Thank you OP for sharing your journey with us, I was really invested when reading through. Well, I'm not a data scientist, I'm a Robotics Engineer but it seems our fields are very much intertwined. Robotics is no longer about 0 and 1's, it's now about Artificial Intelligence. My journey is also full of ups and downs which I'll quickly talk about.
My programming journey only began during the university. Before then, I didnt even know what programming was. Though, I've always had this thing for computers and electronics, building simple electronics projects while I was in sec school. Well, when I finally gained admission into the university in the field of Mechatronics Engineering, I began to understand what Mechatronics is all about and the importance of programming in my field.
The very first programming I learnt was CNC mathematical programming , where I was using G-codes to program CNC machines and 3D printers. At this point, I started feeling myself but still i wasn't satisfied. I wanted to learn more about programming, then I discovered Java because I had a friend then who was very good in Java. But after a month or so, I felt Java was too difficult and I wasn't improving then i lost interest.
In my fourth year in the university, we started working with embedded systems and automation. C/C++ programming was key in this area, so I learnt C++ and how to apply it to embedded systems. I worked on several embedded systems project and I was happy with myself but I still felt like I could do more. Data Science Nigeria (DSN) visited my campus then and organized a training for Python, Machine Learning and Data Science. I took part in the training in the training where we began from the scratch in Python. Python was so easy and came naturally to me since I have theoretical knowledge of loops, lists, functions and others which we were taught as a course in Engineering during my 2nd year. Back to the training, I was very frequent for about a month,never missing a day and completing al exercises given. Then School exams began and I couldn't continue with the training because I had to prepare for examination.Months later, I've forgotten most of what I learn in python because of lack of practice but I still had knowledge of C++ because I kept working on various embedded systems project.
Once I was done with school, I felt like I needed some source of income. At first, i learnt Graphics design with (photoshop, illustrator, experience design, corel draw). Mind you, I had knowledge of CAD softwares like Pro Engineering and CATIA because of my background in Engineer. But graphics design wasn't paying well enough.
Then I decided to go into Web development, I started by learning visual web development with the use of Wordpress and Blogger. But I wanted to dive deeper. I wanted to learn how to develop websites from the scratch, so I learn HTML, CSS and the Bootstrap framework. As a frontend developer, I felt proud in myself. Then I moved into backend, learning PhP and MySQL. Then I became a competent web developer.
I still wanted to learn more, then I remembered I already had knowledge of python. I knew that python was the language of AI which was related to my field Mechatronics Engineering. So I quickly revised Pyrhon and everything I learnt came back to me. Once I became once again confident with python, I went into image processing using OpenCV. While learning this I learnt some core libraries which are numpy, pandas and matplotlib and their application in image processing. Now I'm currently learning the application of these libraries in data generation. Once I'm done, I'll be learning data visualization and analysis before finally going into AI where I'll also be learning Tensorflow.
Becoming data analyst/data scientists requires one to have very good communication, problem solving and statistical skills, the technical skills of knowing advance Excel,python, Sql, etc is just like 40% of the work needed. In fact, if I am to employ to somebody for a job of data analyst, I Will employ somebody from math background with a very strong communication and story telling skills. Yes.Everything about data analysis hinges on communication.Ability to communicate findings is what employers are looking for. In Nigeria their are more data analyst/ data scientists than software developer even though the later has more job prospects than the the former ,in Nigeria, having basic html, Css , javeScript and one of its framework like React or angular skills will get you a job as front end developer with a take home higher than that of a data analyst. What I am trying to point out is that: due high rate of unemployment in the country today more people, with just technical skills, are trying to break into the field of data analysis/ data science without knowing that this field requires more than mere knowing python, numpy,matplotlib,pandas. A little search at job opening on LinkedIn will show you that a job opening for a post of data analyst/ data scientist will always have more than 200 applicants while a post for a junior web developer with just HTML,csss,and javeScript skills always have less than 25 applicants. This shows that if you can predict bubble based on publicly available data, and the usefulness of data in Nigeria today you know that having just technical skills of python and pandas is saturated for Nigeria job market. You can easily secure a job as front end developer than a data analyst or scientist.
