Constructing a Career in Data Viz: Getting Started
Building your data viz portfolio is a lot like building a house, and it all starts with having the right tool set
In 1984, when my parents were searching for their first home together, my dad decided the best solution — given their limited budget — was to build one himself. So he picked up some books, started reading, gathered some friends, and set to work.
Without any formal training, my father managed to design and build a beautiful home, which my parents still enjoy to this day. Growing up, this all seemed normal to me and shaped my mind-set accordingly. I figured if you want to build a computer, then buy some computer parts, read the manuals, and start building. You want to learn how to swim? Read some articles, then get in the pool and practice. So it’s no surprise that when I decided I wanted to make better graphs for my academic research, I picked up a book and started reading. That book — Show Me the Numbers by Stephen Few — opened my eyes to the idea that there was an entire discipline devoted to understanding how to communicate information visually, and that this was something I could learn.
Like building a house, data visualization comprises a set of skills that can be learned. But the process of going from novice to…
