- Setting the Foundation on Fire
Just as the festival starts with the lighting of a lamp, the first step in data science is to lay a strong foundation. This means:
Understanding the core concepts of data science: statistics, probability, data cleaning, exploratory analysis, etc. Without a solid foundation, it does not matter how bright the insights, they will flicker without a strong base underneath.
Understanding your data: Poor data is like a weak flame—its glow but won't shine. It is important to invest early in understanding the integrity of sources, and missing values metrics, and nuances of consistency.
Choosing tools and environments that propel you forward— be it Python, R, SQL, or the supporting ecosystem.
- Leverage momentum
Once the first lamp is lit, you keep adding them from that row to the next row to literally light up your space. In your data science journey, this relates to expanding capabilities:
Expanding capabilities and using new methodologies from simple data analysis to more complex methodologies like machine learning and predictive modelling and natural language processing.
Leveraging your knowledge in an applied context; business use cases, dashboarding, storytelling with data.
Developing what I will call your illumination mindset; the ability to look at a data and ask “what light shine on this” vs. what’s wrong with this.
- Patterns of brilliance
At the festival, you may observe as patterns of lights—rows of lamps, rangoli, or fireworks. In data science, you are making patterns as well:
You are creating repeatable workflows: data ingestion → data cleaning → feature engineering → model → evaluation → deploying your models into production.
You are creating frameworks that are making your work more scalable and sure.
You are building an insight‐driven culture—where instead of doing ad‐hoc analyses, there are systems to monitor, alert, and act on data.
If you understand this Festival of Lights to be more than a decoration – a metaphor for a data science career path, you'll find much more meaning. This year, take a pledge: ignite the skills that serve as your foundation, build momentum, create patterns of impact, give graciously, and keep the flame alive.