Statistics homework ARGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!1

[Artesia]

I'd be happier getting a belt of ammo from a 50 caliber machine gun unloaded into my skull than doing statistics homework!  It doesn't help that with 2 weeks left in the course the company that controls the online textbook decided it would no longer support my browser for the textbook.  Or the fact that the help/example for each problem says, "use technology" then provides the examples answer without explaining which portion/formula to use to get that answer.  After 4 hours I said to hell with it and came here to vent.  The worst part is that the clinical portion of psychology doesn't even use it.  My 5 psychologists never used it, the 40+ nurses I've worked with through the years don't use it, and my Executive Director never uses it.  As near as I can tell it is used by less people in the world than there are red heads.  It's pointless to take unless you are going for a job that is built on statistics.  Like printing sports cards, or running experiments.  Two things I will NEVER do!

[Northern Star Girl]

I'd be happier getting a belt of ammo from a 50 caliber machine gun unloaded into my skull than doing statistics homework!  It doesn't help that with 2 weeks left in the course the company that controls the online textbook decided it would no longer support my browser for the textbook.  Or the fact that the help/example for each problem says, "use technology" then provides the examples answer without explaining which portion/formula to use to get that answer.  After 4 hours I said to hell with it and came here to vent.  The worst part is that the clinical portion of psychology doesn't even use it.  My 5 psychologists never used it, the 40+ nurses I've worked with through the years don't use it, and my Executive Director never uses it.  As near as I can tell it is used by less people in the world than there are red heads. It's pointless to take unless you are going for a job that is built on statistics.  Like printing sports cards, or running experiments.  Two things I will NEVER do!

@Artesia
Well, bite the "bullet" and get through this and be done with it... particularly if no one is using it.
I hear your frustrations, I had a lot of them in college, but for me I enjoyed Statistics and some of the other courses that I endured while earning my MBA and mathematics degrees.   I don't use a good portion of what I had to study but at times in my past job and my present business having that foundation of knowledge is very helpful in some unforeseen situations that I deal with.

Get through this... in two week then you can move on to happier tasks.

Thanks for posting and getting this off of your chest...  I hope that helped you.
Hugs,
Danielle

[MaryT]

A really good (and blessedly quite short) book for beginners is
Statistics without Tears: An Introduction for Non-Mathematicians by Derek Rowntree.

Also enlightening is How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff, although perhaps less essential for an introductory statistics course.

Both are published by Penguin Books.

Ideally, though, they should be read before the start of a course or, I suppose, reading them (although a pleasure, I think) might take up some of your available study time.

[Colleen_definitely]

Yes online homework systems are universally infuriating.  I really love it when you are told that you have the incorrect answer, and it shows the correct answer as the exact same thing you entered.  They get even worse when you do them for chemistry.

You just have to see it as some sort of barbaric high tech hazing ritual.  There's better things on the other side.

[Artesia]

Sorry, been off for a bit.  I managed to get 79.6% in my class.  Not bad for guessing on the last two weeks of class.

Thank you all for the encouraging words!

[MaryT]

Well done.  I think that you will find what you learned worthwhile, especially, if you read a bit more on the subject without the stress of exams, deadlines and homework.  Even just knowing some of the jargon could stand you in good stead when people try to blind you with numbers,