Are you new to Data Science?
You’re not alone, let’s discover a few things that might help you with your data science journey.
Data Science is a vast subject that will challenge your analytical and problem-solving skills. Laying out solid stepping stones to build that knowledge is key for success.
I would say that my story will help anyone who is looking to switch careers, or who wants to try a new field, or more importantly, one who loves playing with data. But before getting into this, refresh those math skills from high school.
Who am I and why am I sharing this with you?
I am a mother of 2 daughters (high school and middle school) and I have a supportive husband who helps with my career decisions and learning objectives. My life revolves around them. My kid frequently asks me, “Is education really important in our future?” I believe that education plays a huge role in being successful in the future. But I still wonder, how to answer that question more concisely.
In my years of experience as an engineering manager at PayPal and eBay, I learned how important data is in making decisions that would attract customers. It is mesmerizing to see those colorful charts and customer insights in executive presentations. There were many aha! moments and the person who presented those data predictions always looked like the smartest person in the room. I always used to wonder, how they could project future trends and customer behavior by looking at the past data. So one day, I decided to switch from software development to Data Science. Not that I didn’t enjoy what I was working on, but my passion to understand customer behavior using data drove me to take this journey. At the same time, I wanted to set an example to my kids and show them that we can learn new skills at any age. Of course, curiosity to learn new things runs in the family, so why can’t I?
The moment I started exploring, I was getting frustrated as there was no clear direction. I got worried about when and how I will finish as there are too many resources scattered everywhere, and I didn’t know where to start. Although I have a good programming background, I was lost.
The following resources helped me get started. However, do some research on your own to gather more information. To start, have a positive attitude to learning. Here are some great tips: https://www.pickthebrain.com/5-ways-to-build-a-positive-attitude-to-learning/
- Statistics: It is the foundation for data science so refresh your math and learn at your own pace or while attending a course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxpc-HPKN28
- Python: Coding is a must to generate data insights. It is easy to learn, at https://realpython.com/ as my professor, John Hazard, suggested. If you want to learn visually, FreeCodeCamp also has good videos that could help. I frequently use Kaggle, too. All of these are free resources.
- Data Analysis: There are free resources to help you learn on your own as suggested above. If you have a fixed time goal, I would recommend enrolling in a paid course as they can teach great techniques and answer your questions. Working on real-time datasets can help sharpen your skills with analysis. As you make progress, start working on datasets that are available open-source.
- Advanced Techniques (Modeling, Visualize, Plotting, ML, and all cool Data Science stuff): I would highly recommend enrolling in a Data Science course. I liked General Assembly as this course offering is 3 months. They cover detailed topics and modules. Few colleges cover this as a 1-year course.
That’s it, you are done!. Not yet, it is a continuous educational process so keep nurturing those skills.
No matter what you want to learn, learn it well!
