# 1_stats
This note is meant to track skills and personal stats.
This is in the vein of Josh Madakor in the video below.
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## Dimensions and Ratings
#### Self Rating system
This system is something I thought up with no real attention to what is meant by each step. Though each step is an improvement on the last, each increase is not equal. Not sure what I am trying to explain, the difference between a 2 rating and a 4 is NOT that 4 is twice as good as a 2.
>[! tip] self-rating system
| Rating | Basic Description | Dreyfus Model Summary * |
| ------ | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1 | Novice | "No or little experience, acts only on guidelines/rules, does not comprehend context, ignorant of holistic view" |
| 2 | Advanced Beginner | "Some experience, acts based on guidelines and rules, capable of adjusting rules based on context, ignorant of holistic view" |
| 3 | Competent | "Moderate experience in the area, acts on rules but leverages experience, able to troubleshoot when rules seem to not apply ... struggles to identify which details to focus on, has conceptual model of subject area" |
| 4 | Proficient | "Significant experience, comprehends context, able to reflect on approach and improve it, needs to understand holistic view" |
| 5 | Expert | "Thought leadership, contributes to the body of knowledge, identifies context rapidly, vast experience (time)" |
#### Dimensions of Employment
These are borrowed from Madakor's video.
Consistency
Job Hunt Execution
Interview Skill
Self Presentation
Communication
Resume
Work Experience
Technical Skill
Portfolio
Social Network
Certification
Education
## Skills and learning
This section discusses specific technical and "soft" skills identified and applies a self rating to them.
### Google Analytics Certificate
#### [[Nexus - Google Analytics Certificate Course#1. Google Analytics - Course 1 Foundations Data, Data, Everywhere .|Course 1 Foundations]]. - Self-Ratings
| Topic/Skill | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| -------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Spreadsheet baiscs | 4 | 4 | Didn't learn any new technical skills. I did learn that spreadsheets have existed for [4k+ years!](https://connectreport.com/blog/the-first-spreadsheets/), though. So that's something! |
| Database and query basics | 2 | 2 | Worked on [SELECT](https://notes.nickvanbergen.com/SELECT#SELECT), [FROM](https://notes.nickvanbergen.com/FROM#FROM), and [WHERE](https://notes.nickvanbergen.com/WHERE#WHERE) to form basic [queries](https://notes.nickvanbergen.com/Query#Query) |
| Data visualization basics | 3 | 3 | No change. Only basics covered in this course using spreadsheets. |
| Thinking analytically | 5 | 3 | Downgraded. I learned that thinking analytically is skill that requires flexibility and different points of view. Something I will continue to work on. |
| Applying tools from a toolkit | 3 | 3 | I learned about [data analysis process](https://notes.nickvanbergen.com/data+analysis+process#data+analysis+process), Fairness, and [Data-driven decision-making](https://notes.nickvanbergen.com/Data-driven+decision-making#Data-driven+decision-making) All will need to continue to be practiced |
| Ensuring data analysis is fair | 2 | 3 | Upgraded. Applying this in the toolkit/framework going forward. |
| Project communication strategies | 2 | 3 | Upgraded. Learned about stakeholder alignment and context, learned about business tasks and began to learn effective communication strategies as it relates to expectation setting and [Fairness](https://notes.nickvanbergen.com/Fairness) |
#### [[Nexus - Google Analytics Certificate Course#2. Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions| Course 2 Ask questions to make data driven decisions]]
Course started 29 October, 2024
Course completed 08 November 2024
| Topic/Skill | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| ------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Spreadsheet Formula and Function | 3 | 4 | Learned some quite useful techniques from this course and began compiline evergreen notes on [[Function#Spreadsheet functions\|Spreadsheet functions]] that I learn. |
| Dashboard basics including intro to Tableau | 1 | 1 | I learned some new terminology like [[Operational Dashboards]], [[Analytical Dashboards]] but no skills on designing and deploying a dashboard. |
