#MakeoverMonday

Chapter 1 Habits of a Good Data Analyst

By working with different data sets each week, Makeover Monday is a unique opportunity for participants to develop analytical skills that can be used in real life. Working with constantly changing topics, data sizes, and data complexity forces you to be considerate and deliberate about your analysis and helps you develop the skills to make you better at your job. This chapter covers the common characteristics of the best data analysis we have seen in Makeover Monday.

Approaching Unfamiliar Data

Over the course of 52 weeks, you will find 52 completely different data sets. It is almost impossible to have the knowledge to understand all 52 topics immediately. When faced with this situation, you need to have tools in your arsenal to help you overcome this deficit quickly.

While Makeover Monday is a great opportunity to practice data visualization and data analysis, it is also a chance to simulate real-life business scenarios. When specific requirements or guidelines are provided, considering those requirements for your makeover is a good idea. Think about it this way: if you are given specific requirements at work or specific questions that need to be answered as part of your analysis, will you ignore them? If you do, what will happen? I bet the outcome will not be in your favor. So why not treat Makeover Monday the same way and practice real-life business scenarios with a different data set every week?

In the corporate world, when you kick ...