Whistle While You Work

I have always been a huge advocate for loving the work you do. As far back as I can remember, I noticed a difference between doing something you enjoy versus doing something you are good at. It is much easier to practice and get better at that which you enjoy, but it can be much harder to do the opposite by learning to enjoy what you are good at.

My first experience of this was learning mathematics growing up. Mathematics was the only subject in which I ever found myself doing additional problems and really going a step further than the teacher did. This continued through my secondary school years, so much so that to take breaks while studying for hours, I would instead turn to a math problem. The sense of accomplishment was enough to fuel my remaining hours of study to help me through the subjects I found more challenging. As a college student taking a course in actuarial science, I noticed this phenomenon rearing its head over and over.

The workplace offered a new environment where I was able to take all my years of study and apply it to tangible projects. There is little else more pleasurable than confronting a problem and realising that you are the expert in the room. By having a job which so elegantly overlapped with my passions in data science and automation, it was rare that a day went by without feeling accomplished. Everyday felt like I was whistling at work, mostly in my mind but quite often really whistling if I was working from home!

Over the years, I have isolated the areas of my job which fuel my enthusiasm for work. By incorporating these into my routine tasks and various projects, I have learned to keep the fire going, even when times are challenging. These concepts are - knowledge sharing, data intelligence, and business acumen.

Knowledge Sharing

I love to learn, and there is no better way of learning than to teach. I also love to teach, so it is a win-win! There is such a vast array of knowledge out there but it can be difficult to traverse the oceans of books, websites, videos, and other media. It took me until college to really understand that asking a question does not mean you are less knowledgeable than others in the room. Oftentimes it means you are the only one in the room willing to go after the answer. Your teacher tells you that you cannot divide by zero, but I ask - why? Well, there are many ways to answer that question. I want to take it a step further, and not only answer questions, but to arm people with the tools and knowledge to teach themselves. My passions are in mathematics, statistics, computer programming and money management. If you are interested in any of these topics, I am here to help!

“Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”

Data Intelligence

In a world overrun with fake news, opinions presented as facts, and even misleading advertisements, it is hard to know what to trust. I am a firm believer that real data cannot lie. How do we know what is true? Well, the good thing is that sometimes you don’t really have to worry about that. Consider a television add which tells you that “4 out of 5 dentists recommend this toothpaste”. That is a result of some analysis. The ads don’t tell you what analysis, they just expect you to take the result and trust it. Consider if the data was available to you, you would be interested to see what dentists they surveyed to get those results. For true scientific research, the process of designing an experiment, collecting data and analysing data must be reproducible. With the same dataset, you should draw the same conclusions each and every time. Where it starts to get murky is when you have a result and it gets into the hands of someone who does not understand the context.

“You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data.”

Business Acumen

It is fantastic to have subjects and topics you are very knowledgeable about - but how do you use that knowledge? Perhaps it is simply for a hobby of yours, and that is totally fine. But what if you want to make a living with that knowledge? There is no end to the possibilities you have when you apply your knowledge and experience to real world situations. Take a simple example the lemonade stand. It’s a very simple idea, you purchase ingredients, you produce lemonade and you sell it to earn a profit. Maybe you just want to do it for one day because you have a surplus of lemons and there are a lot of people out walking on a sunny day. Maybe you want to create your own brand and become an international sensation. The difference is - business acumen. How can you use your expertise to tackle a real world problem?

“Create your own opportunities. Do not wait for them to come to you.”

These three concepts help me to mold my day into something fantastic.

When a colleague asks for guidance, I don’t just give them the answer, I share my process on how to arrive at the answer. I learned about financial accounts through teaching sessions: grab a pen and paper and take notes while I explain. I learned to code in python by taking a course online: this is where you can find the resources to learn the basics. I learned how to tackle this business problem from years of experience: take notes and build your knowledge base through questions and projects.

When tackling a problem, whether it’s a business problem or a personal one, consider the data you have available. What are the facts? What are the risks? Do the pros outweigh the cons? Or, perhaps the data available to you is simply for your entertainment - such as a good book. If you ground your thoughts and decision making in facts and experience, it is much easier to justify your position. Nobody can argue that two plus two does not equal four.

Running your personal life can rely on some of the same principles as working at your job. Turning a problem into a good solution takes practice. We all know this from our work or school lives, but the same can apply to your personal life just as easily. Learning to balance a busy day of business meetings with the deadline you have can be tricky. Break down your problem into manageable chunks, and then you have made the first step towards a successful result.

Find your passions in what you do. Learn to whistle while you work!