🍿 He’s a CS major... but hates coding

He’s got a CS degree on the way but no love for software engineering. We break down how to pivot into healthcare analytics with no job and experience.

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CareerSnacks Team
June 17, 2025

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I will be graduating college with a CS degree in Dec 2026, so hopefully I have some time to get somewhere before that. I recently realized that I am not too interested or passionate about software engineering. I do know that I like numbers and think that I think very analytical, so I thought it would be an interesting career. Over the past few months I have been thinking about this career path, and recently started thinking that healthcare analytics would be a good fit. I could be wrong, but I feel like it would be a good way to help people.

I am in the process of learning SQL and Power BI, and I plan on learning more advanced Excel after that. I hear that there are no such thing as entry-level data analytics from other posts, so what would be the best way to get into it? What would be good projects to demonstrate that I am competent and give me a chance? How big are the projects, how long do they take? What are the key concepts that are the most important for me to master?

I know the job market is bad right now, but would you say this is a viable career choice?

So… what would a $300/hr coach say to this? 🧀 Here’s the cheese:

  1. Build a portfolio that screams “I can do the job.”

  • Do one solid end-to-end project using healthcare data (CMS, CDC, or Kaggle have great datasets).

  • Show real-world skills: clean messy data, use SQL for queries, analyze trends, build simple dashboards in Power BI.

  • Add a writeup or short video explaining what you did, why it matters, and what decisions someone could make from it.

  1. Don’t wait for a job posting to “let” you start.

  • Entry-level analytics roles are rare. But contract gigs, internships, and freelance projects with nonprofits or clinics are not.

  • Cold DM local orgs or public health researchers and offer to analyze a dataset or improve their reporting. One unpaid project > zero experience.

  1. Lock in three core skills: SQL, Power BI, and Excel.

  • These are the actual tools used in entry-level healthcare analytics roles.

  • Don’t waste time learning Python or advanced ML right now. Most analyst jobs don’t require them.

  • Get good enough to manipulate, join, filter, and visualize without Googling every step.

  1. Learn the healthcare terms analysts are expected to know.

  • Look up: claims data, CPT/ICD codes, EMRs, and value-based care.

  • Find a few YouTube videos or articles that explain these basics.

  • Being able to talk about the data context will separate you from other entry-level candidates.

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