Prepare Yourselves…

4 weeks into the Data Science Immersive, I realized how well I prepared myself for this class… Yes, it was sarcasm.

Coming from statistics background, I thought the simplest part in the course was going to be the understanding part. I THOUGHT. These different distributions, different algorithms, different ways of doing stats, different libraries got me overwhelmed as soon as the lessons were taken in place. Luckily, the concepts of the probability are sort of coming back to me but fully understanding the concept just feels like a balloon about to pop.

So how should I have prepared myself for this course?

Research

Do your research.

Thanks but no thanks to COVID-19, I was able to do some research and studying on my own before classes started. Knowing the interest I have in statistics and what I am good at, I was able to choose Data Science as my path.

Do your research and know what you are getting yourself into. Don’t just jump in without any preparation thinking just by being in class your life will change. It might but it might not, too. Go look into some different blogs about data science bootcamps, just like this one. Check if you have time and resources for this. Time will not wait for you and this class will go on whether you are behind or not.

Goal

What is my goal? I want to work at a place where my work can benefit or bring joy to others. I personally don’t like to work at financial companies; it is just not in my interest. Some places I am currently looking into include but not limited to hospitals, non-profit organizations, gaming companies, and app-development.

So ask yourself. What is your goal? Data Science covers a whole new variety of work field. I am still figuring out more about this in my outcomes classes. Even if you think you already know what you want to do with your knowledge, look into different companies and organizations to see if it intrigues your interest. Just like many of us do in college, what we thought we wanted in the beginning might change later.

Now you have your goal set. What’s next?

Prepare YOURSELF

This is just to scare you a tiny bit. Just enough nervousness can bring out the best of you. That’s exactly what you need. No bootcamp classes are going to be “ez pz lemonsqueezy”. It will push you down, you will constantly fall, and you’ll see crazy amounts of errors. Prepare yourself to be let down a lot but do not forget that you are not the only one. All of us as a data scientist are in this together. How can we possibly succeed without knowing how dirt tastes like…

I am 100% comfortable with the ground now. I fell so many times using Python, it almost feels like at home. Yet, it will not stop me. This will not stop my fellow classmates. Why? Because we know falling will only help us improve. Jeff and Jacob as well as our assistant instructors (Jobeth, Sarah, and Bibor) do such great job helping us with everything we need. They are there to give us a hand at anytime we fall. I am very lucky to have them and they are just great people, too.

Don’t be afraid. It’s not too bad (secretly crying everyday after class). Just expect and accept it.

Plan Your Week

Am I a procrastinator? yes.

That being said… Plan your days out in a week. I cannot reiterate enough how important time management is. Just like in high school, college, and even work, this class requires you to be thorough. I started class thinking I can probably find time to do class work here and there; I was very wrong.

Every Sunday nights, I plan my weekdays out. Figuring out which days you will review the materials and which days you’ll be working on the labs can help you push yourself to your upmost potential.

Ask Questions

I totally expected this class to be in full speed. Like 0–60 in 6 secs fast. Little did I know that the class is actually 0–120 in 6 secs. I remember in our first week, our lead instructors said that the class will move fast.

Just a personal thing, I hate speaking up in front of people. The anxiety kicks in, I start sweating, and I even start mumbling my words; but for me to grasp onto the topics I couldn’t just sit hear and only listen. If you were one of those kids in school who couldn’t raise your hands to ask questions (me) in front of the class, I recommend stepping up a bit. The instructors do have office hours and flex time to ask questions so don’t worry! But ask in class, maybe someone else might have had the same question. Don’t be embarrassed. There is no such thing as a stupid question.

So…

Just to wrap things up a bit, follow the scientific method. Ask yourself if this is really for you. Do some research. Construct a hypothesis on your research. Experiment your knowledge by watching some YouTube videos and introduction lectures online. Then finally conclude.

Data Science Bootcamp is super intense. If this is for you, welcome aboard! I can’t promise that everything we do is fun but I can promise you that you will learn loads and loads of information. “Adapt, React, Readapt, Act” — Michael Scott. Go have fun and make sure that you know that our failings will later on become our trophies for success.