If you asked young Megan what she wanted to be when she grew up, the resounding answer would have been an archaeologist—full stop, without a shadow of a doubt. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by archaeology. A child of the 1980s, Indiana Jones was one of my heroes. Not only did I long to go on wild adventures, but I wanted to discover all there was to know about, well, everything.
As a person who enjoyed learning, exploring, and solving mysteries, I couldn’t think of a career more fitting than one in archaeology. Little did I know that I would find digging into data as exciting as digging into dirt. If you think about it, each artifact an archaeologist uncovers is, in a way, a piece of data. When enough artifacts have been collected and analyzed, they can be used to make inferences (educated guesses) about the past.
While we don’t know with 100% certainty why Stonehenge was built or how it was used, people have made lots of educated guesses about these things. Figuring out all there is to know about a site like Stonehenge is difficult because it’s so shrouded in mystery and there may not be enough data to do so. However, archaeologists use the available data to piece together the story.
Similarly, in data analytics, we collect data points, analyze them, and make educated guesses or predictions based on the patterns we observe. Each data point is like an artifact, contributing to a larger story. Whether it’s understanding customer behavior, predicting market trends, or uncovering fraud, the process of discovery and analysis is fundamentally the same.
My journey from aspiring archaeologist to data analyst was not a straight path, but the skills and passions that drew me to archaeology have served me well in data analytics. The thrill of discovery, the satisfaction of solving a mystery, and the joy of learning something new are constants in both fields.
In many ways, data analytics is the modern equivalent of archaeology. We may not be uncovering ancient tombs or lost civilizations, but we are uncovering insights and truths buried within the data. And just like in archaeology, the more data we uncover and analyze, the clearer the picture becomes.
So, while I may not be swinging from vines or outrunning boulders, my work in data analytics is every bit the adventure I dreamed of as a child. It’s a journey of discovery, one data point at a time.
Do you have your own data-driven tale? Share your story in the comments below or reach out to us on social media. We’d love to hear how data has made a difference in your journey!
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