I believe aspiring data analysts should not lose sight of the fundamental principles of mathematics and statistics. While advanced visualization tools in data science are abundant, their use is secondary to the ability to perform a thorough analysis grounded in these core concepts. Without this foundation, the value of the output may be diminished or even flawed. Ultimately, analysts must provide accurate recommendations to organizations.
I recall working on my final project in Refocus, an online educational platform way back in June 2023. The aim was to develop strategies for expanding their smartwatch business (using hypothetical data) to a new location. During my analysis, I emphasized the importance of z-scores, standard deviations, and means—essential concepts in statistics. In the realm of machine learning, normalization techniques such as z-scores are crucial for scaling feature values to a common range, thereby mitigating biases in the learning process and enhancing model performance. This statistical grounding was the key element that guided my recommendation on the optimal location for expansion.