Before You Go-Go
I want to use this conclusion to offer up some thoughts about what it means to practice data science in the real world, because merely knowing the math isn't enough.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. My quantitative skills are middling, but I've seen folks much smarter than I fail mightily at working as analytics professionals. The problem is that while they're brilliant, they don't know the little things that can cause technical endeavors to fail within the business environment. So let's cover these softer items that can mean the success or failure of your analytics project or career.
Get to Know the Problem
My favorite movie of all time is the 1992 film Sneakers. The movie centers on a band of penetration testers led by Robert Redford that steals a “black box” capable of cracking RSA encryption. Hijinks ensue. (If you haven't watched it, I envy you, because you have an opportunity...