Disclaimer: the skills that make data analyst/scientist employable will still be useful and highly employable. The projects may change but the bubble won't burst. The field is evolving in world right now though the rate is slowing down currently around the world
Semtu: Thank you OP for sharing your journey with us, I was really invested when reading through. Well, I'm not a data scientist, I'm a Robotics Engineer but it seems our fields are very much intertwined. Robotics is no longer about 0 and 1's, it's now about Artificial Intelligence. My journey is also full of ups and downs which I'll quickly talk about.
My programming journey only began during the university. Before then, I didnt even know what programming was. Though, I've always had this thing for computers and electronics, building simple electronics projects while I was in sec school. Well, when I finally gained admission into the university in the field of Mechatronics Engineering, I began to understand what Mechatronics is all about and the importance of programming in my field.
The very first programming I learnt was CNC mathematical programming , where I was using G-codes to program CNC machines and 3D printers. At this point, I started feeling myself but still i wasn't satisfied. I wanted to learn more about programming, then I discovered Java because I had a friend then who was very good in Java. But after a month or so, I felt Java was too difficult and I wasn't improving then i lost interest.
In my fourth year in the university, we started working with embedded systems and automation. C/C++ programming was key in this area, so I learnt C++ and how to apply it to embedded systems. I worked on several embedded systems project and I was happy with myself but I still felt like I could do more. Data Science Nigeria (DSN) visited my campus then and organized a training for Python, Machine Learning and Data Science. I took part in the training in the training where we began from the scratch in Python. Python was so easy and came naturally to me since I have theoretical knowledge of loops, lists, functions and others which we were taught as a course in Engineering during my 2nd year. Back to the training, I was very frequent for about a month,never missing a day and completing al exercises given. Then School exams began and I couldn't continue with the training because I had to prepare for examination.Months later, I've forgotten most of what I learn in python because of lack of practice but I still had knowledge of C++ because I kept working on various embedded systems project.
Once I was done with school, I felt like I needed some source of income. At first, i learnt Graphics design with (photoshop, illustrator, experience design, corel draw). Mind you, I had knowledge of CAD softwares like Pro Engineering and CATIA because of my background in Engineer. But graphics design wasn't paying well enough.
Then I decided to go into Web development, I started by learning visual web development with the use of Wordpress and Blogger. But I wanted to dive deeper. I wanted to learn how to develop websites from the scratch, so I learn HTML, CSS and the Bootstrap framework. As a frontend developer, I felt proud in myself. Then I moved into backend, learning PhP and MySQL. Then I became a competent web developer.
I still wanted to learn more, then I remembered I already had knowledge of python. I knew that python was the language of AI which was related to my field Mechatronics Engineering. So I quickly revised Pyrhon and everything I learnt came back to me. Once I became once again confident with python, I went into image processing using OpenCV. While learning this I learnt some core libraries which are numpy, pandas and matplotlib and their application in image processing. Now I'm currently learning the application of these libraries in data generation. Once I'm done, I'll be learning data visualization and analysis before finally going into AI where I'll also be learning Tensorflow.
(Sorry that it's a long read)
What an interesting read! Your curious mindset has given you avenue to explore. Keep learning and applying, develop without limits and the sky will be your starting point.
I'm not the op though but I think you can ask as this is an open platform
okay thanks My first questions Goes like this:As a beginer in data science which courses am i to start and how do i get these courses online? My second question is how do i get a certificate after learning?
Juicethekid: okay thanks My first questions Goes like this:As a beginer in data science which courses am i to start and how do i get these courses online? My second question is how do i get a certificate after learning?
Everyone has their learning curve. After making some research back then, this was the roadmap I followed (and I’m still following it).
1. SQL 2. MS Excel 3. Statistics 4. Power BI 5. Python 6. Python Libraries (Pandas, Numpy etc) 7. Data Structures and Algorithms 8. Machine Learning
I’ve had no issues at all following this because some logic in the previous section also applies to the new section. Like
• SQL queries behaving similar to Excel Power Query to extract, transform and load data. Also same as Power Pivot to create joins. • Statistics gives you deeper insights and better understanding of mathematical Excel formulas and functions. Basically, you’ll start to see data in a different light here • Learning curve of PowerBI is super easy once you’ve mastered Excel. There’s no difference asides from its visual prowess, data modeling and DAX • Python is also super easy here because it has same logic as SQL. Once you’ve mastered the foundation, you’re good to go.
