Yes, you heard it right! You can be a self-taught Data Scientist and even become a professional with time. However, to be It is an easy task to be so well at this field and it takes time, effort, and of course, patience to reach the ultimate goal.
Is the term Data Science new to you? Or you don’t know who a Data Scientist is? Give a read to our article on Data Science, Which will give you a brief introduction.
Here are some steps/tips that can help you to become a self-taught Data Scientist even if you are an absolute beginner.
1. Self-Studying:
With the abundance of resources with us online, it has become way easier to start learning about a new field and become an expert in it by self-studying, and when it comes to the Fields of the future, you may run out o time but will never run out of resources. Like starting a new grade at school you require some books and resources, the same way, to start with data science, one should start with, but not limited to the following:
- Practical Statistics for Data Scientists
- Python Data Science Handbook
- Introduction to Machine Learning with Python
- Python for Data Analysis
2. Python or R:
As the fields are expanding, the number of languages is also appending the list. As most of the businesses, meetings, blogs are written in English, Spanish, and Chinese; Python and R, are two of the most used Languages by Data scientists. As knowledge is of no use with the absence of communication skills, your Data Science understanding is of no value if you cannot code it down properly, or understand the related language. The best way to write and understand the codes in Python and R is to learn and practice these languages well. You may start by referring to:
Books:
Online Courses:
YouTube Channels:
3. Upskill Through Relevant Certifications
Apart from learning Data Science through various ways, you should also have some relevant certifications that can show your work and your dedication towards Data Science. There are many online certifications available freely and paid both that can be really helpful if you want to get an entry-level job related to Data Science.
1. Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate:
This specialization contains Eight (8) courses that are all introductory ones. Even if you do not know anything about Data Science, you can start your journey with this certificate. The Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate Course is given here.
2. IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate:
This IBM certification will be your guide to become a Data Analyst with a proper understanding of different techniques and practical implementation with hands-on projects and assignments. IBM Data Analyst Professional Certificate is given here.
4. Apply Your Data Science Skills:
Once you are familiar with Data Science and Machine Learning algorithms like Linear Regression, Logistic Regression, and Decision Tress, then you should start applying your skills to relevant projects or competitions. There are many platforms where you can practice your data science skills but the most popular platform is “Kaggle”. Kaggle is the only platform that is used by almost every data scientist because it has a large community with many different competitions and projects with various difficulties. Either you are a beginner or a master this platform is best for you. You can compete with the best Data Scientists in the world there and can also win prizes if you solved the given problem with the highest accuracy.
Tutorial Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJBOMWpLpTQ&list=PLqFaTIg4myu8gbDh6oBl7XRYNBlthpDEW
These are some of the steps/tips that you can follow to kickstart your Data Science journey. Although a university degree is a great accomplishment, self-taught aspirants can rejoice as this is not enough to land a good data science job.
