Data & You ft Ivy Elebesunu
Everyone has a different narrative about how they got IN. Mine wasn’t perfect, but it’s my tale. The month of August will be dedicated to databenders. Aside from the fact that many people have asked how to get started in data, I haven’t discussed my journey in depth, and who doesn’t learn from a good story? Definitely not me.
Hi, techie. Welcome to this read of Tech and Techies. We’ll be having something a bit different than the norm this month. Think of it as a “Data Series”. In every read this month, we’ll be having conversations with Data enthusiasts to learn how they got started in data to help not just new data benders but also refine what we know as Data OGs.
My journey in the world of data has been nothing but exciting. Data led me to Content and Marketing. It sounds weird but that’s the truth. I fell in love with storytelling from data visualization. Data visualization then led me to public speaking and strategic communication. Funny, right?
That’s the beauty of your journey. It doesn’t have to be smooth. I understand that data can be a bit confusing to navigate as a newbie. It’s excellent. I started with Python and it gave me a migraine. It ended in tears and it jeopardized my entire data journey. I fell in love with data when I went back to the basics, Excel.
Some people will tell you to start with Data Science but I don’t belong to that school of thought, I’d say know your strengths and if you’re a fast learner that might work for you but if you love to grow, start with data analytics. Start with the foundation of it all, excel (or sheets).
But before we get started on what data analytics is, what exactly is the point of it? I strongly believe knowing your why gives you a needed overview of things. We use data to make informed decisions. So the point of data analytics is to birth a recommendation needed for an action.
Every step in data analytics has a why. You visualize data to give a clearer view of given results to back up recommendations. So each viz has a purpose and isn’t there for fun. So before you visualize, try to ask yourself the question, what question is this viz trying to answer? Or is it unnecessary or distracting?
Isn’t that awesome? You’re literally like the FBI. You see things people don’t. You get answers to difficult questions. You’re fact-driven. That’s pretty cool if you ask me and that’s one of the reasons I love this field. You can’t lie because numbers speak. And that’s something you should hold on to. Numbers speak, so listen.
Are you still confused about your journey in data? This month is definitely for you. Catch you in the next read with my awesome guest!
