The case study is actually optional, but I saw it as a means of weeding out the less committed. The less committed would choose to skip the project which really serves to demonstrate one’s skills and showcase them in a LinkedIn profile portfolio.
I had a moment when I was 23 to do my internship when I majored in graphic design, and I didn’t do it, and I’ve kicked myself ever since. So with this Coursera project, it’s very important for me to complete and showcase my portfolio. Hopefully somebody on LinkedIn, a recruiter, or who knows will check out my work, and perhaps an opportunity to find a good job as a data analytics specialist.
Sharing the data requires creating data, visualizations through bar, charts and scatterplots and any other pertinent graphics. It’s been an experience for me. I have worked really hard, but around the fifth course of the program, which was the data visualization, I really enjoyed it.The final step in the process of this certification is acting on the data based on the insights that I discover through my data analysis, it allows me to determine whether the question was answered, and whether the company I would work for would be able to go forward, or decide to go in a completely new different direction or to hold off on something.
One thing I learned in this program is that data is everywhere we see it; we touch it and it’s very tactile and sensory.
I learned something about myself through this program. Some things I didn’t realize I could do and it gave me confidence and a new way to look at life and things. It brought me in a positive direction where I had felt stuck for a very long time.
I’m hoping to find a government job or something where I could do data using historical data. I’m interested in the United States, geological survey, or the California Fish and wildlife, or California, water conservation or working in a college university doing people operations those are just a few things.
My goal is to keep learning the things I’ve learned over the course of eight months. I don’t consider myself an expert in everything, because the program went very quickly and I feel like I still have much to learn even though I’ve developed some pretty ninja like skills.
I’ve learned how to use a program called Tableau, which is used for data visualization, and it’s kind of a WYSIWYG, drag, and drop operation, but it does require some thinking, and common sense. I’ve learned that there are communities out there online where I can ask questions and reach out when I need help. I’ve learned how to program in a language, called R, which is a fabulous program, and is meant to solve large amounts of data, for example, trillions of lines of data in a matter of minutes.
I’ve learned how to use an application called SQL, which means (structured query language), and it is similar to R in the sense that it can manage really large amounts of data. I learned the frustration of trying to clean data in a spreadsheet for Excel, and found it was a lesson in futility. Excel is better for short and smaller programs that could be updated regularly and more localized.
Whatever the case, I worked really hard and discovered that I can do something new and maybe it’s a next step in the evolution of my skills and abilities from being a graphic design, education, background and civil engineering drafter, and a potential librarian, which I still want to pursue, the skills will be invaluable for whomever I work for, and whoever I decide to work for will have a very valuable asset.