Before beginning this semester, I had taken the prerequisite to this course Sociology 345. In that course we learned how to construct a proper survey dependent on the assessments that were sent home with children at Headstart. We also began to use R-studio software to code our data into a more manageable set. Before beginning Sociology 346, I thought that I had a strong understanding of the material based upon the prerequisite class. I also knew that this course was statistically based, I had taken statistics classes in the past so I figured those classes would be beneficial to the understanding of sociology 346. I was greatly mistaken as we began to dive into the class at the start of this semester. There were many new understandings that I had to comprehend based upon the data that we took from the following semester.
Throughout the semester taking this course I have learned how to do many different important calculations to our data set in not only R-studio, but also SPSS, and by hand. I began to be nervous at the beginning of this semester because I was not confident with by hand calculations of statistical analysis, nor was I nearly as confident in using software to run calculations for me. I quickly learned that this course was going to be a learning curve for myself. I learned on the first day of classes that I am going to have to be extremely organized to succeed in this course. This was the first thing I learned, how to keep eleven different chapters of content organized along with coding websites on two different computers while keeping up with the work that was conducted last semester in the prerequisite class. Following this understanding of organization, I learned how to import data into both r-studio and SPSS. Once we got the data entered those software’s we learned how to recode different variables of the data in both different software’s. I had learned that there are different steps to take to recode a variable based upon what type it is, I learned what to do to recode continuous variables along with categorical variables within the two different software’s. Before this class I knew how to calculate the central tendencies of mean, median, and mode but did not understand how to calculate these within a mass set of data like the one we were dealing with. I learned how to take that data set, break it down, and enter the correct coding format to gather the central tendencies through both r-studio and SPSS. Range, variance, and standard deviation was something I also knew prior to the course but on a meniscal level. I learned how to gather this information through entering and working through the two different software’s, something that I had no idea to do prior. Z-score and probability were both something that was fairly new for me, I understood what they represented but could not begin to calculate before taking this course. After the semester ended, I am confident in my ability to not only calculate these by hand but also use r-studio and SPSS to gather this information quickly. Confidence intervals, T-test, ANOVA, Chi-squared, correlation, and regression are all something that I had no idea how to calculate before entering this course. Following the end of the semester my knowledge on these tests and calculations has grown greatly, I can confidently say that I can calculate each of these tests by hand as well as know the necessary steps to achieve these calculations through both r-studio and SPSS.
These are all great skills that are being taken with me as I step out of my collegiate career into the search for a professional job. These skills are transferable based on any line of work that I may choose to step into. The ability to convey complex statistical information to a diverse audience is one of the many advantages that the above skills have given me. This matters because I will be able to not use large data sets to convey the overall meaning of data, what it means? How can we change it for the better? What are the next steps? Are all some of the questions that can answered from the skills that I have learned throughout this course. I will be able to analytically thing about any given situation represented by a data set and create a response of what needs to happen. If needed, I would be able to use sampling techniques to create a data set representing any set of information needed. Then be able to use quantitative data description and analysis to give an understanding of the data on a level than cannot be seen through an untrained eye. This all means that when entering the professional field, I will have a unique skill set that will allow me to do a multitude of different tasks tat may be needed from me. I will be able to execute that task on a professionally trained manor all thanks to leadership that guided and taught this information to next generation of statisticians.
It is necessary to have someone on within an institution to have the skills needed to be able to perform these difficult tasks. That is why these skills matter on a larger scale than solely passing the course. It will always be beneficial to be able to conduct survey designs as well as critical statistical thinking. The knowledge on how to work through r-studio and SPSS is something that will be beneficial on a larger scope because it will show that I have the necessary knowledge to create and convey the meaning behind any given data set. It is important to be able to take the findings of an analysis and be able to report that to the people it will matter most.
After gaining these skills and knowledge throughout the duration of this course there are many different things that I will do following my college career. I will take advantage of the skills that I have gained to make myself a more suitable candidate for an open job position over other applicants. I will use these skills to make myself a more valuable asset within the workplace by simply being able to conduct the more difficult statistical analysis of any given data set. I will use this information to the best of my ability to convey and report the findings to a diverse audience in the hopes of creating a better environment for the people around me. I will carry with me my guide and manual for how to conduct these skills to teach and inform others on the proper way to use these tests and techniques. The skills and knowledge that I have gained through this course will be the most influential that I have yet experienced in my college career, the amount of work that can be solved through these skills is limitless and will always be able to be applied in any given situation, and I will keep with me forever the skills that are necessary to do so.