5 Data Science Courses That Help to Boost Your Career

Are you looking to start a career in data science?

With the accessibility and availability of online certifications, anyone can upgrade their employability without having to spend a fortune. If you lack formal education to qualify for your dream job, here are the best data science courses to take online today.

Reason to take data science courses

Before we get into the course selections, it’s well worth asking if such certifications are even necessary. In short? Yes. To help reaffirm the importance of data science certifications, below we list three imperative reasons for choosing such training.

Improved career path

Every sector, from financial and industrial to sports, is becoming a data-driven environment.

Data analytics provides business leaders with valuable insight that leads to more informed decision making.

As a result, there is a desperate need for professionals with practical knowledge of data analysis.

Obtaining a data science certification indicates that you are up-to-date with the latest trends in data analysis and its applications. Professionals with data science training become eligible for data scientist jobs across various domains and industries like healthcare, retail, defense, and more.

Opportunity to work with the latest data management technologies

Because data science is a dynamic landscape, it’s critical that professionals in this domain continuously upskill their technical knowledge. The pursuit of continued education shows a professional’s willingness to fill in any skill gaps.

Online data science certifications give professionals access to trending technologies like Hadoop, data lakes, edge computing, and others. Working with the latest data management tools demonstrates a professional’s commitment to their work ethic and their willingness to learn.

Increased access to high-paying job opportunities

With more companies looking to leverage data analytics to make strategic business decisions, there has never been a better time to become a data scientist. According to LinkedIn and Glassdoor, being a data scientist topped the charts as the most promising job in the United States in 2019.

Such a demand for data science skills means professionals with the right certifications and experience can command top dollar for their expertise. And with a median salary of USD $130,000, data scientists are shown to be a high priority role among many industries and sectors.

Gaining the right data analytics credentials can help to upgrade your employability and accelerate your career. To help you master data science, here are the most in-demand and popular certifications to take today.

The top five data science online certifications and courses

Whether you’re looking to prepare for a career in data analytics or master a specific skill, the following online training resources will set you on the right path to success.

Microsoft Azure Certification

A market leader in cloud computing, Microsoft Azure has enabled organizations like Adobe, HP, and ASOS to develop cloud capabilities and cloud-based architecture, all without the costly task of on-premise data centers or server installations.

As such, Microsoft cloud certification training is highly valued by organizations that have existing deployment of Microsoft technologies.

Presently, there are various certification paths available to IT professionals looking to migrate into data science.

Fundamentals certifications like Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals course are the ideal starting point for entry-level candidates looking to develop foundational knowledge of Microsoft’s Azure frameworks.

More established professionals should explore specialty and technical certifications like the Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty and Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert courses.

Certified Analytics Professional

Individuals who graduate with the Certified Analytics Professional (CAP) designation (a general analytics certification) have the superior ability to use analytics tools and methodologies to enable organizations to transform complex data into strategic insights and action.

Eligibility to the CAP is rather strict. Applicants are required to have at least three years of professional analytics-related experience if the individual holds a MA/MS degree in an analytics-related area. Applicants with a BA/BS degree in a non-related field must have at least seven years of professional analytics-related experience.

For individuals who don’t have the required analytics experience, there is also an Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP) program available. The aCAP designation is an entry-level course that leads to the CAP certification.

Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences

A non-degree part-time program offered by Columbia University, the Certification of Professional Achievement in Data Sciences provides individuals with the opportunity to develop foundational data science skills.

The program’s curriculum will cover core competencies of data science that range from algorithms, probability and statistics to exploratory data analysis and visualization.

Candidates to the program will be required to have the following prerequisites:

• Undergraduate degree
• Prior quantitative coursework (calculus, linear algebra, etc.)
• Prior introductory to computer programming coursework

Introduction to Python and PySpark

The Introduction to Python and PySpark course provides introductory knowledge to some critical technologies in the data analytics landscape. Individuals who participate in this training course will be able to demonstrate their ability in Python programming language and Apache PySpark.

Course attendees will gain the understanding of Spark SQL and its architecture, Spark RDD, as well as an overview of the Spark stack and how to implement it with Python using the PySpark interface.

As a three-day intensive program, this certification is ideal for professionals working as developers or data analysts. Candidates to the course will also be required to have a working knowledge of programming and scripting experience in another language besides Python.

IBM Data Science Professional Certificate

A beginner-level course, the IBM Data Science Professional Certificate will provide anyone wanting to pursue a career in data science valuable insights into what the job entails. Course attendees will learn the various activities of a data scientist and learn the tools, languages, and libraries used by professionals in the field.

Throughout the course, individuals will be able to analyze and visualize data, import and clean data sets, and build machine learning models. By the end of the coursework, individuals will have developed the necessary hands-on skills to build out a portfolio of data science projects.

Due to the entry-level nature of the program, no computer science or programming knowledge is required to pursue this certification.

Conclusion

A career in data science is a highly desirable one today. With plenty of online learning opportunities available, there are many certifications to choose from that will enable you to gain an edge in the data science job market.

No matter your experience level, attending a certificate program can help you stay on top of industry trends and accelerate your goals of being a data science candidate.

AUTHOR BIO

Tapas Banerjee founded Web Age Solutions, a premier IT training company, serving Fortune 500-sized companies across North America. Under his leadership, Web Age Solutions has won multiple awards such as Inc 500 and Profit 100 as one of the fastest growing companies. He is instrumental in coming up with various training offerings in the growing fields of Data Science and AI, Cloud and Microservices.