That’s all I can say right now because I’m just about to start with Pandas so I have no experience with the rest.
Right now, I’m currently working on a freelance job using MS Excel to pull data from different worksheets, analyzing the data and automating the insights needed with macros.
I’ve also been able to complete some small visualization datasets on Kaggle. I just study the jupyter notebooks and apply that logic inside PowerBI with Power Query (and since I already understand python, it’s not so hard).
So to end this long talk, I like where I’ve been, where I am at currently and I’m pretty sure I’ll like where I will be in 2-3 months.
Semtu: Thank you OP for sharing your journey with us, I was really invested when reading through. Well, I'm not a data scientist, I'm a Robotics Engineer but it seems our fields are very much intertwined. Robotics is no longer about 0 and 1's, it's now about Artificial Intelligence. My journey is also full of ups and downs which I'll quickly talk about.
My programming journey only began during the university. Before then, I didnt even know what programming was. Though, I've always had this thing for computers and electronics, building simple electronics projects while I was in sec school. Well, when I finally gained admission into the university in the field of Mechatronics Engineering, I began to understand what Mechatronics is all about and the importance of programming in my field.
The very first programming I learnt was CNC mathematical programming , where I was using G-codes to program CNC machines and 3D printers. At this point, I started feeling myself but still i wasn't satisfied. I wanted to learn more about programming, then I discovered Java because I had a friend then who was very good in Java. But after a month or so, I felt Java was too difficult and I wasn't improving then i lost interest.
In my fourth year in the university, we started working with embedded systems and automation. C/C++ programming was key in this area, so I learnt C++ and how to apply it to embedded systems. I worked on several embedded systems project and I was happy with myself but I still felt like I could do more. Data Science Nigeria (DSN) visited my campus then and organized a training for Python, Machine Learning and Data Science. I took part in the training in the training where we began from the scratch in Python. Python was so easy and came naturally to me since I have theoretical knowledge of loops, lists, functions and others which we were taught as a course in Engineering during my 2nd year. Back to the training, I was very frequent for about a month,never missing a day and completing al exercises given. Then School exams began and I couldn't continue with the training because I had to prepare for examination.Months later, I've forgotten most of what I learn in python because of lack of practice but I still had knowledge of C++ because I kept working on various embedded systems project.
Once I was done with school, I felt like I needed some source of income. At first, i learnt Graphics design with (photoshop, illustrator, experience design, corel draw). Mind you, I had knowledge of CAD softwares like Pro Engineering and CATIA because of my background in Engineer. But graphics design wasn't paying well enough.
Then I decided to go into Web development, I started by learning visual web development with the use of Wordpress and Blogger. But I wanted to dive deeper. I wanted to learn how to develop websites from the scratch, so I learn HTML, CSS and the Bootstrap framework. As a frontend developer, I felt proud in myself. Then I moved into backend, learning PhP and MySQL. Then I became a competent web developer.
I still wanted to learn more, then I remembered I already had knowledge of python. I knew that python was the language of AI which was related to my field Mechatronics Engineering. So I quickly revised Pyrhon and everything I learnt came back to me. Once I became once again confident with python, I went into image processing using OpenCV. While learning this I learnt some core libraries which are numpy, pandas and matplotlib and their application in image processing. Now I'm currently learning the application of these libraries in data generation. Once I'm done, I'll be learning data visualization and analysis before finally going into AI where I'll also be learning Tensorflow.
(Sorry that it's a long read)
If you don't mind me asking, did you attend Afe Babalola university?? Cause that's where I know they study megatronics. I've a brother there studying that course.
Hey guys, so I wanna get a laptop for data analysis. Wanna choose between a 2012 i7 MacBook Pro which I would upgrade and a recent specked up windows machine.
randomShek: Everyone has their learning curve. After making some research back then, this was the roadmap I followed (and I’m still following it).
