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This week, our guest presenter was Nitin Goyal, an experienced data-analyst currently working for Hootsuite, the social media software company. He was able to share many tips and insight on what his position does as a data analyst. 

To preface, I have never been much into data or software work so I was not completely sold when first listening to the presentation but I can say that I left with more knowledge then I went in with. 

I was first pleased to hear that you don’t need crazy math skills to be a data analyst. Nitin confirms he uses basic math skills on a day to day basis and uses other tools and softwares to do the base of the work. I think this is a very common misconception for any job revolving around the word “data” as I immediately associate that with complex computer work which has been a reason I have never explored it. 

data analyst at desk

I did appreciate how Nitin was able to break down the true meaning of the algorithm and what it means for both users and businesses. Algorithm in normal terms stands for “set of rules”, (I had no idea). What i’m unsure of is how it connects to social media usage where it relates to showing the user personalized content and passive content viewing, which was also a new term for me. On social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, the main use of the algorithm is to make you stay on the app and continuously scroll. This content is mainly coming from personal accounts rather than businesses or schools and the content is interesting and easy to be entertained by. If you are able to utilize the algorithm tool effectively, that will make businesses want to purchase ad space on that platform so users will view their content. 

Although, even after the presentation I don’t see myself wanting to work in this field, I understand and value the work of data analysts and understand how viewing this data is crucial for content creation as well. When graduating here at Guelph-Humber, I hope to learn some more basics of data so that in any job I get, I can put this skill to use even if it is not my most favourable. blue footer