7 free learning resources to land top data science jobs

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Data science is an exciting and rapidly growing field that involves extracting insights and knowledge from data. To land a top data science job, it is important to have a solid foundation in key data science skills, including programming, statistics, data manipulation and machine learning.

Fortunately, there are many free online learning resources available that can help you develop these skills and prepare for a career in data science. These resources include online learning platforms such as Coursera, edX and DataCamp, which offer a wide range of courses in data science and related fields.

Coursera

Data science and related subjects are covered in a variety of courses on the online learning platform Coursera. These courses frequently involve subjects such as machine learning, data analysis and statistics and are instructed by academics from prestigious universities.

Here are some examples of data science courses on Coursera:

  • Applied Data Science with Python Specialization: This specialization, offered by the University of Michigan, consists of five courses that cover the basics of data manipulation, analysis and visualization using Python.
  • Machine Learning by Andrew Ng: This course, offered by Stanford University, provides an introduction to machine learning, including topics such as linear regression, logistic regression, neural networks and clustering.
  • Data Science Methodology: This course, offered by IBM, covers the basics of data science, including data preparation, data cleaning and data exploration.
  • Statistics with R Specialization: This specialization, offered by Duke University, consists of four courses that cover statistical inference, regression modeling and machine learning using the R programming language.

One can apply for financial aid to earn these certifications for free. However, doing a course just for certification may not land a dream job in data science.

Kaggle

Kaggle is a platform for data science competitions that provides a wealth of resources for learning and practicing data science skills. One can refine their skills in data analysis, machine learning and other branches of data science by participating in the platform’s challenges and host of datasets.

Here are some examples of free courses available on Kaggle:

  • Python: This course covers the basics of Python programming, including data types, control structures, functions and modules.
  • Pandas: This course covers the basics of data manipulation using Pandas, including data cleaning, data merging and data reshaping.
  • Data Visualization: This course covers the basics of data visualization using Matplotlib and Seaborn, including scatter plots, line plots and bar plots.
  • Intro to Machine Learning: This course covers the basics of machine learning, including classification, regression and clustering.
  • Intermediate Machine Learning: This course covers more advanced topics in machine learning, including feature engineering, model selection and hyperparameter tuning.
  • SQL: This course covers the basics of SQL, including data querying, data filtering and data aggregation.
  • Deep Learning: This course covers the basics of deep learning, including neural networks, convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural networks.

Related: 9 data science project ideas for beginners

edX

EdX is another online learning platform that offers courses in data science and related fields. Many of the courses on edX are taught by professors from top universities, and the platform offers both free and paid options for learning.

Some of the free courses on data science available on edX include:

  • Data Science Essentials: This course, offered by Microsoft, covers the basics of data science, including data exploration, data preparation and data visualization. It also covers key topics in machine learning, such as regression, classification and clustering.
  • Introduction to Python for Data Science: This course, offered by Microsoft, covers the basics of Python programming, including data types, control structures, functions and modules. It also covers key data science libraries in Python, such as Pandas, NumPy and Matplotlib.
  • Introduction to R for Data Science: This course, offered by Microsoft, covers the basics of R programming, including data types, control structures, functions and packages. It also covers key data science libraries in R, such as dplyr, ggplot2 and tidyr.

All of these courses are free to audit, meaning that you can access all the course materials and lectures without paying a fee. Nevertheless, there will be a cost if you wish to access further course features or receive a certificate of completion. A comprehensive selection of paid courses and programs in data science, machine learning and related topics are also available on edX in addition to these courses.

DataCamp

DataCamp is an online learning platform that offers courses in data science, machine learning and other related fields. The platform offers interactive coding challenges and projects that can help you build real-world skills in data science.

The following courses are available for free on DataCamp:

  • Introduction to Python: This course covers the basics of Python programming, including data types, control structures, functions and modules.
  • Introduction to R: This course covers the basics of R programming, including data types, control structures, functions and packages.
  • Introduction to SQL: This course covers the basics of SQL, including data querying, data filtering and data aggregation.
  • Data Manipulation with Pandas: This course covers the basics of data manipulation using Pandas, including data cleaning, data merging and data reshaping.
  • Importing Data in Python: This course covers the basics of importing data into Python, including reading files, connecting to databases and working with web APIs.

All of these courses are free and can be accessed through DataCamp’s online learning platform. In addition to these courses, DataCamp also offers a wide range of paid courses and projects that cover topics such as data visualization, machine learning and data engineering.

Udacity

Udacity is an online learning platform that offers courses in data science, machine learning and other related fields. The platform offers both free and paid courses, and many of the courses are taught by industry professionals.

Here are some examples of free courses on data science available on Udacity:

  • Introduction to Python Programming: This course covers the basics of Python programming, including data types, control structures, functions and modules. It also covers key data science libraries in Python, such as NumPy and Pandas.
  • SQL for Data Analysis: This course covers the basics of SQL, including data querying, data filtering and data aggregation. It also covers more advanced topics in SQL, such as joins and subqueries.
  • Intro to Data Science: This course covers the basics of data science, including data wrangling, exploratory data analysis and statistical inference. It also covers key machine-learning techniques, such as regression, classification and clustering.

Related: 5 high-paying careers in data science

MIT OpenCourseWare

MIT OpenCourseWare is an online repository of course materials from courses taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The platform offers a variety of courses in data science and related fields, and all of the materials are available for free.

Here are some of the free courses on data science available on MIT OpenCourseWare:

  1. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python: This course covers the basics of Python programming, including data types, control structures, functions and modules. It also covers key data science libraries in Python, such as NumPy, Pandas and Matplotlib.
  2. Introduction to Probability and Statistics: This course covers the basics of probability theory and statistical inference, including probability distributions, hypothesis testing and confidence intervals.
  3. Machine Learning with Large Datasets: This course covers the basics of machine learning, including linear regression, logistic regression and k-means clustering. It also covers techniques for working with large data sets, such as map-reduce and Hadoop.

GitHub

GitHub is a platform for sharing and collaborating on code, and it can be a valuable resource for learning data science skills. However, GitHub itself does not offer free courses. Instead, one can explore the many open-source data science projects that are hosted on GitHub to find out more about how data science is used in practical situations.

Scikit-learn is a popular Python library for machine learning, which provides a range of algorithms for tasks such as classification, regression and clustering, along with tools for data preprocessing, model selection and evaluation. The project is open-source and available on GitHub.

Jupyter is an open-source web application for creating and sharing interactive notebooks. Jupyter notebooks provide a way to combine code, text and multimedia content in a single document, making it easy to explore and communicate data science results. 

These are just a few examples of the many open-source data science projects available on GitHub. By exploring these projects and contributing to them, one can gain valuable experience with data science tools and techniques, while also building their portfolio and demonstrating their skills to potential employers.

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