Well, I’ve resisted this for a while, but I think it’s high time to add “python” to the list of languages in which I have proficiency. I did some basic work with python a while back, but was turned off by the need to “indent” properly for loops and conditionals. As a side rant, this seems preposterous to me, as if the language author wanted to do something different from the standard curly braces {} of most other languages. Anyway, rant over.

I started going through some “Linked In Learning” courses on python, and will probably try to basic projects. I don’t currently have any client work using python, but want to have a decent competency built up when it comes. I also have taken an interest in data science, and python seems to be a favorite language for that crowd. Learning a new (programming) language is a bit daunting and frustrating, but I’ve found that to be a necessary struggle to get to some level of proficiency. So, I start the learning!

I’ve been spending more and more time researching (via online courses and tutorials) the exploding field of “data science”. This is been a long time coming – as data collection and storage has exploded over the years, it only follows that there’s a need for people to analyze it. Of course, the goal is for specific actions / recommendations that improve some aspect of the business.

While I haven’t done much “concrete” in this area, I could see a possible transition in my career focus to that. I’ve got a lot of technical experience in scripting and processing data, however my statistical understanding is lacking. Luckily, there is no shortage of sample data and courses out there to start learning!