In this article let’s take a look at is data science boot camps worth it, is it useful, and can a data science boot camp gets you a job or not by looking at all the pros and cons of data science boot camps in detail.
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So without any delay let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
What is data science bootcamp, and what do you learn in it?
Data science BootCamp is basically a BootCamp or learning center which trains you in data science in a short span of time and helps you get a job.
Basically, data science is a study that deals with vast volumes of data using various tools and techniques in order to find out a pattern, and some important information so that they can make better decisions for their business because data is everything.
And in a data science BootCamp, you learn hard skills like data science programming, data modelling, visualisation of data machine learning research design Python presentation and communication big data and soft skills like problem solving, networking negotiation skills etc.
The main difference between the curriculum of a boot camp compared to a college degree is that boot camp focuses more on practical part and teaching skills and tools that can help the students get a job immediately, focus less on theoretical part as compared to a college degree which focuses more on theoretical part because they have more time to teach the subject.
Do you need some knowledge before joining the data science boot camp?
Even though you do not need any knowledge before joining the boot camp but having knowledge in skills like programming and data analytics, statistics and mathematical concepts can definitely help you during the boot camp.
Now weather you need the knowledge or not will depend upon the boot camp you join.
Is data science bootcamp good, useful, & worth it?
In my opinion data science boot camps are good useful and definitely worth it.
The main advantage of a boot camp is that it is short term and less expensive courses which can most probably help you get a job because you learn the skills required and most boot camps are updated with the market needs and they also give access to strong community and network building to the students.
There are some disadvantages to boot camps like it can be fast paced stressful and may not necessarily guarantee a job.
But before we look at all the pros and cons of data science boot camp let’s take a look at whether getting a boot camp will help you get a job or not.
Can you get a job with a data science bootcamp?
Yes, You can definitely get a job with a data science boot camp.
As a matter of fact according to a survey of indeed, 72% of employers surveyed think bootcamp grads are “just as prepared and likely to be high performers,” while 12% think bootcamp grads are even “more prepared and more likely to be high performers.” 17% of employers surveyed thought bootcamp graduates may be “not as prepared or likely to be high performers.”
According to HackerRank, one in three hiring managers have hired a boot camp graduate.
Similarly there are also many studies which show that boot camp graduates definitely get a job because ultimately the employer wants the student to have the skill so that they can complete the task and if the student has the skills and he can present the skills by showing his projects to the employer then he can definitely get a job irrespective if he has the degree or boot camp.
Now let’s take a look at all the pros and cons of data science boot camp.
Pros and cons of data science Bootcamp
Pros of data science bootcamp
Change career by learning skills in no time
One of the main advantages of choosing a boot camp whether it is for programming or data science is that you can change your career fast by learning the essential skills during the boot camp.
As I have already mentioned earlier that by joining a data science boot camp, You learn all the important skills like data visualisation data analytics programming languages and all the other things which can help you change your career into data science in a short span of time and you can also become a data analyst and average salary is $80,000 in America.
As a matter of fact data scientist is one of the best skills to learn & get into according to LinkedIn and one of the sexiest jobs you can find in 21st century and you can get the knowledge of data science within a couple of months with a boot camp compared to spending a couple of years in college so the biggest benefit of joining a boot camp is you can switch and change your career fast by learning skills in less time.
Very affordable
Another advantage of a boot camp is that it is very affordable in price as compared to getting the data science education from a college.
For example the average price of a boot camp is around $14000 whereas if you want to do masters in data science then it will cost you around $50,000 in a reputable college.
You can clearly see the difference in the prices of boot camp and a college and of course this is one of the main reason why many students prefer boot camps over college degree to learn any skill like coding and data science.
Network & community
Another advantage is that you can get strong network and support from the community of a boot camp which is really great.
In order to increase practical learning, most boot camps teach the concepts first to the student then encourage the students to do their own projects and share it with the community of people who are connected with each other in a social media group, in the process you can connect and learn about new people and meet new people which can help you grow your network and connections and this can help you a lot in your career.
Cons of data science bootcamp
Stressful & fast paced
Main disadvantage with boot camp is that it is very stressful and fast paced.
This is because a boot camp is like a short term course and it is ideally for the people who want to learn the skill and gain the knowledge within short span of time like three or four months maximum and
if you compare this with a normal college degree which is two or three years long then because there is less amount of time present in a boot camp the students who enrolled in the boot camp have to put a lot of effort in understanding the concept and gain the skill and it can be very stressful.
Not accredited & no financial aid
Another disadvantage is that data science boot camps are not accredited and you won’t get any financial support or aid to join and complete the bootcamp like how you would get to get your degree from any University.
Accreditation is important to understand that any university matches a clear set of standards for quality of education and most of the boot camps in general are not accredited so it can be hard for you to apply for some jobs because recruiters also consider whether
the university or institution you got your education from is accredited or not on the other hand because the boot camps are not accredited and not recognised by any government or individual body so you won’t get any financial support like any scholarship and sponsorship for your education.
Like the average cost of data science boot camp is around $13000, and it is of course definitely cheaper compared to a college degree but it is not extremely cheap, still it is very expensive and you will have to pay this amount without getting any scholarship but thankfully some boot camps give you the freedom to pay the fees in instalments rather than paying it all at once.
Not get complete knowledge
Another disadvantage is that you won’t get complete knowledge if you join a boot camp because boot camps are created to teach the knowledge to the students in short span of time so a student who
studies data science in the college spending two or three years of his life has more knowledge because he gets more time to learn the subject as compared to a student who gone to a boot camp to get the knowledge in less than 20 weeks.
And because of this it can be hard for you to get into senior level positions in the company if you just learn data science and join the company from the boot camp without getting the college degree.
With that said let’s end the article.
Conclusion
These are all the things you need to know about data science boot camps.
Do comment down your thoughts about data science boot camps in the comments section below.
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