When people talk about skills that are important for data science, they tend to focus only on the technical skills, like statistics and computer programming. Often overlooked is the scientific mindset. Being a critical thinker helps you interpret data and avoid doing analysis on auto-pilot. A skeptical mindset will keep you vigilant for the “silent evidence of failures” that distorts statistical significance. The willingness to make predictions and put them to a rigorous test, will produce evidence worth considering. For data science to work, you need to work like a scientist.

Jay Cordes