I’ve had no issues at all following this because some logic in the previous section also applies to the new section. Like
• SQL queries behaving similar to Excel Power Query .
[/b]Right now, I’m currently working on a freelance job using MS Excel to pull data from different worksheets, analyzing the data and automating the insights needed with macros.[b]
I’ve also been able to complete some small visualization datasets on Kaggle. I just study the jupyter notebooks and apply that logic inside PowerBI with Power Query (and since I already understand python, it’s not so hard).
So to end this long talk, I like where I’ve been, where I am at currently and I’m pretty sure I’ll like where I will be in 2-3 months.
sonofakin: Can you please explain the bolder further
For example, say I need to get dates in sheet A associated with products in sheet B then find the profit-loss which is in sheet C.
So I’ll use power query to clean and transform then load it into power pivot to do joins and DAX before loading the cleaned data into an excel table and build some pivots, charts and run some statistical analysis based on it.
Now instead of filtering manually anytime I need data, I can make that table automatically update and show the available records when I enter in a criteria(e.g. date, product) - that’s why I built a macro.
This way if someone searches for 2009-Q1 or 03/01/1999 for product AAA, the excel table gets filtered and only the records that satisfy the criteria are given.
Thanks for the explanation. I know how to automate using MATLAB but I have always wanted to do same with excel. Can you share some materials I can go through on how to use Macro? Or a learning source?
randomShek: For example, say I need to get dates in sheet A associated with products in sheet B then find the profit-loss which is in sheet C.
So I’ll use power query to clean and transform then load it into power pivot to do joins and DAX before loading the cleaned data into an excel table and build some pivots, charts and run some statistical analysis based on it.
Now instead of filtering manually anytime I need data, I can make that table automatically update and show the available records when I enter in a criteria(e.g. date, product) - that’s why I built a macro.
This way if someone searches for 2009-Q1 or 03/01/1999 for product AAA, the excel table gets filtered and only the records that satisfy the criteria are given.
sonofakin: Thanks for the explanation. I know how to automate using MATLAB but I have always wanted to do same with excel. Can you share some materials I can go through on how to use Macro? Or a learning source?
randomShek: Everyone has their learning curve. After making some research back then, this was the roadmap I followed (and I’m still following it).
1. SQL 2. MS Excel 3. Statistics 4. Power BI 5. Python 6. Python Libraries (Pandas, Numpy etc) 7. Data Structures and Algorithms 8. Machine Learning
I’ve had no issues at all following this because some logic in the previous section also applies to the new section. Like
• SQL queries behaving similar to Excel Power Query to extract, transform and load data. Also same as Power Pivot to create joins. • Statistics gives you deeper insights and better understanding of mathematical Excel formulas and functions. Basically, you’ll start to see data in a different light here • Learning curve of PowerBI is super easy once you’ve mastered Excel. There’s no difference asides from its visual prowess, data modeling and DAX • Python is also super easy here because it has same logic as SQL. Once you’ve mastered the foundation, you’re good to go.
That’s all I can say right now because I’m just about to start with Pandas so I have no experience with the rest.
Right now, I’m currently working on a freelance job using MS Excel to pull data from different worksheets, analyzing the data and automating the insights needed with macros.
I’ve also been able to complete some small visualization datasets on Kaggle. I just study the jupyter notebooks and apply that logic inside PowerBI with Power Query (and since I already understand python, it’s not so hard).
So to end this long talk, I like where I’ve been, where I am at currently and I’m pretty sure I’ll like where I will be in 2-3 months.
Thanks bro Pls how do i get all these courses individually?
And in the case of the freelance job how were you interviewd?
Juicethekid: Thanks bro Pls how do i get all these courses individually?
And in the case of the freelance job how were you interviewd?
Youtube and CourseDrive have everything you need.
I used 365 careers course for SQL, Statistics and Into to Python (available on coursedrive) while I used Excel is Fun channel on YouTube for MS Excel and Power BI.
For python libraries and machine learning, I just got started with Jose Portilla python bootcamp course.
About the job, I was given sample data to work on and submitted a documentation on how I worked on it, what I used and why I used them plus interpretation of the visualizations.
randomShek: Youtube and CourseDrive have everything you need.
