Data Science Courses/Degress/Work

Shaneee

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Hi Shane,

Apologies, but I prefer talking on this forum so that other people may benefit from our discussion. The stuff you raised are actually commonly asked questions that I get a lot in my DMs.

1) It really depends on your ability to operate under stress and your commitments. If you are not attached, and function well under pressure then I think it is more beneficial to do it part-time. This is because whilst you are upgrading yourself, you are still clocking "work-experience" which will help you in your next job. Personally, i'd go for the part-time version. However, as you pointed out, you don't really get TA support which can be challenging. This is especially so because this program is definitely challenging. I heard some of Heicoders Academy's instructor are undergoing/have taken this program, maybe you can ask them more about it. And if you are on good terms with them, perhaps they might share their personal note with you.

2) I am not sure what you mean by best. But I would say in terms of reputation and price, they are definitely one of my top choice. Other than the Ivy league + Stanford/MIT/Berkley, this is really the next most prestigious school. In fact, their CS department is even better than some of the Ivys such as Dartmorth College. As for CS vs analytics, I would personally go for the CS one with Artificial Intelligence specialisation. This gives more career option given that you can be a software developer/data scientist. Plus this program is slightly cheaper. But from what I know is that this program is harder.

3) Mmm, I used to major in cybersecurity, but I gave that up as it was too boring. Cybersecurity is decent in Singapore, gaining traction I think. But is it as sexy as data science? Well definitely not as of now. There are pros and cons to cybersecurity. Right now, all the best talents in SG are heading into software development and data science, so comparatively speaking cybersecurity is less competitive, and you have more opportunities to shine. But then again, because of this, your mentors in cybersecurity are likely to pale in comparison to the data science/cybersecurity counterparts.

Personally I would pick whichever area interests me more, because you are going to do it for at least a decade, and its too painful if you have no interest in it. For me cybersecurity is very operational/reactive in nature, and so you have not as much control over your schedule. And your nature of work is more of "fixing problems that already happen" instead of "creative work" like in software development and data science.
Thanks for your input! Sure no problem we can have discussion here to share with the rest!

I will take note of the CS with AI specialisation for Gatech. I have seen you recommending Gatech but people thought that u were referring to Analytic master degree. I searched up there are 4 specialisation,
which is the one you refer to?

What about Gatech Cybersecurity master?
Im still keen on both routes, probably the deciding factor is where I will land next in terms of job and opportunity. As of now, I am inclined towards data sci.

I saw there are some programmes such as TFIP that help newcomers to enter IT industry. Are u aware of such programs and which one would you recommend?
 
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DataScience

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Thanks for your input! Sure no problem we can have discussion here to share with the rest!

I will take note of the CS with AI specialisation for Gatech. I have seen you recommending Gatech but people thought that u were referring to Analytic master degree. I searched up there are 4 specialisation,
which is the one you refer to?

What about Gatech Cybersecurity master?
Im still keen on both routes, probably the deciding factor is where I will land next in terms of job and opportunity. As of now, I am inclined towards data sci.

I saw there are some programmes such as TFIP that help newcomers to enter IT industry. Are u aware of such programs and which one would you recommend?

Ah apologies if I am not clear. Gatech has 2 master's degree:
- Online master's of CS (OMSCS)
- Online master's of analytics (more suited for those who have technical background previously, and are certain they want to be data scientist)

And for you, I am recommending the OMCSC (machine learning). Well, Gatech isn't really known for cybersecurity, so I wouldn't really take that up.

As for TFIP yes I am aware of this program, and I have been recommending those who are keen to apply for TFIP to join Heicoders Academy because they have some prep program for this. But given your engineering background, I suspect you don't even have to undergo TFIP to do a career switch. TFIP is actually designed for people who are in industries with far less relevance, for example social sciences. That said, you can still apply for it and then make a delayed decision later on (in fact it is wiser that way), but I think the application closes in August.
 

jonnn123

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Hi all,

I'm looking at a career change and would like to embark on this field. Only issue is on how to initiate the first move...
managed to chanced upon this course provided by NYP but it seems like courses by polys are not recommended? (Specialist Diploma in Business & Big Data Analytics)

or should i enroll on a online course to build up on the fundamentals first, before deciding on what courses to supplement only then on?

Thanks in advance.
 

Shaneee

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What is the difference between data scientist, data analyst and data engineer?

digitalsenior.sg/data-science-courses-singapore

From the website, it recommended other universities other than Gatech. What are the differences too?
 

