Before answering that question, let’s start with a short backstory. 6 years ago I began to feel stuck in my job. Through prayer, discussions with family and friends, and study, I learned the importance of self education. I discovered a desire to make the company I was working for better and now understood that I could learn new skills to realize this desire. I also began to better understand some of my internal “wiring”: I have a natural bent towards the technical, I tend to think analytically, but those are sides are blended with an artistic, creative sense. I began producing Excel and Power BI reporting for my company and took on other data/IT responsibilities.
Fast forwarding a bit, I had lunch with a seasoned IT professional. I was asking for his advice on how to grow the new skills I had gained and to turn them into my full time work. He had a blog and avidly supported blogging and we talked about that. He told me about his early blogging days. He was not trying to market his skills or gain a huge following, he was simply trying to document something that he had learned and did not want to forget. He found blogging to be an excellent medium as the text is searchable and with additional metadata, such as tagging, he was able to get to his content easily. Being able to share his learning with others was an added benefit. This idea stuck with me. I walked away from that discussion knowing that, yes, I should start a blog but the question of when still remained.
Since that lunch meeting, the blogging portion of our discussion has continued to bounce around in my head. My skills have continued to grow, my understanding continues to deepen. Really, I have been waiting for just the right moment to document what I’ve learned and release it into the world. While I do not consider myself the world’s foremost leading expert on data analysis, Power BI, or data visualization, I do recognize that I have learned a lot. Actually, I learn new things every day. This year brings new opportunities to act on ideas I have had, both for personal projects and for projects at my job, so now is the time!
God is leading me to expand my knowledge of data visualization this year. New tools, new techniques, growing in what I already know. I am starting this blog to journal the journey, share what I learn, help others, and to join in the discussion of this nerdy but creative field. If I am the only one who benefits from this blog then the investment will certainly be worth it. However, I know that what we gain in life is not to be hoarded, but shared with others, used to help those in the community. I trust that the content you find here will help you in your work with data viz. Please leave comments, feedback, suggestions, or questions, they are always welcome!
