TOPIC: Questions about Coding/Programmer bootcamps

Hello All,

I am looking at a possible transition in careers and was considering taking a coding boot camp for data science. Right now I am considering coding temple as they are online and the course is relatively fast paced it seems. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions regarding coding boot camps, or knew of boot camps that are reputable since I am just looking at them.

For those curious about my current ability here are some of my more significant projects:
Python - Pulled web data to analyze various stocks using moving averages
Visual Basic - Auto filled a report(Microsoft word) based on user inputs by referencing bookmarks through document
Javascript (8 years ago) - Image analyst script to reduce noise in images obtained from an electron microscrope

I look forward to any advice that can be offered.

Thank you

If languages are your thing...python and R for Data. And Coursera for the coursework on data intelligence

If consulting and solutioning is your thing...the big money is in technology solutions like salesforce and Pega. Personally I lean to Pega. Thunderhead for Salesforce is your training ground. Academy.Pega.com is for Pega. Both are low-code platforms and the money in those techs are big. Both have a strong presence available for data science practitioners

Depending on what kind of company you want to work for I'd also look into SAS. A lot of huge corporations use SAS for their data analytics and data science work. It's expensive, so it's not as popular among smaller companies, but it's reliable and plays well with large data sets.

Be sure you're really good at VBA/Excel/Access. I've got a decade of data analytics experience, I'm 9 credits away from finsihing my Master's degree. I'm a Senior Analyst at a billion dollar company. I've done advanced modeling, predictive analytics, database creation/administration, all kinds of stuff. The things that make executives and my non-data coworkers most treat me like a wizard are when I build something snazzy in Excel or do some basic VBA automation in Access.

There are many different avenues to go. Web programming, phone apps, database code, scripting (pearl, python, etc). The problem will be getting the first job. The people choosing candidates typically know very little about programming and will lean on specific credentials. Whatever course you take, you want to be able to pass a test for a certificate. SQL/Oracle offer different certificate tests. Web programming certs depend on specific programming apps, like Front Page or others. Short of a comp sci degree, that's what you will need to get in the door. Things like DBA/Excel/Access code capabilities are highly sought after, once you are already employed. Very few companies look for some with those specific talents. Managers like easy to read data filled charts, HR people like established certifications.

Another alternative would be VMWare operational certifications. That has multiple levels and people who can run and manage virtual environments are very popular right now.

I hope you are successful. Good luck!

Cranston wrote:
Another alternative would be VMWare operational certifications. That has multiple levels and people who can run and manage virtual environments are very popular right now.

I hope you are successful. Good luck!

I worked with a guy who did just this (not with vmware but other software). He talked to recruiters and found specific software applications that were in demand and then took corporate training on those. He got certifications and on the preferred vendor lists.

Carved out a good career. When those skills became less in demand, he retained on whatever the new hot technology was. You could do worse than be skilled in fairly obscure software packages.

If you want to do a bootcamp, I'd caution against doing strictly online training and look for something in person. It's a lot of money and this is still a heavily relationship based business. It's a lot easier to connect with people in person. Given the current disease situation, this might not be realistic however.

I taught nucamp bootcamps for awhile but it's to condensed to get actual skills.

Sorry for the late response. I'm not really active on the forum, but my spouse is and he pointed me to your post!

I'm a data scientist in the e-commerce/marketing space (not Amazon), and I came from an academic background which is where I learned stats and R. I managed to get in the field without Python, but most of my work is more stats-focused so R in honestly the better tool for me.

I've been involved in a few hires for data science internships/entry-level data analyst positions. For these we've had luck with graduates from data science bootcamps, specifically Metis and the Flatiron School since we're NYC-based. So, I'd say those are two that I'd consider to be reasonably reputable. That said, to be honest, I don't think I'd hire a full-blown data scientist directly from a bootcamp unless they either had some appreciable experience beforehand or afterward, like a background in computer science, a PhD in a statistically-rigorous discipline, or industry experience in analytics. The field is still kind of a wild west right now so your mileage may vary, but I wouldn't expect to come out of a bootcamp making six figures.

In my somewhat limited experience, the industry is currently pretty glutted with entry-level applicants which makes it tricky (but not impossible) to stand out. If I were starting out from scratch in analytics/data science, these are the things I'd consider the be the bare minimum qualifications to get your resume looked at for an entry-level role, and beyond are the things that make someone stand out.

Bare minimum:

• Proficiency with SQL.
• Proficiency with R or Python (some places are Python-only).
• Projects and/or previous experience that are described coherently/succinctly on resume (these can be things that you do in the context of a bootcamp).

Stands out:

• A thoughtful GitHub repo with polished projects that have a clear motivation/takeaway.
• Actual real-world experience (prior internships, academic experience, etc.).
• Experience with business intelligence software like Tableau, Looker, or PowerBI.
• Experience with other tools specific to the role. For my company that might be Google Analytics or dbt (data build tool), others have mentioned how VBA/SAS/Salesforce are useful in their companies.
• Excellent communication skills, as demonstrated via resume/cover letter/project descriptions.

Beyond that, it's kind of hard to give super specific advice without knowledge of your background, but I think that finding a niche to occupy can be a good strategy, whether you pursue that alongside or independent of data science education. Another emerging field it might be worthwhile to look into is analytics engineering, which the creators of dbt write about here: blog.getdbt.com/what-is-an-analytics-engineer/ . It's a lot less sexy than data science, but there aren't as many folks clamoring to make the really immaculate data sets that underlies all really great analytics work.

Overall I think data science skills are still very much in-demand but a bootcamp alone may or may not be sufficient to get your foot in the door depending on your background/prior experience.