SOFTWARE RECOMMENDATION REPORT

Your Situation

• Field: Clinical Research
• Programming Experience: None (implied zero budget, SPSS only)
• Career Goal: Academia (dissertation) → Tech Industry
• Institutional Access: SPSS only
• Analyses Needed: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)
• Timeline: 3 months to dissertation
• Budget: Zero

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PRIMARY RECOMMENDATION: SPSS AMOS for Dissertation, Begin R Learning Immediately

Strategy: Survival + Future-Proofing

• Months 1-3: SPSS AMOS for dissertation SEM (leverage institutional access)
• Months 1-3 (parallel): R basics 2-3 hours/week (future tech career prep)
• Post-defense: Intensive R/Python learning for tech transition

Rationale:

1. SPSS AMOS is your only viable 3-month option: Your institution likely has AMOS (SPSS’s SEM module). Learning AMOS SEM takes 4-6 weeks vs. 2-3 months for R lavaan from scratch with no programming background. You cannot afford the R learning curve with a 3-month deadline.

2. Clinical research accepts SPSS: Your dissertation committee will not penalize you for SPSS. Clinical journals still widely publish SPSS-based SEM.

3. R is non-negotiable for tech industry: Tech companies want R or Python. Starting R now in parallel (even 2 hours/week) gives you 3 months of exposure before you need it post-graduation.

4. Zero budget = free tools post-graduation: SPSS costs $2,000-3,000/year. You cannot use it in tech industry job search. R and Python are free forever.

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3-MONTH LEARNING ROADMAP

Month 1: AMOS Basics + R Installation

AMOS (20 hours):

• Confirm institutional AMOS access (contact IT immediately)
• Learn path diagram drawing, model specification
• Run confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)
• Resource: Byrne’s “Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS” (library or $60)

R (8 hours, 2 hrs/week):

• Install R and RStudio
• Complete Chapters 1-4 of “R for Data Science” (free online)
• Goal: Understand basic R syntax, not statistics yet

Month 2: Dissertation SEM + R Data Manipulation

AMOS (25 hours):

• Test measurement models
• Run full structural model
• Interpret fit indices (CFI, RMSEA, SRMR)
• Troubleshoot convergence issues
• Resource: UCLA IDRE AMOS tutorials (free)

R (8 hours):

• Learn tidyverse data wrangling
• Replicate simple SPSS analyses in R (t-tests, correlations)
• Goal: Build confidence with code-based workflow

Month 3: Finalize Dissertation + R Statistical Foundations

AMOS (15 hours):

• Finalize dissertation analyses
• Create publication-quality path diagrams
• Write results section

R (10 hours):

• Introduction to lavaan (SEM in R)
• Run one simple SEM model in R to see the comparison
• Resource: lavaan tutorial (https://lavaan.ugent.be/tutorial/)

Post-Defense (Months 4-6): Intensive R/Python for Tech Job Market

• Dedicate 10-15 hours/week
• Focus: Data manipulation, visualization (ggplot2), basic modeling
• Resource: DataCamp or Coursera Data Science track

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PROS & CONS FOR YOUR SITUATION

SPSS AMOS Pros

• ✅ Only realistic option for 3-month deadline - GUI-based learning curve manageable
• ✅ Free for you right now - Institutional license removes cost barrier
• ✅ Committee-approved - Clinical research committees accept SPSS
• ✅ Department support - Colleagues can troubleshoot AMOS issues

SPSS AMOS Cons

• ❌ Useless for tech career - No tech company uses SPSS
• ❌ Expensive post-graduation - Cannot afford $2,500/year on zero budget
• ❌ Not on your resume - Tech recruiters ignore SPSS experience

R (lavaan) Pros

• ✅ Free forever - Critical for zero budget
• ✅ Tech industry standard - R/Python required for data science roles
• ✅ Reproducible - Code-based workflow valued in tech
• ✅ Continuous learning asset - Skills compound over time

R (lavaan) Cons

• ❌ 3-month learning curve impossible - 4-6 months to SEM proficiency from zero programming
• ❌ High dissertation risk - Could miss deadline learning R
• ❌ No department support - SPSS-only colleagues cannot help

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COST BREAKDOWN

3-Month Dissertation Period:

• SPSS AMOS: $0 (institutional license)
• R/RStudio: $0 (free)
• Byrne AMOS textbook: $0-60 (library borrow or purchase)
• Total: $0-60

Post-Graduation Tech Prep:

• R: $0 (free)
• Python: $0 (free)
• DataCamp or Coursera: $0-390 (6 months, optional)
• Total: $0-390

What you’re avoiding: $2,500/year SPSS license (impossible on zero budget)

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CRISIS PLAN: What If No AMOS Access?

If your institution does NOT have AMOS:

1. Check for Mplus - Some universities have Mplus (another SEM tool). Student version is $395/year but may have institutional license.
2. Emergency R crash course - Accept the risk, dedicate 40 hours in Month 1 to R basics, 40 hours Month 2 to lavaan. Tight but possible with full commitment.
3. Delay dissertation - If possible, push defense 2-3 months to properly learn R. Better than rushing SPSS then being unemployable.

Action: Confirm AMOS access THIS WEEK. Do not assume.

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NEXT STEPS

This Week:

1. Email IT: “Do we have institutional access to SPSS AMOS? If so, how do I install it?”
2. Download R and RStudio (even if using AMOS, start R now)
3. Check library for Byrne’s AMOS book or order used copy

Week 2:

• If AMOS confirmed: Start Byrne Chapter 1-2, draw first path diagram
• Start “R for Data Science” Chapter 1 (1 hour)

Month 1:

• Run first CFA in AMOS
• Complete R basics (Chapters 1-4)

Month 2:

• Full dissertation structural model
• Replicate simple analyses in R (build confidence)

Month 3:

• Finalize dissertation
• Run one SEM in lavaan to compare (learning experience)

Post-Defense:

• Apply to tech roles while doing intensive R/Python learning
• Build GitHub portfolio with R projects
• Target data analyst roles (require less experience than data scientist)

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QUESTIONS TO ASK

To Dissertation Advisor:

• “Do you have experience with AMOS, or should I find an external SEM consultant?”
• “Would you support a 2-3 month extension if I learn R instead of AMOS?” (gauge flexibility)

To IT Department:

• “Is AMOS included in our SPSS license? How do I access it?”
• “Are there workshops or training for AMOS on campus?”

To Career Services:

• “What roles can clinical researchers transition to in tech with R/Python skills?”
• “Do you have contacts at health tech companies who value clinical + data skills?”

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THE HARD TRUTH

You cannot learn R well enough for dissertation SEM in 3 months with zero programming background. Attempting this risks your degree. Use SPSS AMOS to graduate, then invest 6-12 months post-graduation in intensive R/Python learning for tech transition.

However, if you’re willing to delay your defense 3-6 months, learning R is the better long-term choice. SPSS will be a dead-end skill in tech, and you’ll need to relearn everything in R anyway.

Realistic tech timeline: 6-12 months of R/Python learning post-graduation before competitive for junior data analyst roles. Clinical domain expertise + R = valuable combination in health tech, pharma, biotech.

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Recommendation: SPSS AMOS for dissertation (survival), R learning starting now (future)
Confidence: 90% - This is the only pragmatic path given constraints

Alternative scenario: If you can delay defense 4-6 months, switch to R-only strategy. The SPSS skills will not help your tech career.