Success in any field isn’t just about talent – it’s about adaptability. My journey into data analytics wasn’t straightforward, but each step, from journalism to IT, shaped my ability to analyze and communicate insights. Certifications, like the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP), became a key part of that growth, not as a magic bullet but as a structured way to refine my skills and prove my expertise.

For decades, analytics has lived with an uncomfortable tradeoff. If you want state-of-the-art accuracy, you must accept complexity and opacity. If you want interpretability, you must settle for weaker performance. In her keynote at the 2026 INFORMS Analytics+ Conference, Cynthia Rudin argued that this tradeoff is not only unnecessary - it is often simply wrong.

Data puns were flying during the first keynote address on the opening day of the 2026 INFORMS Analytics+ Conference at the Gaylord National Hotel in National Harbor, MD. Popularly known as the “Data Whisperer,” opening keynote speaker Scott Taylor took the stage early in the morning to deliver a lively talk about how today’s data analysts can best convey the importance of their work to members of their organizations’ C-suites.

The Certified Analytics Professional (CAP®) credential is about stepping into a role in which analytics serves as the bridge between decision-makers and data. In defense-focused operations research, where outcomes can shape missions and policy, this kind of expertise matters.

For analytics professionals, the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report revisions offer more than a headline. It serves as a valuable reminder of the responsibilities we carry when working with data in high-stakes environments – especially when our work becomes entangled with public narratives, political decisions or major economic consequences.