Lessons From Four Weeks Of Data Simulation Training
This Really Is A New Path To Analytic Education
Simulation training is common practice in many professions. The military uses probably more than most and with extreme prejudice. A silly pun, but also a useful adjective for an organization with a penchant for not only simulating real-world situations but even using “old world” throw backs. The military loves technology but they never let go of the fundamentals. Our first four weeks with TradeCraft have borrowed a lot from that.
Aspiring Analysts Want Real World Business Scenarios
We have the data to prove it. What analysts don’t fixate on is real-world data… although they should. You really can’t have one without the other. Personally, I think all the options on this survey are ‘missing’. I guess we should have offered ‘all of the above’… next time.
But once you provide those scenarios, you create a good deal of discomfort. Plenty of early feedback requested support that was not … well, real. It appears that some people would prefer real business scenarios with all the comforts and trappings of an online tutorial. Only… that isn’t real!
“I am not just learning… I am training”
a quote from a TradeCraft user
Business is about giving people what they want. But great analytics and great learning are about giving people what they need. Success can only come if you can connect those two things in people’s minds. So far… it seems to be working.
The military still makes a great analogy here, but now we can layer in the gym as well. Instill in someone the belief that the harder path will reward you with better outcomes and things become very promising. On the flip side — selling the military and fitness is no easy task. It just isn’t for everyone… though neither is analytics.
“Touche!” “I have learned more in the last hour than all semester in my classes”
more from TradeCraft users
Online training, tutorials, boot camps, and classroom preparation are packed with information. They are packed with answers. You pay to get “know what” and then struggle to retained it… applying it is a separate and desperate battle entirely. But knowing the what is gratifying and typically very easy…
Simulations focus on the “know how”. You train to apply knowledge. After that, retention is not much of a challenge. But as the military has adeptly noticed, repetition is only one element to success. You can train to be inefficient, inaccurate, or even wrong. A great simulation needs to facilitate the right curriculum and incent strong foundational knowledge. This is why our survey focused on the five elements it did.
And so, less than a month since our BETA launch, we are building strong insight into analytic education. No, we already had years of experience there (sigh… decades actually). These new insights are into applied analytic training — a very new path for most people. One that will create exceptional value!
There is still plenty to learn. Our first production-grade platform is months away — though the milestones are passing quickly. Our initial feedback and testing has been strong. The platform has handled scale, iteration, and a global team of testers (four continents). We are moving from BETA testing to Early Access by the end of Q1… in just a week or two. After years of experimentation and testing, I have to say — it feels great!
We already have dozens of Early Access signups since we quietly converted our old BETA tester signup page. But now we want to start testing our platform at scale. We are looking for people who want to try a new path, aspiring analysts looking to generate real-world experience to help them get their first (or next) role in data science & analytics. We want people who recognized that real-world data, real business scenarios, and real analytic discipline — will provide you the opportunity for a most amazing career in the world’s fastest growing industry.
Sign up now and you will soon be on your way. We’ve created the opportunity, but you have to take it.
