Course Complete:
Introduction to Python for Data Science
The next course in the Microsoft Data Science Certificate program is Introduction to Python for Data Science, powered by Microsoft via edX and co-hosted by Data Camp.
It’s through this program that I discovered Data Camp, which is an online educational resource dedicated to teaching data science using R and python.
I finished the 6-modules of tutorials in about 6 hours, followed by the online exam, which took about 1-hour.
The course format is comparable to other leading online resources, such as TreeHouse and CodeSchool. We have a short video tutorial, followed by a quiz, and then some hands-on coding done via web-based IDE. This method of learning is comfortable and suitable for covering basic principles. Much of the learning is spoon-fed.
This course is somewhat valuable. It’s best for anyone just starting out or completely unfamiliar with python.
The most valuable modules are those covering numpy for arrays, matplotlib for visualization techniques, and pandas. These are truly beginner’s level courses and require a great deal more work for any developer to implement something meaningful.
I recommend this to anyone who is unfamiliar with python but has some experience with a scripting language, such as ruby or javascript, and wants to get into data science with python.
Keep your expectations low. While it is a smooth course and easy to take, it covers only the most basic techniques.
