Seriously, what is analytics? At a cocktail party, when a group of people are talking and they start to ask what you do, among the responses of “attorney”, “engineer”, “sales manager”, “doctor”, what do I say? “Well…I measure things and help companies become more efficient” This always draws odd looks. “Huh?”.
I have been joking for years now that my wife still doesn’t know what I do. Whenever a co-worker, friend or neighbor asks, she struggles to answer. Of course it doesn’t help that she is in one of those easy to describe professions – she is an architect. People instantly know what she does.
Well now I think us analytics folks have a phrase that might work. It’s not perfect, and sounds a bit academic, but I am very tempted the next time I find myself at a dinner party to respond “Data Scientist”. At least I won’t get those odd stares…or maybe I will but because of the bean dip I just spilled on my tie.