| Data reporting basics | 3 | 3 | Thinking back, not entirely sure what was covered on this topic exactly. |
| SMART and effective questions | 1 | 2 | The [[SMART methodology]] is a wonderful tool to ask more effective questions. |
| Structured thinking | 1* | 2 | My initial rating was 3 because I had a differing definition of what this entails. There is a whole frame work associated with [[Structured thinking]] and [[SMART methodology]] which I have not even used professionally before. |
| Summarizing Data | 1* | 2 | Again, my initial rating was 3, changed to 1 post hoc. Not truly a downgrade. I noticed that my spreadsheet skills were a bit on the low end. This course helped me organize and summarize small datasets to "get in some reps" |
| Putting data into context | 1* | 2 | Original pre-score was 3, downgraded to 1 post hoc for same reasons. [[context\|contextualizing]] data is an important skill that I need more practice on. |
| Managing team and stakeholder expectations | 2 | 2 | I learned some great tips for clearer communication and expectation setting. I am learning that in my last role I was really clueless on how to conduct myself. No wonder I was so stressed 100% of the time. |
| Problem solving and conflict resolution | 1 | 2 | ditto. |
#### [[Nexus - Google Analytics Certificate Course#Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate|Course 3 - Prepare]]
Course started 08 November, 2024
Course completed: 11 November, 2024
| ==Topics== | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| How data is generated | 3 | 3 | The key here is that data is generated every single day, most of it is [[Unstructured data]]. |
| Features of different data types, fields, and values | 3 | 3 | Covering some basics on what data types are common in analytics. |
| Database structure | 1 | 3 | This was interesting to know that I was thinking this topic was far more complex than it was in reality. |
| The function of metadata in data analytics | 4 | 3 | Learned quite a bit about my former field. [[Administrative metadata]], [[Structured thinking]], and [[Descriptive metadata]] are all different and serve different purposes. |
| SQL Functions | 1 | 2 | Worked more on SQL, basic SELECT queries that include WHERE statements using google BigQuery as a sandbox |
| **==Skills==** | **Pre-course self-rating** | **Post-course self-rating** | **Retrospective** |
| Ensuring ethical data analysis practices | 2 | 2 | The more that I learn, the more I understand that I need to learn more about this topic. Key concept / take away here is [[Open data]] |
| Addressing issues of bias and credibility | 1 | 2 | Another great topic while preparing data for analysis. Because [[Data bias]] can be conscious and subconscious, we will need to watch out for common data biases in data sets. |
| Accessing databases and importing data | 1 | 2 | Learned some neat google sheets functions; [[IMPORTRANGE\|=IMPORTRANGE()]], [[IMPORTHTML\|=IMPORTHTML()]], and [[IMPORTDATA\|=IMPORTDATA()]]. Practiced uploading tables to BigQuery |
| Writing simple queries | 1 | 2 | Getting adept and function. Feels great. |
| Organizing and protecting data | 1 | 3 | I hadn't known that I already using a sturdy naming convention setup for my personal files and have been practicing foldering and naming well for years. |
| Connecting with the data community | 3 | 3 | Adding to my professional network. Recognized importance of finding and working with a mentor. Working on this task now. |
| | | | |
#### [[Nexus - Google Analytics Certificate Course#4. Process Data from Dirty to Clean|Google Analytics Certificate Course 4]]
Course began 12 November, 2024
Course completed 18 November, 2024
| ==Topics== | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Data integrity and the importance of clean data | 2 | 3 | I learned a lot of useful workflows and perspectives when it comes to clean data and [[Validity]] |
| The tools and processes used by data analysts to clean data | 2 | 2 | So, since the rating is all about proficiency, I learned so many new things like [[Query\|=QUERRY()]] function in spreadsheets, using pivot tables to clean data etc. My awareness has increased, but my proficiency has not yet. |
| Data-cleaning verification and reports | 1 | 2 | See above |
