What is your review of Coursera Data Science Specialization Track?

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Thomas Hepner


Taking the JHU Data Science specialization on Coursera was my first step towards becoming a data scientist. On April 25th, 2016, 13 months after first starting the specialization, I completed the Capstone Project and earned my certificate - here it is!

Before starting, I worked for a year as a financial analyst after graduating with a degree in economics. At the time, I knew that I eventually wanted to start a career in data science. The JHU Data Science Specialization was the perfect place to start my journey, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is considering enrolling.

Here are some reasons to enroll…

• You want to learn about Data Science, Machine Learning, and Statistics.
• You want to learn to use the R programming language for data analysis.
• You want to crunch through large data sets (gigabytes not megabytes) in your analyses.
• You desire flexibility in your studies.
• $500 seems more reasonable than $3,700 or more for a comparable offering.
• The possibility of making data products like these is exciting to you.
• Data competitions like Kaggle and CrowdAnalytix seem awesome, but you have no idea where to start.
• You want a tangible project you can speak to in a job interview. Here is mine.
• You want to earn a credential that you can save on your LinkedIn profile.

• You want to start a career in data science but don’t think it’s necessary, or at least don’t think it should be necessary, to spend $60,000 on a Master’s in Data Science or have a PhD in an obscure subfield of math as well as 5 years of work experience as a software engineer.
• You get a giddy feeling when you solve a problem with quantitative data. Here is a moment of euphoria I had after completing my project for the Practical Machine Learning course.

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