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SQL, Starting Out

Getting Started: SQL

Published by Anna on August 4, 2025

Alright, here’s the deal. If you’re just starting out with SQL, you don’t need to sign up for some $900 bootcamp or memorize every clause like you’re prepping for trivia night. Not a single seasoned SQL developer remembers every single command off the top of their head — they just know how to look things up fast and structure a query that works. That’s the skill you want to build.

1. First off, it’s pronounced sequel. Please.

Sure, it stands for Structured Query Language, and fine, technically “S-Q-L” isn’t wrong. But most people in tech call it sequel - if you say S. Q. L. out loud, someone in the room will quietly judge you. Vice versa with writing - if you write sequel, someone will loudly judge you.

2. Start your foundation with W3Schools

W3Schools is basic, and that’s exactly why it works. It lays out SQL in a way that actually makes sense — no fluff, no weird edge cases right out the gate.

Start at the top and read through the full tutorial. People love to treat it like a reference site, but if you’re new to SQL, reading the basics front to back will save you a ton of confusion later. You don’t need to memorize anything — just absorb the structure.

3. Download Mimo for on the go learning

If you like the idea of learning in tiny dopamine hits a la Duolingo, Mimo is the move. It walks you through SQL basics without needing to install anything more than a phone App or deal with error messages that make you want to cry. Five minutes a day while you’re waiting for your coffee or that one coworker who’s always late to your meetings? Done.

4. Play with real data in Google BigQuery

Google BigQuery has free public datasets that are honestly pretty darn fun if you pick the right one. You want your learning to feel like solving a mystery, not the depressing Titanic death record datasets a lot of courses like to use.

Here’s what I’d do:

  • Pick a dataset that doesn’t bore you to death. (NYC taxi rides? Baseball stats? SF Film Locations? Whatever works.)
  • Try to answer one of the sample prompts yourself before peeking at the answer.
  • If your answer is different, don’t cheat yet. Try again. Keep going until you either get it right or want to rip your hair out - then look at how they did it and compare.
    • You’ll learn way more from figuring out why yours was off than just copying someone else’s syntax.

Want help setting this up? Check out this step by step guide: Getting Started: Google BigQuery

5. Limit your AI use. Seriously.

Don’t let ChatGPT write all of your code. You’re here to learn, not just get the right answer. If you’re stuck, cool — ask a specific question like “Why doesn’t this filter work?” or “What’s the difference between WHERE and HAVING?”

But if you’re just pasting prompts like “Write me a query to get the top 10 users by sales,” you’re skipping the part where your brain gets smarter.

Welcome to the wonderful world of SQL

Learning SQL is an incredible journey that will unlock so many amazing insights. For me, it marries my two favorite things: puzzles and languages.

It teaches you how to think through questions, how to pull apart messy data, and how to find patterns hiding in plain sight. And once it clicks, it changes how you see problems — not just in data, but everywhere.

Start small. Stay curious. Try stuff, break stuff, and don’t be afraid to write ugly queries. The more you practice, the sharper your instincts get.

You don’t have to be perfect — you just have to start.