Data Science and Minitab
How one can use minitab to learn data science concepts!
In early 2019, as I embarked on my journey to master data science, I encountered an array of articles titled “How I Learned Data Science in 6 Months” and “How I Would Learn Data Science If I Could Start Over.” These pieces offered valuable insights but shared a common theme.
As a novice in both coding and data science, I struggled with the heavy emphasis on statistics within most data science curricula. Many programs I explored suggested learning Python or R alongside statistics, which I initially found overwhelming.
During this challenging phase, I discovered Minitab — a statistical processing tool developed by scientists, widely used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, finance, and supply chain for performing intensive statistical calculations.
Minitab offers specific features for data analysis and prediction, boasting a user interface (UI) similar to Microsoft Excel. However, unlike Excel, which struggles with statistical analysis on large datasets (over 10,000 rows), Minitab excels in this area. While Excel does include tools like “Data Analysis” and “Solver,” they fall short of covering all data science needs.
The similarity in UI between Minitab and Excel significantly flattens the learning curve compared to R or Python. This similarity allows learners to grasp fundamental statistics by coupling theory from online courses or PDFs with practical application in Minitab, thus minimizing delays in learning.
Once I was confident in my statistical skills, I progressed to Python and then to R. This phased approach allowed me to concentrate on one aspect of data science at a time, avoiding the overwhelm of tackling both statistics and programming simultaneously.
While researching various data science resources, I noticed a lack of guidance on using Minitab as a learning tool. This gap inspired me to create a series of articles focused on understanding basic data science concepts through Minitab. These articles are meant to serve as an introduction, helping readers comprehend fundamental statistics relevant to data science with Minitab’s help. They are not intended to be comprehensive guides to Minitab or data science but rather a starting point for exploration and understanding.
