Enter Analytics: From Boot Camp to working in Data Science
By: Eric Kleppen
Tags: Analytics, Self Improvement, Data, Data Science, Education

Criticisms of the Boot Camp

We covered a lot in a short amount of time… almost too many topics, actually. Just when you start getting comfortable and ready to do more advanced things, they change the topic. It is really up to you to decide what direction you want to take things outside of the classroom. For example, I am focused on python the most because I wanted to get into data science.

I do wish there was a larger focus on analytics in the class. Although we learned some basic statistics and fundamental analysis techniques, there was a large chunk of class devoted to web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I understand putting it in there so we can learn to code interactive dashboards and web pages to show off our projects, but it ended up taking a third of the class. I didn’t mind it because I work at a web-based software development company, so understanding JavaScript was applicable to my job, but others in the class found little value learning HTML and CSS. Another reason they cover basic web design is to make it easier to segue into web-scraping.

The coursework focused more on visualizing data than analyzing it, which might be great if that is what you want to learn. I was hoping to get more feedback on my assignments so I could gauge how I did with my analysis. The only stats we covered were things like Gaussian distributions, standard deviation, ANOVA, Chi-square, student-t, hypothesis testing, and a few other stats functions that I can’t remember from the SciPy Python library.

If you have no coding or comp-sci experience, I recommend checking out some online resources first to get a bit of knowledge because the course is really fast paced. Beyond Excel, VBA, Python and JavaScript, the course also touches on SQL, R, tableau, machine learning, and big data. I left the boot camp having exposure to all kinds of languages, but it just isn’t possible to remember them all because we only cover them briefly. I had to supplement the class room learning with additional online courses to get a deeper understanding of the languages.

Life After Boot Camp

After boot camp, I felt like I accomplished a lot and was able to develop a foundation of coding skills. It opened the door for me to advanced my career. A couple months after completing my certification, I landed a job as a Software Product Analyst on the Data Science team at my employer. Now I get a chance to work with experienced data scientists, software engineers, data engineers and data analysts. I developed a passion for coding and an enthusiasm for data science. Beyond the coding and career development, I made some new friends in the boot camp who I still hope to see from time to time. The boot camp changed my life for the better because I busted my ass and kept a positive attitude even though I had to sacrifice a lot of time and dedicate myself to learning something new.

My last day before starting my new career post boot camp

Final Thoughts

Boot camps aren’t for everyone, and if you’re thinking about taking one, make sure to research what the course offers. If you think you’re up for doing the work, they can definitely change your life and start you on a new path. The boot camp worked for me, but I already knew SQL and already had a passion for data. If you’re on the fence, check out all of the free MOOCs or online content that can help you decide if the topics are right for you.

Check out my github if you’re interested in seeing some of the assignments and projects I completed in the boot camp.

https://github.com/bendgame?tab=repositories