Dear Reader,

Last week the LaRusso family received the unwelcome news that our HVAC system needed to be replaced. Our technician had warned us after each of his last few visits that the system was on its last legs, but I just couldn't justify replacing a system that was still working, so I resisted. This last visit came complete with photos of a heat exchanger with holes in it and warnings of carbon monoxide leaking into the house. There was no avoiding replacement anymore.

The real nightmare, though, began with price quotes for a new system. Oh, he gave us options. It ranged from the economical option that, according to our technician, was only slightly more sophisticated than striking two stones together and nearly illegal in its inefficiency, to a high-end "beauty" that would purr like a kitten and wrap us up each night in a blanket of warmth.

The news sent me into a series of Kubler-Ross style emotional breakdowns. My first reaction was denial: This really can't be happening to us – the system's so young. Then, I was just plain mad: Our neighbor's system is just as old and is working fine…it's not fair! Next, came the bargaining phase: If we could keep it running for just a couple more months, then we'd have our tax refund. Hopelessness followed: Why even bother replacing it? The next system is just going to break down too. Finally, acceptance: I might as well be prepared.

Acceptance for me meant doing research. I began pouring countless hours into reading articles and participating in discussion boards, discovering a world with acronyms like SEER and entering debates about variable speed blowers. I think it was after reading an article titled "Aluminum v. Copper: The Great Condensing Coil Debate" that I realized I didn't like the person I'd become.

Often, when presented with too many options, effective decision making can suffer. So, before decision fatigue clouded my judgment any further, I did what I probably should have done right from the start – I turned the decision over to my wife.

What I experienced in choosing my new heating system is probably not unlike what our students might feel when trying to select a first SAS course. If you’re new to SAS, it may be a little overwhelming to determine the correct introductory course given our extensive curriculum. To help make this decision a little easier, SAS Education has produced a new video titled What is a good first SAS Training course? This video introduces users to our “getting started” curriculum and includes a discussion about the differences between SAS Programming and SAS Enterprise Guide point-and-click courses. It’s just another tool – along with our web site, pre-course assessments, learning paths, and curriculum consultants – SAS Education provides users who are uncertain about where to start their SAS journey.

Here's to warm winter evenings and sizzling SAS code.

Thanks for reading,
Larry LaRusso
Editor, SAS Training Report