Technology’s offer of unprecedented access to data means little if you’re not equipped to make sense of it.

This article answers a lot of questions that have been floating around in my head lately, and calms my nerves down to some degree. I keep finding myself interested in/intrigued by/wanting to look into pursuing journalism or something within the humanities — virtually every new idea that I’ve come up with in the last few months has, upon further fleshing out, turned out to be some kind of blog or adventure with a journalistic element. But then I remember that I don’t actually like to write. I like to edit, I like to read, and I love the Internet and the way it exposes me to literally limitless perspectives. But when it comes down to it, I’m really a numbers person, and I’m actually a data analyst by profession. So basically GOOD just told me there is not only a way I can dabble in both what I do now and journalism or humanities, but that people like me with my skills are an important part of the future. In much the same way as I think I’d prefer to be an artist until I realize I’m not naturally skillful with art, and then try to find an analytic side where I can loiter in both worlds - I’m comforted that, as the article notes, the data and data people are becoming more recognized as indispensable, and the “cross-pollination” between humanities and numbers becomes more intertwined as time goes on and tech evolves. In other words, I AM IMPORTANT! Or my skills are, and I can be if I use them well. So thank you, GOOD.