Forever_Jung
Active member
- Joined
- May 23, 2009
- Messages
- 2,644
- MBTI Type
- ESFJ
Anyone know anything about stats, data analysis, whatever it is called?
Context: At the moment, I want to do useful data analysis/statistical reports for the company I work for (it's not in my job description, but I like to do it anyway), but I would also be interested in taking this work to a higher level some day, should it prove to be rewarding.
I'm not sure how hard this road will be, as I don't really have any mathematical education to draw on (aside from grade 11 math) and I don't know anything about computers. Even my knowledge of Excel is pretty limited considering the scope of possibilities it offers (Should I start there?). I'm a 26 year old drop-out, who simply likes thinking about this stuff. Am I doomed?
Should I take night classes? Read books? I have been toying with the idea of going to university and getting a degree heavy on the stats/econ front, with some computer stuff as well.
Extra TL;DR Context:
Context: At the moment, I want to do useful data analysis/statistical reports for the company I work for (it's not in my job description, but I like to do it anyway), but I would also be interested in taking this work to a higher level some day, should it prove to be rewarding.
I'm not sure how hard this road will be, as I don't really have any mathematical education to draw on (aside from grade 11 math) and I don't know anything about computers. Even my knowledge of Excel is pretty limited considering the scope of possibilities it offers (Should I start there?). I'm a 26 year old drop-out, who simply likes thinking about this stuff. Am I doomed?
Should I take night classes? Read books? I have been toying with the idea of going to university and getting a degree heavy on the stats/econ front, with some computer stuff as well.
Extra TL;DR Context:
I was promoted at work a few weeks ago, and I am REALLY enjoying having access to a ton of data that I can play with now. It's not even close to being my job, I'm only supposed to glance at the rather superficial "scorecards" prepared for me, but I have spent much of my free time just playing around with our customer survey data, and seeing what I can dig up, as I try to devise new, more descriptive metrics that could provide us with more useful information. One of my INTP superiors is also a big fan of digging, and has been encouraging me to keep her informed on what I find.
While I have no formal training/knowledge, I feel like I have a pretty natural feel for this kind of work, and have already made a few interesting little discoveries that have led to our store making modest changes to the way it does business. I bet if I took this a little further, I could be even more useful to their efforts.
I also think that statistics are a neat way to slow my hyperactive Ne-dom brain down, and get it to focus on what IS true and accurate rather than what COULD be true. It's very painstaking work and requires a cautious mindset! Sample sizes are everything!
While I have no formal training/knowledge, I feel like I have a pretty natural feel for this kind of work, and have already made a few interesting little discoveries that have led to our store making modest changes to the way it does business. I bet if I took this a little further, I could be even more useful to their efforts.
I also think that statistics are a neat way to slow my hyperactive Ne-dom brain down, and get it to focus on what IS true and accurate rather than what COULD be true. It's very painstaking work and requires a cautious mindset! Sample sizes are everything!