Under the Tableau (Module 6)

Coming into the sixth module, I was feeling a little bit like I had taken a fire hose, pointed it straight at my face, and turned the information flow "on". I have been loving learning SQL and more spreadsheet functions, but it has been a lot to take in in a short time. I was slightly relieved to see that the course was tacking to a new topic- data visualization.

The beginning of the module started back down at the basics of data visualization, which was a bit of a snore. I see why it is important content, but it was a lot of reading and not a lot of technical skills. In addition, many of the concepts that they were teaching were review to me. As someone who had an undergraduate degree in psychology and is almost done with a masters in occupational therapy, I have had to take two classes in statistics, and two in research. I have produced my own research paper which is being considered for publication- and I was the leader of my group. So, lessons on the difference between a line graph and a bar chart were review. I moved through these very quickly.

They also went over how to create charts in your spreadsheets. A had practiced a little with this before, but overall it was very straightforward and I did not rely on their step-by-step instructions in order to complete these activities like I do when practicing with more complicated subject matters.

Tableau and the Dreaded Error Message

Two quarters of the way into this module, they introduced us to Tableau- a data visualization software. I was directed to use and explore the public version. At first I was feeling a little nervous- I know that I am great at recognizing patterns, but I definitely would not call myself an artist. It seemed like the amazing sample visualizations they were showing us were very beautiful pieces of art!

Soon enough, I got to try it hands on. Almost right away I realized, oh wait, this is actually very interesting. Just a few clicks and there was my data, on the screen, showing itself to me in whole new ways. The interface seemed like something I could become familiar with quickly, as well.

Unfortunately, I ran into some errors while trying to manage my data which seemed like they were an issue between my computer and Tableau, not as a result of me doing things incorrectly. I was not able to use the dashboard feature at all, because the spot where I should be able to select the sheets I want to use was inaccessible. I had really gotten into the zone for continuing the course, so the interruption was very frustrating. I was also getting some error messages from the server- but there is no option to contact support. I was just directed to ask my questions to the general public. I tried as many tricks as I could think of- even putting my plight onto Tik Tok in the hopes that someone would come along and know the solution. Someone helped me open the coding to read the error messages, others helped me clear my cashe and reload.

As of writing this, I still have not figured out Tableau public. I did end up needing to download Tableau desktop (free trial) for one of the exercises. It worked perfectly within the desktop app! I hope that I can find a solution in the future but I at least have gotten a chance to test out building a dashboard. This is a fun skill to learn! It really amazes me how quickly you can begin comparing within and drawing conclusions about your data once you visualize it with a fancy software such as Tableau (as opposed to just making a simple table in Sheets).

Public Speaking

Does public speaking make you sweat? Well get ready, because that is what the last "week" of this module was solely focused on. I imagine that many people get into data because they do not have great people skills and do not want to have to deal with public speaking. Surprise!

The final part of this course/module was all about giving presentations. It felt like they fit the basics of entire public speaking course into a few hours worth of content! This was, again, a situation where my prior experience in presentations helped me move more quickly through the content. I was wondering why they spent so much time on it, but after some consideration realized that it is such an important part of the process that I guess they would have to. Also, not everyone is as outgoing and used to presentations as I am. I have never been one to worry about presentations, even through graduate school I would often "wing it". I made my public speaking professor cry after one of my speeches. I also have an entire Tik Tok that is dedicated to, basically, presentations!

I wish I had gotten more chances to work with Tableau in this module. It felt like I did not do a lot of hands on work, as compared to the last one! I did this module on a day off, whereas module 5 took me almost an entire week of brain scrambling work. However, it does seem like Tableau is more straightforward and user friendly than learning SQL, so I suppose it does not need as much time.

Next up, I will be learning R! I am not quite sure what that is yet, to be honest, but I think it also has to do with data visualization. But I hear it is like a language. I guess I will find out soon!