| Statistics, hypothesis testing, and margin of error | 1 | 2 | My key takeaway on this topic is that [[Confidence level]] and [[Margin of error]] are all discussed ahead of time. Because of this rigor, the data can be trusted to be more useful in the next phase of analysis. This was very helpful in illuminating some more core skills around testing/experimentation that I will need to followup on. |
| Resume building and interpretation of job posting | 2 | 3 | Though, I was not able to publish notes on this topic, it was EXTREMELY useful and timely. |
| **==Skills==** | **Pre-course self-rating** | **Post-course self-rating** | **Retrospective** |
| Connecting business objectives to data analysis | 2 | 2 | I am going to rate myself as no change because my awareness evolved, but I still lack the practice in doing this that will be helpful in the enterprise environment. |
| Identify clean and dirty data | 3 | 3 | Practicing cleaning was great. I actually really like cleaning data. weird. |
| cleaning small datasets using spreadsheet tools | 2 | 3 | I upgraded myself to proficient because I was now able to use new functions under a framework of understanding as opposed to me stumbling upon a method to accomplish data cleaning. Seeing the elimination of random formatting was satisfying. learning [[Function]] after function was very useful. |
| Cleaning large datasets by writing SQL queries | 1 | 2 | I don't think that there was a lot of practice in this area. There were a lot of filtering done in queries. Is that what they mean by cleaning? |
| Documenting data-cleaning processes | 2 | 3 | This was very very very very useful. I had never considered that my changelogs were anything more than me preventing myself from blowing up a data set. A hard lesson I learned back when first learning data during another bootcamp. |
#### [[Nexus - Google Analytics Certificate Course#5. Analyze Data to Answer Questions|Google Analytics Certificate Course 5]]
Course started 18 November, 2024
Course completed 25 November, 2024
| ==Topics== | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| ------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Steps data analysts take to organize data | 3 | 3 | No change. |
| How to combine data from multiple sources | 2 | 2 | I need to practice SQL'ing problems. |
| Spreadsheet calculations and pivot tables | 2 | 4 | Really useful information on spreadsheets. |
| SQL calculations | 1 | 2 | UPGRADE. yay. Feeling good about these but still at a baisc level |
| Temporary tables | 2 | 3 | [[WITH]] and [[Temporary table\|temp table]] construction in BigQuery |
| Data Validation | 2 | 4 | A lot of this stuff I was doing already as _Sanity checks_ in prior work. Though still not a formalized process here. |
| ==Skills== | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| Sorting data in spreadsheets and by writing SQL queries | 2 | 2 | Need more work using SQL to join and create CTE |
| Filtering data in spreadsheets and by writing SQL queries | 2 | 2 | See above. Just need practice |
| Converting data | 2 | 3 | [[CONVERT\|=CONVERT()]] awsome function in Sheets~! |
| Formatting data | 2 | 4 | loved the exercises here. |
| Substantiating data analysis process | 1 | 4 | Check check and recheck data. |
| Seeking feedback and support from others during data analysis | 2 | 3 | Upgraded skill. a LOT of the analysis process is about interacting with people who care about the outcome/output. |
#### [[Nexus - Google Analytics Certificate Course#6. Share Data Through The Art of Visualization|Google Analytics Certificate Course 6]]
Course stated on 26 November, 2024
Course completed on
| ==Topics== | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------- |
| [[Design thinking]] | 1 | | |
| How data analysts use visualizations to communicate about data | 2 | | |
| Data-driven storytelling | 2 | | |
| The benefits of Tableau for presenting data analysis findings | 1 | | |
| Dashboards and dashboard filters | 1 (never made a dashboard) | | |
| Strategies for creating an effective data presentation | 2 | | |
| ==Skills== | Pre-course self-rating | Post-course self-rating | Retrospective |
| Creating visualizations and dashboards in [[Tableau]] | 1 | | |
| Addressing accessibility issues when communicating about data | 3 | | |
| Understanding the purpose of different business communication tools. | 2 | | |
| Telling a data-driven story | 1 | | |
| Presenting to others about data | 3 DSI @ Gen Assmbly | | |
| Answering questions about data | 1 | | |
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>[!summary-top] Top Summary TBD