During my time in college, I have taken various courses but none like the course “Statistics for The Social Science 346” (SOCL 346). This is a very important course that has valuable skills that are needed in the workforce. I will be able to utilize the skills that I learned in this course in jobs that I may have in the future. I have gained knowledge from this course that I perviouly did not have such as how to create, analyze, code, maintain data sets, and theoretical modeling. Before taking this course, I did not have a good understanding of how to analyze statistical information nor had any knowledge of how to interpret data, but after this course, I can confidently say that I do have an understanding of analyzing statistical informal and interpreting data. From this course, I learned to think critically and analyze information that was presented to me in different ways. Being able to think critically in different ways is a good skill to have in the workforce. I have a better understanding of concepts of social statistics such as measures of variability, ANOVA, Independent sample test, and T-test, which are all concepts I can use in the future.
With that, the data collected was used to learn how to run a series of tests in SPSS and RStudio which are computer programs. I ran tests such as measures of variability, ANOVA, Independent sample test, and T-test, and these are all concepts I can use in the future. Before this class, I had no exposure to computer software/programs like SPSS and RStudio. In the beginning, I found it difficult to understand SPSS and R but over time it became second-hand to me. Having the skills of how to upload data into both SPSS and R, will be beneficial for me in the future because some of the occupations I am interested in having, make use of data software like SPSS and R. This course has allowed me to learn how to examine, collect, explain and organize data, which is an important skill to have. On the first day of this course, I was extremely nervous because I have never been able to understand statistics, so I was hesitant about how I would succeed in a course like this one. I also struggled sometimes when it came to doing math because math has never been my strong suit, but instead of giving up, I found myself practicing outside of class and using the resources provided to me. With some guidance and willingness, I was able to succeed in this course.
Overall, this course was both challenging and rewarding because I gained valuable and transferable skills while also challenging myself with new information. This course has been a significant learning experience for me in developing new skills, expanding my knowledge, and growing professionally. I look forward to applying what I have gained from this course and the research that was conducted, in the future. I hope that in the future, I will be able to work for the government in some capacity and be able to use the skills learned from this course.