I hear coding, and the first thing that comes to mind is "this is so cool." Having this skill will make me a digital nomad 😎.
I have always thought about coding as an engineering or technology thing. Maybe you did science and tech in secondary school, then you should learn coding.
I did science but switched to a commercial course for university. And I thought since I am no longer doing science, then I shouldn't bother.
But then, a lecturer talked about a coding software specially made for the likes of an actuary. I studied actuarial science, by the way.
The coding software was R programming language. He said it is the software actuaries use in the workplace to go about their daily activities and tasks.
That sparked a light of interest in me. Having thought about coding as cool, and now I will be required to know how to use it if I want to work as an actuary.
That stuck with me, and ever since I searched for ways to learn the skill, but to no avail. Then came the data science buzz in my school.
A high-paying and sort-after skill in the world of technology and business. It sounded interesting, and I was also looking for a way to make money as a student in school.
So I decided to also search for a way I could acquire this skill. I looked it up first, and all I read about it gave me actuarial science vibes.
Dealing with data and analysing it to make better business decisions based on facts and history. It is very similar to actuarial science but more tech-intensive.
Then it all made sense—learning a skill that could potentially make me money while in school and would be relevant in my journey as an actuary.
So I actively searched for means to learn, and then I stumbled on a scholarship to learn data science with R on DataCamp.
Learning R was one of the sweetest skills to learn for me. It required a lot of math, and I love math. I took a lot of courses on learning data science with R, but I still haven't been able to monetize the skill, and it hurts. 😫
Although I didn't finish all the required courses to complete, before I'll be able to build projects and then monetize. Yet still, I know I devoted a lot of time to it. I should still be able to make something from it.
But nothing. I really still wish I could. Regardless, no knowledge is wasted. I am still waiting for when it comes in handy 😄