary (median for annual salary). The information in the table below comes from www.payscale.com.

* – Salary from Sep-Oct 2017

As you can tell, employees with SQL skills earn more than their counterparts.

Is learning SQL worth it for reasons other than money? Besides, it’s simply good to know it because it allows you to get information that can help you prepare a professional report, which is important in pretty much any area of business. As an added bonus, you can reuse any of your SQL queries in the future instead of rewriting them from scratch, saving you lots of time and effort.

Fortunately, SQL is easy to learn, and mastering the language doesn’t take much time! Not convinced? Try out any SQL Basics course. There are many online courses for complete beginners; to start learning SQL, you don’t even have to worry about preparing an appropriate database environment, as many courses offer connections to existing databases that you can use!

The best way to learn SQL is with an interactive online platform that exposes you to both the theories and practical applications of SQL and data analysis, providing a good amount of examples to demonstrate the various concepts. Although each relational database has its own SQL syntax, it’s worth learning the standard SQL syntax because it is universal for all databases. Once you master the basics, you can start learning the particulars of different databases to broaden your knowledge.

In short, SQL is useful whenever you plan to sift through databases in search of information. It’s an important language not only for IT experts but also for anyone working in the business sector, and it can complement your resume to help you stand out to employers. All in all, learning SQL is a worthwhile investment.

Is SQL Worth Learning?Try It Yourself!

LearnSQL.com is a great place to learn SQL—check out our interactive SQL Basics course today to get started!