Malaak Blog

  The biggest takeaway for me from Chapters 3 and 4 was just how much data there is around us all of the time that we do not even notice.  Prior to this week, my thought process regarding data always seemed to lead back to spreadsheets and numbers.  Understanding the difference between structured and unstructured data helped me realize that there are so many different types of data such as emails, images, social media posts, and sensor data.  Real world data is much messier than I originally thought which helped me understand how organizations can fail when their data is not organized or reliable from the beginning. Data Quality is also another key topic for me this week.  Understanding all of the different qualities that data must have in order to be deemed trustworthy was fascinating.  Accuracy, completeness, consistency, timeliness, relevance.  If any of these qualities do not apply, the data can not be trusted and any decision made off of that data...

After reading these first couple chapters, I have gained an appreciation for data skills. Prior to this class, I never realized how many jobs rely on data, even if they are not considered “data-based” careers. Learning about how data can be used in nearly every profession was extremely interesting to me. I always thought that data analysts or business intelligence analysts only worked “behind the curtains,” but it’s clear that they help the average worker succeed daily. I also never realized how accessible these skills could be. In Chapter 1, you provided simple and realistic examples that made me excited to learn, especially using tools like Google Sheets. I thought I would have to know everything about data before I could even begin to work with it, but these first couple chapters have taught me that you can still be effective with only basic knowledge. Something that stood out to me in Chapter 2 was how thoughtlessly data can be used in real world business scenarios. While it is inc...

 Hello everyone, my name is Malaak Khalaf. I am a senior majoring in Health Science with a Pre-Optometry concentration. I will be graduating in May this year. I also recently received my acceptance into Optometry school and will officially start in August at Illinois College of Optometry (ICO). I am so excited to graduate and finally start learning more about the eyes! I currently work at LasikPlus as an Optometrist Technician. I help with all testing to determine whether a patient is a candidate for LASIK surgery. I also help prepare the patient for surgery and assist with post-operative check-ins. I actually really love my job and have been working there for almost a year. I am not an early bird, but once I get to work and see my first patient, I immediately get into a good mood. My favorite part of the job is seeing the patient's reaction once they can see clearly without any correction wear. A fun fact about me is that I love traveling. My plan after graduate school is to work ...