This past summer (2019), I was fortunate enough to land an internship with an insurance company in Cincinnati. With my freshman year here at Ohio State under my belt, I thought I knew everything I needed to know to jump right into any work they threw at me.
To much of my surprise, I learned that I lacked one skill that is vital in today’s job market: Microsoft Excel. While I had used basic Excel functions in some of my past classes, I did not truly have a grasp on the analytical and data manipulation tools that it has to offer.
The summer was defiantly a learning experience, which I much enjoyed. The skills I have learned will already set me aside during interviews in my future, but I also know that there is so much more for me to discover within Excel.
This is where my second year Capstone project through the OSU STEM EE Scholars program comes into play. Being skilled in data manipulation is a necessity in today’s industry job market, but unfortunately they are skills that many students lack. The Data Quality Campaign supports this idea by stating, “Data is one of the most powerful tools to inform, engage, and create opportunities for students”. Data is everywhere, and knowing how to use and analyze it effectively and efficiently will be useful in any career. Excel is one of the most basic and easiest to learn data manipulation programs, according to Klient Solutech, a business and leadership building website. My goal in this project is to make more students familiar with advanced data manipulation tools, particularly in Excel, so they too are more prepared for their future careers.
I am continuing the work I began this summer by working part-time and remotely for the company in Cincinnati while taking my classes here in Columbus. Because I will still be working, I will still be learning more data manipulation and Excel tools as this semester progresses. I will be documenting the functions, add-ins, and other features that use in my day-to-day work. I will then post a brief explanation of that tool on my ePortfolio under the Capstone tab (this page) so others can understand how they are used.
To learn more about why data manipulation and Excel skills are so beneficial to college students visit these sites:
https://dataqualitycampaign.org/resource/data-can-help-every-student-excel/
http://www.klientsolutech.com/importance-of-microsoft-excel-for-students/
I cant wait to see my own progress throughout the coming semesters and to help other students too!