Learning path for Data Science

Hi! I am Neelam.I have worked as a GIS Analyst with one of the leading companies in mapping.This is my first post on Medium and to be honest my first article on any website.I am still trying to figure things out about medium,but I think this is the right platform to start writing posts.
Lately,a lot of people have been asking me for guidance and study material to start learning Data Science from scratch.So,I have decided to write a post and share my learning path.Remember that it does not have to be your path as well,you might find much more interesting things and much more better ways to learn.
Warning! I am not an expert,but I can provide little guidance to those people who are completely new to data science and want to learn data science for free.Yes! You can learn data science for free,all you need is an internet connection and a computer.
so, here we go!
1. R or Python
This is one big question you’ll face as a newbie.R and python are open-source programming languages.But which one to choose? Both have their own strengths and weaknesses.I went through couple of videos on Youtube and decided to go for Python.Python is easy to learn and read.I had studied Java,so I found python really easy to understand. W3resources and W3school are great places to learn python.And of course,if you find something difficult to understand,you can google it up and clear your concept from some other website or video.
2.Where to start studying?
There are so many online courses available for studying data science.You’ll get confused which one to choose.I checked Coursera,edx and udacity for MOOCs. I personally found Python for data science course on edx useful. It gives you perfect introduction to data science.In this course you’ll learn Basics of python,numpy,pandas,data visualization using matplotlib and introduction to Machine learning.
You can also opt for Micromasters program offered by University of San Diego.It covers everything that you need as a beginner. Andrew ng course on Coursera is good, but beginners might find few concepts bit difficult to understand.
5.Books
Online videos for Machine learning are good,but having a book that covers various topics is great. I used Hands-on machine learning with scikit-learn and tensorflow,you can download pdf version here. You’ll find many books for Machine learning online. Choose the one you find easy to understand.
3.Practice,practice and practice!
Yes!This is the most important part while learning.While watching videos we feel like we have learnt a lot but trust me, if you don’t practice,you’ll forget whatever you have learnt. Through practice we understand our mistakes and we learn.Create short notes to refer in future. Practice end to end projects.You’ll find datasets and projects to practice on Kaggle,github and kdnuggets.
4.Use networking platforms
Use platforms like linkedIn to connect with people with similar interests.They share a lot in order to give back to the community(I’m learning to do the same).You’ll also understand what is important and what is not.What is outdated and what is being used.It helps in keeping your knowledge updated.
This is how I am learning Data science. Of course this learning process includes so much more.you’ll have to learn the skill to google things,read as much as you can and practice.
Let me know how you studied data science. If you have found a better way to learn, do share it.Consider this post as an article from newbie writer and data science learner to all the beginners.
Happy learning! :)
