Strengthening Important Skills

My name is Brent Wedge, and I am currently a junior at the University at Buffalo, where I am studying Business Administration with a concentration in Financial Analysis. As I have progressed in college, I have realized how important analytical skills are to all students, no matter their major. All students are required to conduct research, solve problems, as well as complete numerous other tasks that will require analysis of some sort. Some people are able to develop this skill easier than others, as they are able to notice patterns in data more naturally than others. However, if these skills are practiced every day, it will become easier for an individual lacking natural analytical skills to hone in on these skills.

I believe that all people work not only because society has progressed to a point where it is imperative for survival, but also because work has the ability to grant self-fulfillment and satisfaction as an individual progresses in his or her career. Satisfaction helps us to ignore that we are solely working to survive — it gives us purpose. However, an individual needs certain skills in order to be successful in his or her job. Analytical skills are particularly important because individuals will be posed with new problems once they have started their careers. Also, when writing to supervisors or executives in regards to research, that research must be analyzed in a meaningful way. If the analysis of the research is poor, then the information may become useless, which can threaten job security.

Skills can be practiced in numerous different ways. With analysis, I would say the two biggest ways to become a better analyzer would be trial and error and reflection. Trial and error is important because analysis involves gathering data. This could be achieved through conducting experiments, interviews, and hypothesis testing. Each of these tasks can lead to the strengthening of analytical skills due to the nature of experimentation. As one becomes more comfortable conducting research, then their analysis skills will increase and begin to expand into a routine. Reflection is important, as well, because if one finds a mistake in their analysis, he or she can reflect on the steps taken to achieve the answer received. Each time new research is conducted, this reflection can be taken into account to avoid making a similar mistake.