Statransformation
I have a confession to make. I'm halfway through my semester of Advanced Statistics and on the verge of handing in my first paper (worth 40% of my grade). The confession is, I think I like stats!!!!!
Once you have picked yourself up off the floor and cursed yourself for placing a bet that I would have a total meltdown by now, let me know...
Believe it or not, it's true. I, the once stat-avoidant, have been transformed into a stat-addict. I have been spending inordinate amounts of time with Stata, trying different models and running various tests and, well, sometimes....I just can't stop! It's really fun - like playing a video game, if you ask me. Which is not to say that I think statistical analysis should be approached in a cavalier way. But it's incredibly rewarding to build a model and really feel like you can say something about the results (with all the appropriate caveats, limitations noted, etc). And then to take it apart and try it another way. Damn, I sound really nerdy. I know, this is shocking.
So, how has this transformation taken place? Here's what I think:
1) What a difference a teacher makes! The instructor for this course is the best math teacher I've had since 7th grade algebra. This is probably because he makes us do very little math and instead focuses on the math we "need" to know to understand the model and the interpretation of results. Letting Stata do the math for me is like a marriage made in heaven (kind of like how my husband does all the cooking, laundry, and lawn care - no shit, just ask him!).
2) Bull-headed determination on my part not to be a stat-flunkie. I want to be a well-armed researcher, which includes having a decent proficiency in statistical methods.
3) The decision to stop thinking of myself as stat-stupid.
I don't have the data to model the relative influence of each of these factors on my statransformation, but I have a feeling that each is significant, or perhaps the interactions between them account for all the difference.
Comments
I do think you're a freak, but I'm glad you've embraced the dark side. It will make you a better researcher, even more nerdy then you already are.
Posted by: Jan | March 7, 2007 07:31 PM
That's great! I'm gonna print this out and use it the next time I teach stats to help me get the reluctant on board!
Posted by: dan myers | March 7, 2007 09:03 PM
Jan - thanks! You're always such a comfort =P. You know, I don't know about becoming nerdier...I think there's a certain point of saturation beyond which one simply cannot attain higher nerdhood. I think I'm there (or really close). I bet I could model it statistically, though...
Dan - happy to help! Of course, if you want to bring me out to South Bend as a motivational speaker, I'd be happy to oblige. Of course, there would be a nominal fee!
Posted by: self | March 7, 2007 09:54 PM
Isn't creating knowledge fun! I started off with numbers too, now I'm into analyzing words, and it all comes down to similar principles.
Interesting what you say about stata. I've been using SAS forever, and I'm thinking of switching to Stata (which I used for about a year). Need more "fun" in my stats package. :-)
Posted by: brad wright | March 8, 2007 07:59 PM
Totally, Brad. I'm a bit of a words person myself, so the numbers game has taken some adjusting. Sometimes I think I took a wrong turn out of Iowa's Engligh Philosophy Building and ended up at Seashore Hall. But Stata and I seem to be working it out now...
Posted by: self | March 9, 2007 11:09 AM