Open Source Platforms ... Why aren't you using them yet?
Open Source Platform. To any data manager, data scientist, or coder when you hear or see those words you think gold mind. Open source platforms are the best thing to utilize for your work.
First its free!
Second its peer reviewed (in most cases)!
Third it gives you the ability to use it as you please!
And the list goes on... I think you get my point.
For me, having open source tools and resources are essential to my work. I have little to no budget at my disposal for my projects. So when I need other resources to enhance the data set, open resources are my only option. And lucky for me there are tons of data sets, platforms, and tools out there that help me with my work every day.
More and more people are learning how to code, but not as many as should. I understand the hesitation behind this. In my generation, scientists used paid programs like Jump, SPSS, Systat, SigmaPlot, MatLab, etc. Because it was the trend... if you had to pay for it it must be the best. Right? Also why code when someone has done all the work for you right? I find that people are willing to take the time to learn the functions, tabs and set up of a paid program in order to avoid having to learn the equations and meanings themselves. Some scientists will even go so far as to pay a statistician to run the statistics for them so all they have to do is to interpret the results. I know that I am bias because I am not only a scientist I am also a mathematician, but really I think that math, statistics, and science should all be more blended. Because quite honestly how are you going to properly interpret the outcome of your science if you don't understand why your P-value is significant except that it was below 0.05?
Ok enough of my little rant for now. Back to open platforms...
I think the greatest resource at a scientists can have (and this is in any field) is the ability to run statistics on an open platform. The ability to run sound statistical tests, but also have the ability to manipulate your data set or customize your graphs to fully convey your data is very very important. Being quite frank here, if you put as much effort as you do learning a new program to run your stats you can learn a language like R.
If you are reading this (and you are like anyone else in my lab) you are probably shaking your head saying,"No, not me. I can't do that".... Quite honestly you are lying to your self.
I believe if you can write, you can code. If you have an imagination, you can code. Simple. Easy. You don't even have to memorize code to use it. There are tons of cheat sheets and the power of Google to help you when you get stuck on something. What I do everyday is not magic, all I do is just write the equations I need.
Have ever use a function in excel? Then you already know the basis of coding! That is all coding is, writing equations and functions that will make your imagination come true. The ability to use open source platforms like R would give you the ability to do more then just plunging in numbers getting a P-value and making a pretty graph. It will give you the ability to be creative.
So if you made it to the bottom of this post... which may have been challenging... I am going to give you a bonus challenge! Stop letting your fear of coding hinder you. Explore an open platform that may help you and see what wonderful creations you can come up with.
First its free!
Second its peer reviewed (in most cases)!
Third it gives you the ability to use it as you please!
And the list goes on... I think you get my point.
For me, having open source tools and resources are essential to my work. I have little to no budget at my disposal for my projects. So when I need other resources to enhance the data set, open resources are my only option. And lucky for me there are tons of data sets, platforms, and tools out there that help me with my work every day.
More and more people are learning how to code, but not as many as should. I understand the hesitation behind this. In my generation, scientists used paid programs like Jump, SPSS, Systat, SigmaPlot, MatLab, etc. Because it was the trend... if you had to pay for it it must be the best. Right? Also why code when someone has done all the work for you right? I find that people are willing to take the time to learn the functions, tabs and set up of a paid program in order to avoid having to learn the equations and meanings themselves. Some scientists will even go so far as to pay a statistician to run the statistics for them so all they have to do is to interpret the results. I know that I am bias because I am not only a scientist I am also a mathematician, but really I think that math, statistics, and science should all be more blended. Because quite honestly how are you going to properly interpret the outcome of your science if you don't understand why your P-value is significant except that it was below 0.05?
Ok enough of my little rant for now. Back to open platforms...
I think the greatest resource at a scientists can have (and this is in any field) is the ability to run statistics on an open platform. The ability to run sound statistical tests, but also have the ability to manipulate your data set or customize your graphs to fully convey your data is very very important. Being quite frank here, if you put as much effort as you do learning a new program to run your stats you can learn a language like R.
If you are reading this (and you are like anyone else in my lab) you are probably shaking your head saying,"No, not me. I can't do that".... Quite honestly you are lying to your self.
I believe if you can write, you can code. If you have an imagination, you can code. Simple. Easy. You don't even have to memorize code to use it. There are tons of cheat sheets and the power of Google to help you when you get stuck on something. What I do everyday is not magic, all I do is just write the equations I need.
Have ever use a function in excel? Then you already know the basis of coding! That is all coding is, writing equations and functions that will make your imagination come true. The ability to use open source platforms like R would give you the ability to do more then just plunging in numbers getting a P-value and making a pretty graph. It will give you the ability to be creative.
So if you made it to the bottom of this post... which may have been challenging... I am going to give you a bonus challenge! Stop letting your fear of coding hinder you. Explore an open platform that may help you and see what wonderful creations you can come up with.
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