I didn’t think I could do it either. Learning R Studio was one of the most daunting task for my thesis, and arguably the most rewarding. I now feel sufficient in my ability to use R Studio, and, more importantly, in my ability to figure things out when I get stuck. As is learning any new skill, learning R Studio is challenging. Do start early. Do expect to get frustrated. Do ask for help. And do know that you can learn how to use R Studio.
Below are steps that helped me learn R Studio:
Get a book: Get a physical copy of a how-to R Studio book. You’ll be spending a lot of time staring at a computer screen, so staring at a physical book is a nice change. I recommend R for Data Science. It’s an introduction to R Studio that’s organized by function and includes coding exercises. It helped me to form a basic understanding of R Studio.
Find a mentor: Find someone who can help you troubleshoot. Chances are that your thesis will have nuances that can be best addressed by someone well-versed in R Studio. I recommend reaching out to an O’Neill Professor. Even if a professor cannot help you, they may know a PhD student that can. A professor helped me learn how to run the model I specifically needed for my thesis.
Use online resources: Use online chat sites for questions. If you are running into an issue with your code, someone else probably has an answer for how to fix it. I recommend Stack Overflow. It’s a site dedicated to answering coding questions, and you can ask your own questions or sift through already answered questions. Sites like this helped me learn how to clean my data.
Search the internet: Search your R Studio questions online. There are many free online tutorials and pre-made codes that can be found through search engines. I recommend simply using Google. A million answers to your a million questions will pop up in seconds. Google helped me find answers to my broad questions of how to use R Studio.
Just try things: Just try, try, and try again until something works. Most of my learning occurred by trial and error in coding exercises. I recommend Geeks for Geeks. The site has coding practice questions and answers organized by function. Coding exercises helped me learn details of the R language, so I wouldn’t forget a parentheses here or a comma there.
These steps helped me take learning R Studio from a seemingly impossible task to an accomplishable challenge. I was able to learn R Studio for my thesis, and so can you. Yes, you can learn R Studio.
Madelyn Mustaine is a junior Wells Scholar at Indiana University studying Policy Analysis at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Madelyn is a Health Policy Research Assistant for Dr. Kosali Simon, and is passionate about Medicaid, reproductive healthcare, and mixed health systems. Next year, she plans continue her education at the O’Neill School with a Master’s in Public Affairs, concentrating in Policy Analysis and Health Policy.
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