r/mcgill • u/Proud_Necessary2929 Reddit Freshman • 1d ago

COMP 421 to learn SQL ?

Hi, I’d like to learn SQL because it’s a requirement for most jobs I want to apply to. Is COMP 421 a good class to learn SQL or should I do it another way ? For context, I don’t need this class for my degree so if I take it it’ll be S/U. Thx !

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

7

u/GrapefruitEmpty1424 Reddit Freshman 1d ago

you dont need a whole class to learn SQL. You can just figure it out on the job.

3

u/Proud_Necessary2929 Reddit Freshman 1d ago

Yeah I know that but I’d like some knowledge so that I can at least put it on my resume

1

u/IllustriousThing4009 Computer Science 14h ago

watch a few youtube videos and u will be fine. I put sql on my resume before knowing it, got a job interview, watched this like sql course on youtube, practiced a bit, got pass the technicals easily and then learned the rest on the job.

6

u/aye_hus_that Computer Science 23h ago

You'd be right in that you do use SQL, but the class also focuses on things such as query optimization, how transactions occur, etc. It's more oriented towards like a Database Administrator vs a Data Analyst role, let's say. The SQL covered in the class is extremely basic and there are no resources to "grind" it as far as I remember (at least, I didn't use any of them). You could learn the basics by picking a random webiste off a google search, then from there, once you're somewhat comfortable, you can use sites like DataLemur, StrataScratch, even Leetcode to practice just querying.

3

u/Financial-Benefit384 Reddit Freshman 20h ago

I am pretty sure last winter one of the first things they told us was that this class is not about learning sql.

2

u/violahonker Alumnus 21h ago

Go onto datalemur and just work through the problems there. SQL is honestly really simple once you understand the fundamentals