Data science continues to be in high demand, but getting the necessary training can be complicated for many professionals. There are many data science course, MOOCs, and other resources available, but they often assume a certain level of technical knowledge or focus on a specific area like statistics or machine learning. Which resource should you use? The answer will depend on your specific data science needs. Are you looking to get a general overview of data science concepts to understand the field better? Or do you want to focus your studies on statistics or machine learning? The following sections detail some of the best resources for different types of learners interested in exploring data science further.
A Brief Introduction to Data Science
Data science is a multidisciplinary field focused on the discovery and application of insights from raw data. It involves a wide variety of topics, ranging from statistics and machine learning to operations research, data visualization, business process modeling, and more. Data scientists might work in a variety of industries, like finance, healthcare, government, or education. They are responsible for extracting meaning from raw data, which can be both structured and unstructured. The insights gleaned from data can then be used to inform business decisions or discover new knowledge in other fields like science or engineering. Some common data science applications include fraud detection, marketing analysis, risk assessment, discovering relationships between factors, and more. Data scientists use computing tools like big data frameworks, machine learning algorithms, and visualization tools to help them make discoveries from data.
Conclusion
There are many data science resources available online, ranging from free MOOCs to expensive online courses. Which resource is right for you will depend on your specific data science needs. If you’re interested in learning more about data science and its applications, an introductory course with focus on big data and data visualization would be a good place to start. If you have a statistics background and want to learn more about machine learning, a MOOC focused on those topics would be a helpful resource. Beginners can explore a variety of topics and find the areas of data science that interest them most. More experienced students can choose a specific course that focuses on their areas of expertise.
