Are you an aspiring data professional looking to kickstart your data science career? If so, you’re probably considering various options: online courses, bootcamps, master’s degree, and more. But if you are motivated enough, there are several high-quality free resources that can help you get there. In this article, I, Michael Johnson, a highly experienced data scientist, will share with you five free courses that can help you learn and gain proficiency in data science. From programming fundamentals to building and deploying data science applications, these courses will provide you with the necessary skills for a successful career pivot. Let's dive right in!
Python for Everybody
Learn Python programming from the ground up and gain proficiency in data science.
Python for Everybody, taught by Prof. Charles Severance at the University of Michigan, is a comprehensive course that covers all the essentials of Python programming for data science. The course starts with programming fundamentals and gradually introduces Python data structures, conditional execution, loops and iteration, functions, regular expressions, web services, networked programs, and data visualization.
By enrolling in the Python for Everybody course, you will gain a solid foundation in Python and the necessary skills to work with data effectively. Whether you are a beginner or have some programming experience, this course will equip you with the knowledge needed to kickstart your data science career.
Data Analysis with Python
Master the art of data analysis using Python and popular data science libraries.
Data Analysis with Python is a free course offered by Jovian on freeCodeCamp's YouTube channel. This course is designed to help you learn and practice data analysis using Python and popular libraries such as NumPy, pandas, Matplotlib, and Seaborn.
Starting with Python programming fundamentals, the course gradually introduces you to numerical computing, analyzing tabular data, and data visualization. It also includes a course project on exploratory data analysis, allowing you to apply your skills to real-world datasets.
Databases and SQL
Develop essential database skills for data professionals.
Databases and SQL are must-have skills for data professionals. This free course from freeCodeCamp provides a comprehensive introduction to databases in data science. It covers database fundamentals, SQL basics, CRUD operations, functions, joins, unions, nested queries, and designing database schema.
By mastering databases and SQL, you will be equipped with the necessary skills to design efficient databases, write complex SQL queries, and manage data effectively in your data science career.
Intro to Inferential Statistics
Build a strong foundation in statistics for data science success.
Statistics is a fundamental aspect of data science. This free course from Udacity's course library, Intro to Inferential Statistics, covers key concepts such as estimation, hypothesis testing, t-tests, ANOVA, chi-squared test, correlation, and regression.
Through coding exercises and real-world examples, you will gain a deep understanding of inferential statistics and how to apply them in data analysis. Building a strong foundation in statistics is essential for making informed decisions and drawing meaningful insights from data.
Machine Learning Zoomcamp
Learn the fundamentals of machine learning and model deployment.
Machine Learning Zoomcamp by DataTalks.Club is a comprehensive course that covers the fundamentals of machine learning through a code-first approach. It covers topics such as regression, classification, evaluating machine learning models, deploying models, decision trees, ensemble learning, neural networks, deep learning, Kubernetes, and TensorFlow Serving.
By completing this course, you will gain hands-on experience in building and deploying machine learning models. This will enable you to tackle real-world data problems and contribute to the field of data science.
