For nearly a decade data has been as much of an avocation of mine as a profession. I’ve been fortunate to have career opportunities which have allowed me to pursue this passion and assist many organizations in achieving their goals. These experiences have also provided the chance to hone my skills to do some data hacking on my own time.
My enjoyment of working in data comes from the union of three components:
Defining the question – Sometimes the question is very clear, such as “What three products drove the most sales in the southeast region?”. Other times the question is more ambiguous… “How will we know if this project is a success?” The process of brainstorming and debating the scope of a data project is often a fun intellectual exercise.
Seeking out the answer – This is when I get to plug in my favorite Pandora station and start hacking through SQL scripts and spreadsheets. And there is nothing like that feeling of success when you start to pare away the less important data and glean the pieces that answer the driving question.
Telling the story – Above all else, telling the story is the MOST fun of data work. Whether the audience is a larger team of peers or senior level management, this is the opportunity to be the teacher and share what lessons can be learned from all the hard work. Nothing beats the feeling of sharing those few revelations from the research to create an “ah-ha” moment for your audience.
Check out my Projects Portfolio page to see some of my highlights.