Over the course of my second semester in sociology, I have grown tremendously as a researcher and built greatly on my statistical analytical skills. At times, the methods learned in this course could be very challenging but I am grateful to say I was able to enhance many life skills that will translate into the workforce such as time management, perseverance and critical thinking. Prior to this semester, my only experience in academic research was in the first part of this two part sociology course. In the second part of this sociology course that was taken this semester, I was able to greatly expand my research skills by learning various statistical methods such as how to complete an Independent Sample T-test, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), a Chi-Squared, a Pearson’s Correlation and a Regression. Over the course of the semester, I was able to learn how to use the various statistical methods to complete calculations by hand and in two computer software systems, R-Studio and IBM SPSS. I am now able to use those various statistical methods to analyze a dataset and determine whether significance can be found between an independent and dependent variable. The computer software systems, R-Studio and IBM SPSS make working with large data sets significantly more efficient and are generally more practical in today’s world.
On a larger scale, what was learned by me and what is being taught every year in this sociology course has a far greater impact than many individuals might realize. Many problems exist in this world that more research and statistics could help to solve. Without research and statistics, it would be impossible to determine the root cause of these issues and therefore impossible to solve the issue. Motivating young individuals with full lives and careers ahead is a great way to make change in the world.
When looking at the knowledge learned over the course of the year in a larger context, the skills I’ve learned will translate into my prospective career choice. I have always had the aspiration to become an independent general contractor for residential custom homes in my future. With that being said, being an independent general contractor and working for yourself comes with a significant amount of risk. The construction industry as a whole entails a significant amount of risk in current time due to issues with the supply chain, the constantly fluctuating housing market and the difficulties with finding good and reliable labor. The statistical knowledge, along with the data gathering skills I have learned in this class will help me in the future to minimize that risk as much as possible. Examples of this include having the knowledge to be able to determine the level of confidence that a subcontractor will complete the job by the given deadline based on data I had gathered from previous jobs. Additionally, I have the knowledge to use various other statistical methods to compare subcontractors by first compiling a data sheet where I will have had previously graded each subcontractor on a scale of 0-10 on various categories such as time efficiency, safety, bid-to-win ratio, price of materials and quality of the job. I will then be able to use the various statistical methods to ensure that I am choosing the right subcontractor with the highest level of confidence that is most beneficial for the business. The key to success in this process is staying disciplined and continuously gathering data from each subcontractor that does a job for me so I have that knowledge for future builds and projects.