I used 365 careers course for SQL, Statistics and Into to Python (available on coursedrive) while I used Excel is Fun channel on YouTube for MS Excel and Power BI.
For python libraries and machine learning, I just got started with Jose Portilla python bootcamp course.
About the job, I was given sample data to work on and submitted a documentation on how I did I worked on it, what I used and why I used them plus interpretation of the visualizations.
Wow impressive!
Thanks bro for using your time to answer my questions!
And again how long will it take me to learn all these?
Semtu: Thank you OP for sharing your journey with us, I was really invested when reading through. Well, I'm not a data scientist, I'm a Robotics Engineer but it seems our fields are very much intertwined. Robotics is no longer about 0 and 1's, it's now about Artificial Intelligence. My journey is also full of ups and downs which I'll quickly talk about.
My programming journey only began during the university. Before then, I didnt even know what programming was. Though, I've always had this thing for computers and electronics, building simple electronics projects while I was in sec school. Well, when I finally gained admission into the university in the field of Mechatronics Engineering, I began to understand what Mechatronics is all about and the importance of programming in my field.
The very first programming I learnt was CNC mathematical programming , where I was using G-codes to program CNC machines and 3D printers. At this point, I started feeling myself but still i wasn't satisfied. I wanted to learn more about programming, then I discovered Java because I had a friend then who was very good in Java. But after a month or so, I felt Java was too difficult and I wasn't improving then i lost interest.
In my fourth year in the university, we started working with embedded systems and automation. C/C++ programming was key in this area, so I learnt C++ and how to apply it to embedded systems. I worked on several embedded systems project and I was happy with myself but I still felt like I could do more. Data Science Nigeria (DSN) visited my campus then and organized a training for Python, Machine Learning and Data Science. I took part in the training in the training where we began from the scratch in Python. Python was so easy and came naturally to me since I have theoretical knowledge of loops, lists, functions and others which we were taught as a course in Engineering during my 2nd year. Back to the training, I was very frequent for about a month,never missing a day and completing al exercises given. Then School exams began and I couldn't continue with the training because I had to prepare for examination.Months later, I've forgotten most of what I learn in python because of lack of practice but I still had knowledge of C++ because I kept working on various embedded systems project.
Once I was done with school, I felt like I needed some source of income. At first, i learnt Graphics design with (photoshop, illustrator, experience design, corel draw). Mind you, I had knowledge of CAD softwares like Pro Engineering and CATIA because of my background in Engineer. But graphics design wasn't paying well enough.
Then I decided to go into Web development, I started by learning visual web development with the use of Wordpress and Blogger. But I wanted to dive deeper. I wanted to learn how to develop websites from the scratch, so I learn HTML, CSS and the Bootstrap framework. As a frontend developer, I felt proud in myself. Then I moved into backend, learning PhP and MySQL. Then I became a competent web developer.
I still wanted to learn more, then I remembered I already had knowledge of python. I knew that python was the language of AI which was related to my field Mechatronics Engineering. So I quickly revised Pyrhon and everything I learnt came back to me. Once I became once again confident with python, I went into image processing using OpenCV. While learning this I learnt some core libraries which are numpy, pandas and matplotlib and their application in image processing. Now I'm currently learning the application of these libraries in data generation. Once I'm done, I'll be learning data visualization and analysis before finally going into AI where I'll also be learning Tensorflow.
randomShek: That depends on you boss. Took me 2 months since I have a lot of free time and I’m a CS undergrad so most of the concepts are not new to me.
As most people have said, 3-6 months with constant practice should land anybody a job.
I, too, walk this path in part. My interest in web development is based on the high demand for ecommerce projects. You can see this in the current portfolio of popular developers. You can see the original designs using magento if you find more info on the company's website. It seems to me that this direction will only grow in the next four years and it makes sense to update your knowledge in this.
I beg to differ, web development is now so common. Nowadays, anyone can easily design a standard website with little or no programming knowledge. The cost of designing a website has dropped significantly over the years. You see many developers advertising 15k websites, 20k websites, it's now so common. So I don't really see any reason to revisit web development.