DataScience

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Hi all,

I'm looking at a career change and would like to embark on this field. Only issue is on how to initiate the first move...
managed to chanced upon this course provided by NYP but it seems like courses by polys are not recommended? (Specialist Diploma in Business & Big Data Analytics)

or should i enroll on a online course to build up on the fundamentals first, before deciding on what courses to supplement only then on?

Thanks in advance.
Please don't waste your money on courses conducted by Polys. They really do not have the right mix of faculties to create industry relevant curriculum, nor teach the subject.

If you want a cheaper way of learning + assessing suitability:
1) Heicoders Academy AI100 & AI200
2) Courses on Coursera
 

DataScience

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What is the difference between data scientist, data analyst and data engineer?

digitalsenior.sg/data-science-courses-singapore

From the website, it recommended other universities other than Gatech. What are the differences too?
Data engineer builds the data infrastructure and pipeline. They build the data warehouse to store the data, and writes the codes to extract data from the database in the most efficient manner.

Data Analyst typically focus on higher level stuff like visualisations. But in some companies data analyst do predictive analytics as well. TBH the line between data analyst and data scientists can be quite grey depending n the company

Data Scientist is kind of like the more technical version of Data Analyst. You build cutting edge predictive models to drive business value.

Gatech is the better choice amongst all 3 in terms of reputation and cost. UT Austin has a decent com science program as well, but Gatech's one is definitely better. I won't consider UIUC because of the cost, and because it's com science faculty isn't as strong as Gatech's
 

jgyy1990

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wanted to ask something here about the link below

https://aip.org.sg/caie/
Apparently Singapore came up with a chartered engineer for AI on order to access the candidate capability in AI. What do you feel about this qualification and is it worth to take it up for self improvement? I know this can be pretty much useless in the eyes of some hiring manager.
 

jgyy1990

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Please don't waste your money on courses conducted by Polys. They really do not have the right mix of faculties to create industry relevant curriculum, nor teach the subject.

If you want a cheaper way of learning + assessing suitability:
1) Heicoders Academy AI100 & AI200
2) Courses on Coursera
there is one exceptions of taking up such polytechnic programs though, SGUS which pays a person 1.2k SGD per month to learn for up to 12 months. You can take up the time to do some other learning also haha.
 

DataScience

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wanted to ask something here about the link below

https://aip.org.sg/caie/
Apparently Singapore came up with a chartered engineer for AI on order to access the candidate capability in AI. What do you feel about this qualification and is it worth to take it up for self improvement? I know this can be pretty much useless in the eyes of some hiring manager.
To be honest, this program hasn't been established long enough. So it is hard to tell whether it is useful or not.

But I would say it is more useful to spend that money learning skills rather than spending it on proving that you have the skills you say you have. But this is just my personal opinion though.
 

jgyy1990

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To be honest, this program hasn't been established long enough. So it is hard to tell whether it is useful or not.

But I would say it is more useful to spend that money learning skills rather than spending it on proving that you have the skills you say you have. But this is just my personal opinion though.
For my self learning, I am unable to follow a rigid part time course assuming it is good and affordable due to personal commitment, hence only online self paced courses are suitable for me.

Of course spending money on learning skills comes first. but once you gained the skills to some extend how to gauge your capability other than creating your own project and showing it to potential hiring manager.

if any downside to the program I quoted, it may be that the assessments are made by human and it is up to them to determine if the candidate is qualified or not. Just to be clear 10 years down the assuming this still exists, hiring manager will still not give a hoot about this qualifications. But if I can clear this technical challenge posed by this institution, I can also tackle many other company technical interview test also.
 

jonnn123

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Please don't waste your money on courses conducted by Polys. They really do not have the right mix of faculties to create industry relevant curriculum, nor teach the subject.

If you want a cheaper way of learning + assessing suitability:
1) Heicoders Academy AI100 & AI200
2) Courses on Coursera
Thanks DataScience.

I was thinking of taking up online course from either Datacamp or 365datascience to build a foundation first before going for short courses to deepen my understanding. Or are this not recommended? And i should just go ahead with your recommendations..
I did looked into Coursera but there are just too many courses to choose from.. ibm/ google etc. I was thinking of building my foundation first before committing to a structured course like Heicoders AI200.

Open to your opinions. Thanks!
 

DataScience

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Thanks DataScience.

I was thinking of taking up online course from either Datacamp or 365datascience to build a foundation first before going for short courses to deepen my understanding. Or are this not recommended? And i should just go ahead with your recommendations..
I did looked into Coursera but there are just too many courses to choose from.. ibm/ google etc. I was thinking of building my foundation first before committing to a structured course like Heicoders AI200.

Open to your opinions. Thanks!
Hi, I would actually do it the other way around. Take AI100 + AI200, and then fill the gaps with online courses.

