I’m launching a pilot next Monday: 15 minutes a day on one targeted skill (Excel basics, SQL queries, or customer success workflows) plus one weekly informational interview for vets 0–12 months post-separation. If you’d join or have a skill you want prioritized, drop it here — what’s the one capability that would most boost your confidence re-entering the market? I’ll share a simple tracker and daily prompts.
SQL joins and GROUP BY would boost confidence fastest. I’d do 15-minute reps on https://sqlbolt.com (lessons 6–8) and end each day by writing one query in your own words — think of joins as speed dating for tables. A ‘Friday mini-project’ to load a tiny CSV into SQLite and answer two business questions would tie it together, and for folks brand new, starting with Excel is a softer ramp.
For a quick confidence boost in “15 minutes a day,” I’d start with Excel: grab a tiny CSV, build a PivotTable, add a slicer, and write one line on the insight. Agree with @jperez77 that SQL matters, but most screens surface Excel first, so hit PivotTable → XLOOKUP → light conditional formatting this week. If the cohort leans CS, swap day 3 for a call-notes template and a simple renewal handoff checklist.