Projects is the #1 thing I recommend to folks starting out in data. Courses and textbooks are good, but almost always spoonfeed you a little too much by telling you *what* to do (i.e. asking the questions), whereas on a project you have to first figure out *what* you need to do first, and *then* do them correctly as well (i.e. you have to figure out the right questions to ask, not just the answers).
Plus, if you're like me, courses can be a little too boring to bother following through with them. If you find something that excites you to work on, you'll likely spend way more time and energy learning by doing!
💯!
Projects is the #1 thing I recommend to folks starting out in data. Courses and textbooks are good, but almost always spoonfeed you a little too much by telling you *what* to do (i.e. asking the questions), whereas on a project you have to first figure out *what* you need to do first, and *then* do them correctly as well (i.e. you have to figure out the right questions to ask, not just the answers).
Plus, if you're like me, courses can be a little too boring to bother following through with them. If you find something that excites you to work on, you'll likely spend way more time and energy learning by doing!