The reason why I believe a structured approach first is better because as a beginner, you really don't know what you don't know. So it is helpful to have a structure course help you map out all the different verticals there are in the world of data science.

Thereafter, when you are done with AI100, and AI200, you will have a clear idea of what are the knowledge gaps which you might have, and then you can take the online courses to supplement. If you have a strong mathematical background, I would recommend you to take Coursera's Machine Learning by Andrew Ng, after you are done with Heicoder's course. Heicoders AI200 focus on building intuition and implementation skills of the machine learning models, whereas Andrew Ng's course focus on the math behind the model. In this way there is more synergy between what you are learning.
 

DataScience

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For my self learning, I am unable to follow a rigid part time course assuming it is good and affordable due to personal commitment, hence only online self paced courses are suitable for me.

Of course spending money on learning skills comes first. but once you gained the skills to some extend how to gauge your capability other than creating your own project and showing it to potential hiring manager.

if any downside to the program I quoted, it may be that the assessments are made by human and it is up to them to determine if the candidate is qualified or not. Just to be clear 10 years down the assuming this still exists, hiring manager will still not give a hoot about this qualifications. But if I can clear this technical challenge posed by this institution, I can also tackle many other company technical interview test also.
Haha to be honest, I won't really spend for practice on technical challenge. You can easily find many technical challenges posed by hiring companies on website like Hackerrank and Leetcode.

Additionally, what I would actually do is sign myself up for interviews/technical assessments with lower tier companies like NCS, and then use that to gain confidence and experience with technical assessments. Plus, with a confirmed offer at a lower tier company, it will also help convince the higher tier companies that you are a good talent, and you deserve a chance.
 

jonnn123

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Hi, I would actually do it the other way around. Take AI100 + AI200, and then fill the gaps with online courses.

The reason why I believe a structured approach first is better because as a beginner, you really don't know what you don't know. So it is helpful to have a structure course help you map out all the different verticals there are in the world of data science.

Thereafter, when you are done with AI100, and AI200, you will have a clear idea of what are the knowledge gaps which you might have, and then you can take the online courses to supplement. If you have a strong mathematical background, I would recommend you to take Coursera's Machine Learning by Andrew Ng, after you are done with Heicoder's course. Heicoders AI200 focus on building intuition and implementation skills of the machine learning models, whereas Andrew Ng's course focus on the math behind the model. In this way there is more synergy between what you are learning.
Thanks for the advice and the insightful information. I would go ahead with the AI100 first, and probably the AI200 thereafter. I am definitely very rusty with my mathematical theory and stuff but would look read up more on Andrew Ng's courses. Thanks a bunch for your help.
 

DataScience

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Thanks for the advice and the insightful information. I would go ahead with the AI100 first, and probably the AI200 thereafter. I am definitely very rusty with my mathematical theory and stuff but would look read up more on Andrew Ng's courses. Thanks a bunch for your help.
My pleasure!
 

Shaneee

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Hi Data Science,

Asking a question on a behalf of my friend. He got his mat&sci engineering bachelor from a local uni and managed to secure a data analyst job in an online consulting firm. He is still new to his role with no IT background but he is interested to hop into the Gatech OMS that you have recommended to get an IT cert asap but he is in dilemma between OMSCS vs OMSA. Which online master course is a safer choice for him?
 
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DataScience

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Hi Data Science,

Asking a question on a behalf of my friend. He got his mat&sci engineering bachelor from a local uni and managed to secure a data analyst job in an online consulting firm. He is still new to his role with no IT background but he is interested to hop into the Gatech OMS that you have recommended to get an IT cert asap but he is in dilemma between OMSCS vs OMSA. Which online master course is a safer choice for him?
Shane, what do you mean by safer choice?
 

jgyy1990

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58k SGD is not cheap at all unless you are sponsored. While I do spend money on courses and certifications, spending over 1k SGD on a single program is a Nono to me.
 

ChevyImpala

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I am going to say something that will probably offend a lot of people, but I think NONE of the master's degree in data science based in Singapore are worth taking at all. The curriculum is bad, the faculty are subpar, and the cost is prohibitively high.

If you are in academia, you would be aware that most master's program are just cash cow to generate cash to pay for the pHd program. Anyways, if you are at all considering master's degree, then go for Gatech or UT Austin. These programs are way cheaper, and far more recognised.

Otherwise look for short courses like Heicoders Academy or even bootcamp. Nonono to NTU, NUS, and SMU Master's in data science.

What makes the curriculum in the local universities lackluster?

Put another way, what do you think is missing from their curriculum?

(From reading through the replies above, it seems that local Master programs are too expensive and not "bang for buck"?)

Thanks for these insights!
 
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