Finest Online Courses To Learn Data Science During The #Coronavirus Pandemic

Nowadays education in India is not about the idea of just building a career or having a source of income, it is more about watering the minds of the generation about what they are more interested in, and how they can utilize the most out of themselves. This actually would become mentally exhausting especially when one is forced to follow paths of education not meant for them.

Speaking of Data Scientists in India, the first and foremost way to kick-start this would be to fuel the problem solving and analytical skills of an individual. 

 We are talking about the most trending topics in the field of Information Technology. It is multi-disciplinary and involves knowledge of various subjects like AI, Math, programming, machine learning, and communication. 

Data Scientist As A Fresher?

Did you know that the number of opportunities of a fresher being hired for data science has increased over the past 2 years and would continue to do so in the upcoming years! This would flourish upcoming jobs in India. 

For high school students who have been keen in this field can always gear up for the best by mastering in Math, followed by a technical stream and can dedicate their time to learning the basics of Data Science. 

 Let us start with a brief “must-have” skills and knowledge that you would require to begin your journey with Data Science –

• Ace up your Math skills. Keeping your statistics game strong can work wonders if you want to bear good results in this field because it serves as the backbone for data science. A crash course on the same would help you on this journey. Other areas where you should be confident are Algebra, Linear Algebra, Probability, Optimization, and Calculus.
• Keeping up with the knowledge of programming and tools like Scala, Python, R, Apache Spark, Hadoop, SPSS and SQL. 

Note: Having a technical background from Computer Science can be a blessing but not having that back up does not make you any less capable. Similarly having previous knowledge of algebra and calculus can be helpful but not necessary.

• Visualization tools namely BI, Tableau and Microsoft power should be known.
• Another important part involving the prerequisites include the fundamentals of machine learning algorithms.
• Effective communication and analytical skills.

Once you are done with the above key skills, you can go forward with the follow-up as mentioned below:

• Connect with people associated to Data Science
• Join communities and groups that publish blogs on data science
• Get your hands-on courses and assignments and start your working on them
• Use platforms like Kaggle, HackerEarth, etc.

to work on projects or assignments and you can use them later as your portfolio to demonstrate your work as the proof to companies for hiring. 

Once you are done with the practice and research work, then comes the real drill. 

Taking up the finest courses amongst the ones mentioned below should be accompanied by thorough research and knowledge of the above tricks and skills so that you can enter the forum of the topmost data science tutorials with your head held high with brilliance! 

Remember, nobody would want to waste their time and money when they are not prepared with full conviction.

Below Are The Best Online Courses To Choose From To Excel In Data Science:

Most of these courses are free to learn. However, some of the courses listed below may charge you a certain course fee at the end of its completion if you request for a certificate.

Below are some free courses for Data Scientists:

•   Become A Data Scientist From Dataquest

 Offering paths like data engineer, data analyst and data scientist you can get a basic grab of data science without spending a penny. Most of the courses and study materials can be accessed for free and some of the premium courses can be paid.

 Dataquest is not affiliated to any university and provides online training independently unlike others.

•   Data Science Fundamentals From IBM

 IBM’s Cognitive Class portal allows an overall 20 hours free online course of programming in R, methodology, data science 101, hands-on application and open source tools. This portal was previously known as Big Data University.

•   Data Science Essentials From edX

This involves the courses of Professional Program Certificate in Data Science offered by Microsoft which uses the Microsoft Azure Framework covering the subjects of probability, statistics, introduction to machine learning and data exploration. This course can be also done separately via edX for free but you have to pay an extra amount for the official certification ($90).

•   Data-Driven Decision Making From Coursera

 PwC provides this course teaching students to use the best tools for analyzing data and solving problems. Focusing more on the business application rather than the theory, this course can be concluded within four weeks followed by a task for you to solve in a business atmosphere. 

•   Data Science Specialization From Coursera

 This consists of 10 courses in the following topics:

1. Cluster Analysis
2. Statistical programming in R
3. Practical applications of machine learning
4. Natural language processing

This is provided through John Hopkins University which requires a certain course fee for those who can afford it and for the ones who cannot, it is waived. This course ends with students being able to produce a data product that solves. This course gives an insight into the mathematics portion which needs to be aced by a fresher aiming for data science.  

•   Learning From Data By California Institute Of Technology

 This course gives you a real tuition feeling by prepping you up via video lectures and providing assignments and then finally followed by an exam.

•   Intro To Machine Learning By Udacity

 Practical Applications on machine learning is a very essential concept apart from the complete theory and overview of the topic. The trick to choose the befitting algorithm for a chosen problem and introduction to data sources is best known to be provided by the nano degree course of Udemy. 

Are there more?

Yes, of course!

Here are some more similar courses:

• Deep Learning Certification

 - Deeplearning.ai

Term: Self-paced

• Machine Learning Certification 

 - Stanford University (Coursera) 

 Term: 55 hours

• Data Science Certification

 - Harvard University (edX)

Term: 2-8 weeks per course/ 2-4 hours per course

• Professional Certificate in Applied Data Science

 -Dartmouth College

 Term: 6 months

• Data Science Specialization

 - John Hopkins University (Coursera)

Term: Self-paced

• Applied Data Science with Python Specialization 

 - University of Michigan (Coursera)

Term: Self-paced

• Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp

 - Udemy

Term: Self-paced

The Final Drill

It’s exciting to note that you could boost your CV by educating yourself about complex data and operations without crushing your minds with immense coding. This makes you capable of automating many technical tasks, thus simplifying the job. If you can master the qualities mentioned, you can be a valuable asset for any organization. 

When you are confident and have mastered the concepts of Data Science, you need to utilize the certificates and experience in your hiring process to start your dream career as a data scientist. 

Are All Courses The Same?

Not really. Various platforms such as edX, Coursera, and Metis have instructors directly from esteemed universities teaching, sharing their experiences, which is also followed by certificates on the conclusion of the course. On the other hand, Udemy and other similar platforms do not offer such certificates which makes Udemy a bit unfit to be the basic reference material.

Closure

The job of a data scientist is to make value out of data and is responsible to automate processes in a company. The ultimate way to conquer this is to enjoy what you are learning and playing with data so that the motive last for the passion and not just profession.

The good news is that there are about 97,000 Data Analytics positions vacant in India, according to The Hindu. Way to go!

Bonus!

Here are some of the top hiring companies in India for Data Scientist:

1. Hewlett Packard (HP), India
2. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
3. Flipkart
4. Wipro Technologies
5. Samsung R&D India