We use critical thinking in our daily lives when we choose the best health care plan to sign up for, decluttering our closet, or deciding what work project to focus on next. We rely on this important skill anytime there’s an important decision to be made that involves a lot of different factors or large amounts of information. Critical thinking skills are essential for data analysts. Good decision making depends on the ability to evaluate the possible results of a problem and select the best solution. Critical thinking means being able to make decisions independently, rather than just following the data trends of other people.