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I think teaching a declarative language like SQL along with some basic, common queries is a lot easier than teaching R to someone with no technical background.
by capkutay 12y ago
I think teaching a declarative language like SQL along with some basic, common queries is a lot easier than teaching R to someone with no technical background. Even as a CS student, it took me a couple weeks to get the hang of R.
In general, I see a trend towards teaching data science and analytics to people who aren't software engineers. I think SQL is an excellent way to bring analytics skills to the masses (over python, R, java).
- jsmeaton 12y agoEspecially when highlighting the parallels of SQL with Excel. "Note: Alternatively, if you wanted to reduce the amount of Pivot Table work, you could've done the aggregations inside of SQL."
- Alupis 12y agoR is taught specifically because it is a statistical analysis language, which is what a Poli Sci student can expect to be doing a lot of after school. R isn't really "for CS students", it's for statisticians and analytics professionals. Just like chemists often write their own chemical modelling programs, it takes a lot of domain-specific knowledge to craft the correct algorithms for things like this.
- ams6110 12y agoThat's good to know. As someone with a VERY solid grasp of SQL, I found R to be baffling (though I've only tinkered with it a few times).
- grayclhn 12y agoTrying to use R to do statistics -- graphs, linear regression, t-tests, etc. -- is the best way to get your feet wet. It's ironically not great for data management and relations. (Although there are very good packages for that sort of thing: datatable, dplyr, and sqldf all come to mind.)