Introduction to Progressive Data

Applications are Now Closed.

Ever wondered how campaigns and progressive movement-building organizations get their data? Or what do they do with it once they have it? More importantly, how does all this strengthen our democracy, help achieve progressive electoral victories, and build power for Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, other marginalized groups, and working-class Americans?

Introduction to Progressive Data is a free, 40-hour course covering some of the foundational tools and analytical frameworks in progressive data that will help you answer the questions above and launch a career in the progressive data and technology space.
Students will also receive access to significant one-on-one office hour time, have the option to complete a final project, receive professional development support, and attend Generation Data career fairs.

Big picture view of data, organizing, and using data to tell compelling stories that drive organizing decisions
NGPVAN
Excel
SQL
Tableau
Overcoming Racial Bias in Data
Dismantling White Supremacy in Progressive Politics
Data based campaign simulation
Career support and professional development
A career fair
Certificate of Completion
The course will be taught and coached by experienced Generation Data instructors including Jose Alfaro, Dana Amihere, Levi Braslow, Bobby Castaneda, Jachwa Dolne, Shoham Geva, Neal Hussein, Kareem Jones, Nancy Stalnaker, Michael Wood, and more

Introduction to Progressive Data (IPD) will meet May 5 - June 15 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30pm EST. There will be a break week the week of May 30th. There will generally be an hour of optional office hour time after each course session though this may very certain evenings. The final week of the course is reserved for optional final project work and presentations. Participants should expect to put in 40-55 hours total between formal training and independent work time depending on if they choose to do a final project. We’ll accept up to 35 students for this program on a rolling basis, so please apply early to increase your chances of being accepted.

No worries. All sessions are recorded. You’ll have the opportunity to watch classes you miss, review slides and presentations, and get the support you need via office hours and our Slack community.

We’re particularly interested in
- Individuals with advocacy and campaign field experience who like working with data / technology
- Individuals with existing skill sets in areas including data analytics, computer programming, software development, statistics, and more
Black, Indigenous, other People of Color, women, queer, trans, those with disabilities and other individuals from underrepresented and marginalized communities are strongly encouraged to apply
- Our students are 60% Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, 60% female or non-binary, and 35% LGBTQIA+

We’re continually trying to make our trainings as accessible as possible to all styles of learners and those who may have specific learning challenges. That said, we’re a small organization and don’t currently have any experts in learning accessibility design on staff. During the application process, we’ll provide space for you to let us know of any accommodations you may need, and we’ll let you know if we are able to accommodate you.

To date, we’ve had over 200 students complete a Generation Data training
Nearly two-thirds of our graduates have landed new roles or added skills to make a greater impact in their current roles

As of 2020, entry-level employees in the progressive political space earn a median salary of $68,000, mid-level employees $82,000, and senior / department-head employees $110,000. The overall median salary is $88,000 and the overall average salary is $94,571. Check out these comprehensive Progressive Data, Analytics, and Technology Salary Surveys form Progressive Data Jobs for more info.

A Mac, Windows, or Linux laptop with at least 4GB of RAM. All course materials will be provided
Access to a reliable internet connection with download speeds around 20Mbps
- Not sure? https://www.speedtest.net/

Want to hear more from professional data / tech practitioners? Check out our Talk Data to Me Discussion series.

Check out our BigQuery + Google Data Studio course in partnership with Community Tech Alliance. It’s a course for advanced beginner to intermediate level SQL practitioners looking to add a new set of tools to their tool belt.
Please keep in mind the our BQ+GDS training is geared more towards advanced beginner / intermediate SQL + data users who may already be working in the progressive data space. Introduction to Progressive Data is geared more towards individuals who may or may not have any prior technical experience and are likely looking for their first job in progressive data. That said we want to give people the opportunity to apply to all trainings from which they feel they can benefit, and you are welcome to apply to both.