First Assignment: The Question

Today is Day One of my Data Analytics boot camp! In the true spirit of my determination and focus, I am halfway through the “orientation” module and just realized I am distracted by writing a blog.

One sec…

OK I’m almost done with the module but I had to jump back in to let you know part of the helpful instructions I’m getting includes the term “linear reading” because smartphones and social media have changed our reading habits so much, some people have to get INTO the practice of reading words and sentences in sequence. I love that they’re addressing this because I’m sure it’s a real thing, and I REALLY love that I know a term for it now.

OK almost done.

Hi!

It’s Day Two now. Don’t worry about it.

I am excited. Thinkful has a great curriculum with modules on Excel, SQL, Python, R, and Tableau - all the tools I’ve been told I need to master in my career, all the tools I’ve tried to master on my own and been frustrated at every turn. I’m here to get real training in them for the first time in my life and NO ONE IS GOING TO STOP ME!

Except perhaps myself.

Here’s what happens: I get frustrated with my lack of ability to perform or control my projects. I seek out technical training. Inevitably, I get the following feedback: “You already do this job, why do you need to spend so much money and time on this?” “Don’t sell yourself short, you can always get a job with your experience!” “There are so many free resources online. Just do a few trainings and you’ll get there.”

This well-intentioned dig at my intentions usually comes from people with some sort of education in computer science, technology, or a field of research that required them to use statistical/data-centered tools. They worked hard for their degrees (I assume) and then had to work hard to get jobs in their field. I can understand why they might think me ridiculous. Me, a liberal arts major who was dropped into the world of data analytics in a very job-secure setting, complaining about missing out on this difficult and mundane step they don’t even consider as part of their career.

I know it’s a privilege to be secure in my employment. I don’t take that for granted. In return, I wish these tech-educated types would stop taking for granted the IMMENSE benefit of having any background at all in this world.

My first conversation with my mentor started out this way. The point of a boot camp is to get people hired in their preferred field, and I’m already there. I’m even familiar with a few of these tools. Why bother with a boot camp?

I took a deep breath. Why, indeed?

Because I’m spinning my wheels. Because my background in liberal arts allows me to get jobs and work with people who want me to manage their work and do communications, which takes me away from any on-the-job training I can scrape out. Because not having a portfolio of technical work, not knowing the language of the technical community, and not knowing the fundamental logic behind coding puts me at a disadvantage that I automatically compensate for by being good at things I don’t want to do: if it takes too long for me to form a data cleaning process, I’ll manage someone else while they do it.

This has been my pattern for five freaking years. I’m sick of being told I’m good at something instead of given the chance to get good at it. I want to be bad at something first. I want to learn. And the government contract industry is not that interested in letting you make some beginner’s mistakes.

When I answered his question (in a much more diplomatic way), he moved on without hesitation. He believed me. He told me this course would give me a portfolio and the ability to go for a Senior Data Analyst role by the end, given my experience, and that he would be in touch even after I graduate if I want to continue down that path or even pivot to Data Science roles by taking on open-source projects to train up.

This is the part where I have to acknowledge my responsibility to myself. Yes, there are jerks and gate-keepers. Yes, some people are just frustrating and don’t bother to understand. Yes, society at large views someone like me as an outsider to tech.

But when I stated why I’m doing this, this person believed me. Most people probably will. I need to trust myself and go after what I want, regardless of the doubts and questions. Maybe becoming part of the Thinkful community, fielding those questions and answering them more and more, I can get used to it and not take it so personally. I can simply trust that my story is my own. And that it is a good one.

First Thinkful assignment: Believe in my decision to invest in myself this way.

Whew. One down. Here we go.

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Where Trees Grow Upside-Down