u/Single_Court9451

Hi everyone! I’m 25 and seriously considering pivoting into Health Informatics/Healthcare IT, and I’d love to hear from people currently working in the field. I have a
B.S. in Health Sciences and I am a Licensed Master Esthetician (ik this is irrelevant but just a little background)
Currently working full-time as a Dermatology Medical Assistant (7 months of experience) My original plan was PA school, but after getting healthcare experience, I’m realizing that I’m much more interested in the tech aspect of things.

My Questions are:

1. Is informatics/data analytics a good career to move into in 2026 with the growth of AI?
2. With my Health Sciences degree and clinical experience, could I realistically transition into the field without getting another bachelor’s degree?
3. Would learning Excel + SQL + Tableau/Power BI be enough to make me competitive for entry-level roles?
4. For those of you already working in HI/healthcare IT, what would you do differently if you were starting over?
   I’m currently making $18/hr, so I’m trying to make a strategic career move rather than spend years and a ton of money getting another degree without knowing whether it will actually pay off.
   I’d especially appreciate perspectives from people who started in clinical/healthcare roles and successfully transitioned into informatics or healthcare IT.
   Thank you!