Way back in the fall of 2019, I had scheduled out all of my 2020 blog posts and decided my last post should be a recap of the year. But what more can be said about 2020? Or, what more do you want to hear? If you can indulge me, I’d like to recount what became my second year of full-time self-employment; despite all the setbacks, this year has still been a gift.
Blog, now with resource library
Toward the end of last year and beginning of this, I worked with evaluator and cartoonist extraordinaire Chris Lysy on my branding and content strategy. Yeah, Chris built my shiny, new Stringfest Analytics-branded website. But more importantly, Chris helped me work through what the brand and the site really stand for, and what I should do with them.
In a post recapping my first year of full-time self employment, I mused on the idea of whether I was a consultant or trainer. Chris helped me cut through some of this ambiguity to get to what I’m really good at, which is building large-scale data training academies, often online. I had been converging to this idea for many years, without the foresight or courage to land here.
As part of this focused branding, I’ve put more attention into the blog. Each post is designed to add more to the idea of what it means to build a data academy. In the spirit of open-sourcing this idea and providing the most value I can to my readers, I’ve also started a resource library for my subscribers. This includes handouts, decks, activities and more with the objective of helping to build solid data training programs.
As it turns out, the need to upskill workers, often online, has gotten lots of attention this year. Between this and my renewed content strategy, I’m pleased with the growth of my readership and I hope to continue improving what I serve them with new content. If you don’t yet have access, please do subscribe.
Thanks again, Chris, for helping me take my ideas to the next level. I can now work on my business with a much sharper sense of direction; even better, that business is something uniquely positioned to serve in these days.
More online content
Nearly all of my success I owe to the blog and to content more generally, so it’s imperative I keep developing more and improving it.
At the beginning of the year, I built my first course with Pluralsight. This was a tremendous opportunity, and I am still using tips picked up from working with them. As a Pluralsight author, I was also excited to participate in an online Pluralsight LIVE in the fall, where I presented a workshop on “Building the Data Academy.“
This felt like a big moment for me, as I got to present everything I’ve learned about building large-scale data training programs to a sophisticated audience at a well-known industry conference. Indeed, I met some very knowledgable and impressive people from this event, and I look forward to seeing where those relationships lead in the next year. But this event really showed me that I wasn’t blowing smoke with my ideas, and that people are beginning to take seriously what I have to say.
One silver lining of this year’s move to online is that I was able to team up with meetups from all over. Presentations this year included:
I was also well-positioned with the exodus to online learning because of my work with O’Reilly Media. I held several webinars on O’Reilly’s platform this year on topics ranging from Python programming to Excel statistics. I still pinch myself that I get to work with such an institution of technology as O’Reilly Media, so you can only imagine how excited I was for the next point.
Advancing into a book
“Are you interested in writing a book?” an O’Reilly editor emailed me. “An enthusiastic yes,” I could only reply.
As a content producer, I’ve woven an eclectic blend of Excel, Python, R and other tools into my work. It’s a surprisingly unique approach, because it’s pretty common for analysts to start in spreadsheets and augment that knowledge with other tools.
Noting this dearth of material, I proposed to O’Reilly that my book be on learning the foundations of analytics in Excel, then pivoting on that knowledge in R and Python. Thus Advancing into Analytics: From Excel to R and Python was born. I won’t give too much away now, but an early release of select chapters will be available soon on O’Reilly’s website. If you are a spreadsheet user interested in advanced analytics and data science, this book will be for you.
I’ve always enjoyed writing, but would never have imagined it would play out in a technical book with O’Reilly Media.
Bootstrapping with a bootcamp
Finally, my fruitful relationship with the Thinkful coding bootcamp continued this year. I’ve worn many hats there, from subject matter expert to instructional designer to technical implementation lead. It’s been great to approach the problem of building large-scale career accelerators from so many angles.
In particular, it’s been incredible to watch Thinkful’s data analytics program grow to one of the biggest in the company and in the market, along with Thinkful itself scale from a startup into an established provider of tech skills. It’s amazing to think that I’ve helped hundreds (heading into thousands) of professionals begin careers in data analytics with the curriculum I helped design, write and implement.
Gracious George
In a year that has upended the health and wellbeing of so many, I can only be grateful for 2020. And while pleased at how far I’ve come, it also strikes just how far I have to go. Any coach will tell you to write down what you’ve already accomplished, so I’m glad I stuck to my blog schedule and wrote this despite the circumstances.
Some exciting projects await in 2021, like… well, finishing my book for one, and I hope continuing and growing my fantastic client relationships. If you see any way to partner — whether that be presenting at a meetup, collaborating on content, or building a data academy at your organization — never hesitate to get in touch.
I wouldn’t be anywhere without my blog or my content, but I’d really be nowhere without my network. Thank you so much for your attention and support; for reading, sharing and supporting me on my mission, albeit virtually this year. I look forward to seeing 2020 out with you and am excited to see what the remainder of this decade has to offer.
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