For as long as I can remember, I have always been prone to picking things apart and getting to the bottom of them. I was the child who asked What are the facts? and I was relentless enough to find solutions to whatever problem sparked my curiosity—wherever I found them.
The acquisition of knowledge would become a lifelong pursuit. I liked having a diversity of activities, hobbies, and learning opportunities at my disposal. In general, I would become bored if I wasn’t constantly moving or trying out something new—whatever that something was, as long as it was a learning experience.
I have always been interested in understanding people, too. I was never a stranger to the What kind of empath are you? part of the internet, and the How to manage your time more effectively? part of WikiHow as a result. I figured both of those out, thankfully.
Not only did I become consumed with traveling through pages and people, but I also spent some time lost in France, often to the dismay of my quintessentially Jamaican mother, “Why can’t you stay in one place?” Mother dearest, that question can only be answered with quiche.
Among the many guiding questions of my life, some of the most influential have been: How do I discover what I don’t know? and How do I leverage my resources in order to do that?
I value versatility, diversity, and flexibility.
I was the teen that smiled at whatever was “liberal arts”, because to me that meant the freedom to explore. It meant unlocking the versatility of perspective. My approach to college was indeed, multidisciplinary. I was always on the path toward social science. I had a semester of I’m a psychology major, what about you?, until I became more interested in the economy and how we depend on social institutions and culture to guide our decisions and behaviors.
While choosing to pursue a degree program in both Economics and Sociology, as opposed to simply taking classes in one to supplement my education in the other, was a huge investment of time, I knew that how I was learning to think was essential to what I would later decide to do as a professional.
I like food for thought, and I’ve become experienced in theoretical and qualitative discovery, but I also like to take things a step further—so I started learning Python. And no, not for the sake of learning Python this time, but because of how I could leverage Python to analyze and solve problems more efficiently.
Data science tools would give me the aptitude to produce insights that are actionable.
Social facts are facts, that are backed by statistical analysis, such as demography, and the scientific method. Interviews are great too—they give me an excuse to listen to people talk about their lives. However, I had to ponder the question: What is the best way for me to implement change?
How can I gain a different perspective to figure out what to do about social and business problems? Working through analyses that are more quantifiable and visual can unlock perspective, truth, and help with the leveraging of resources for a more pareto improved world—that is, if we come to agree on a more sustainable and energy-efficient one.
A career in Data Science, as we now call it, offers me horizontal mobility, unlimited learning opportunities, and the potential to incite change. I couldn’t ask for a more suitable next step.