"The awkward first drive" - Section 3 of 7: THE DATA LITERACY DRIVING SCHOOL (free excerpts)
This is the third part of the chapter titled “The Data Literacy Driving School”, from the book “The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories”.
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The awkward first drive
It’s relatively easy for you to get the car to move forwards, although it feels a bit awkward at first. The car shudders and stutters a bit as your unsteady feet control the pedals, but fairly soon you find yourself moving cautiously forwards, eyes darting between the road and the mirrors, suddenly conscious of how much you need to be aware of as you navigate from the driving school’s car park towards the main road.
The instructor tells you to stop the data car at the entrance of the data driving school, before you get onto the road. You both sit in silence for a moment, surveying the scene before you. The driving school is on the top of a hill, which provides a clear line of sight over the sprawling spaghetti of roads and buildings that makes up Transaction Data City. You can see the mass of traffic clogging the streets below and, in the distance, can see the fast-moving cars that are speeding across town on the data highway. You can’t help but gasp, knowing that you’re going to be entering into this complex metropolis, responsible for getting through the packed streets to an as yet unknown destination.
“Something you need to know about data driving,” the instructor announces, breaking the silence, “is that it’s not just about moving, or getting to some random location.”
He shifts his weight in his seat and turns to look at you. “You see, it’s really important that you know where you’re trying to get to and how to get there in the most sensible way. This city is a very dangerous place. There are many routes that you can take, which will lead you to the same destination; but some are far slower than others, and some have unseen pitfalls that many a data driver has fallen down, never to be seen again.”
As if on cue, a dull explosion can be heard in the distance. A knowing smile spreads across the instructor’s face. “Ah. A great example of the kind of data dead-end that you don’t want to go down. Lots of time wasted and it’ll inevitably lead to bad decisions and bad outcomes for you and the data people you’re driving.”
You turn to look back at the urban labyrinth before you. “I thought this lesson was just about how to drive the car,” you exclaim.
“Well, that will get you so far,” chuckles the instructor, “but your company is paying for you to learn how to get somewhere useful, and ideally in one piece, not just to be able to drive around aimlessly, wasting their time and money. There’s got to be a point to your data journeys, because otherwise why are you travelling at all?”
You nod, understanding, but also realising that there’s even more to this than you’d bargained for.
“OK,” the instructor says as he nods towards a tall building in the distance. “We’re heading for your company’s HQ. It’s across town, so we’re not going to use the back roads because it’ll take too long. We need to head to the data highway. Do your checks and you can start when you’re ready.”
So you start to move again, shakily steering down the street, clunkily shifting gears and making slow progress towards your destination.
Your data instructor directs you at every turn, so you can focus on using the data car’s controls properly. You find that everything you’re doing requires thought and effort, as you mind gets used to the range of actions that you need to take to control and steer the data car.
Before long, you’ve reached your company’s headquarters and your first lesson is over. Your instructor guides you through a review on how your first drive went. “Every time you drive your data car, take the time to think about your journey. What went well and what didn’t? Did you choose the right route? Is there anything you’d do differently, next time? No matter how many times you drive, you can always learn and be a better driver. It’s keeping an open, learning mindset that will lead you to consistently successful journeys. Don’t ever become complacent. You never know what unexpected data car crash is around the corner, which will take you by surprise and force you to adapt. Stay alert, keep learning, and you’ll be ready to drive on your own in no time…”
I hope you’ve enjoyed this excerpt.
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Thanks for reading!
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