The thing is that you really ~can~ just say that. Statistical analysts aren't f-ing around when it comes to analyzing data and are capable of some extremely magical things that you can't just "pick up" randomly simply by working on data a lot.

Just like you can't randomly understand the fundamentals of software engineering like data structures & algorithms without first studying the concepts directly.

Hey I'm totally fine if people don't like what they're reading though. It gives me a competitive edge for any company I work for if everyone else is against the idea. ;)