Overqualified for contract, what should I do ? Please Read !

TL;DR at the bottom but please read through if you can !

Ok, so first, I graduated January 2022 with a degree in Economics and had been trying to get a job as a data analyst ever since. I admittedly, and very stupidly, didn’t take the job search seriously for a while after graduating and let a relatively strong job market turn into what’s, apparently, the worst one in a pretty long while which has led me to still not having a career or even a job now in 2024, not to mention the toll on my mental health all this has taken on me. 

Recently, a family friend who works at a major energy company helped me get a 6-month contract at his company. My title will be “Data Analyst” and the pay will be in the low 30’s in a VHCOL area. 

I’m not concerned about the pay as I still live at home and can save it all anyway. My biggest concern is that based on the interviews and whatever other info I could gather, I seem very overqualified for it. It seems that I will just be answering some simple questions from some data on an Excel spreadsheet. There’s no use of SQL, Tableau, PowerBI, Python, nothing. During the interview, they had me answer like 5 questions from a spreadsheet and they seemed very impressed with the fact that I knew how to put together a pivot table.

Anyway, my concern is that, in the end, this contract won’t really make a difference in helping me get that job/career as a data analyst that I want so bad as I’m way overqualified for it and I will effectively just be sinking another 6 months of my life. I also have no intentions to remain in the energy sector but I don’t have any other options currently and already a massive resume gap. 

If I take it, how far in would be a good time to start applying again ? Should I take it, continue applying and just end the contract if something better comes up ? Should I just forget about the contract ?

Any guidance is VERY appreciated.

TL;DR - 2+ year post-grad resume gap. Want a career in data analytics, got a 6-month contract opportunity as a data analyst which I'm way overqualified for and in an industry I'm not particularly interested in, worried that it won't make a difference in the end. What should I do ?