Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Data Science Bootcamp
I’ve been a full-time Data Science student at a Data Science Bootcamp for four weeks — and counting — and, even before I had started, I did some research to find things that I should know before my first day of class. While a few things were helpful, such as having your studying area, organize your studying schedule, etc., other things I had to figure out on my own. None of the following tips should be groundbreaking and change the psychology behind a Data Science Bootcamp. However, they would have saved me a lot of stress if I had these things in mind.
Learn how to learn
This advice is for life in general. People have different ways of learning the same subject. Some people are more visual; others need to read; and some need to take notes of everything. If you find out the best way for you to absorb the study material, you will be able to transform any lecture into the optimal method for you for understanding what is going on. Bootcamps require a lot of effort and time, and if you don’t find out the best way you can learn, you might lose some valuable hours trying to figure things out.
Keep in mind that you might find different ways to learn different — and sometimes the same — subject. One thing that helps me is to handwrite information that I want to remember later. It’s time-consuming, and you won’t be able to write down everything, so try to write down keywords, and after a few hours, try to remember what that keyword means. If you can’t remember, maybe that’s something that you need to review.
Build some basic skills before day one
Throughout the years, I’ve been studying subjects related to Data Science. Some Python here, some Statistics there. I’ll be finishing an MBA with focus on Data Science, AI, and Big Data in a few months. For this reason, I thought that I’d be a few steps ahead of my classmates. I didn’t know that everything that I had learned before the bootcamp would be covered on days one and two. That’s because Bootcamps teach you all you need to enter into the Data Science field. However, they move fast, and the chances of you getting stuck somewhere are high. If you build some skills (some Python and Statistics, perhaps), you will be able to focus on other challenges during the Bootcamp.
Try to always go the extra mile when preparing for classes. There's a huge variety of great content online. Udemy is a great platform and they have great content. Some courses (including Data Science) can cost as low as 10 dollars! Having familiarize yourself with the subject will make things less abstract when you start diving even deeper into it. To make things easier, check the syllabus and look at the topics that are new to you to have an idea of what is coming ahead.
A Bootcamp can be your primary source of learning but shouldn't be the only one
If I knew this one on day 1, it would have saved me from a lot of undue stress. Sometimes you need an aha moment, which can come as quickly as reading a simple sentence. Sometimes you need to read or hear something that makes you finger snap and say: GOT IT!
Although Bootcamps try to make the lessons and lectures as absorbable as possible, you might need the same example explained with different words to understand it. Some things are as simple as a sentence. As some people say: if it isn't on the internet, it doesn't exist. Google here can be your best friend. Youtube also can be very handy because there are hundreds of people from different backgrounds trying to teach the same thing.
If you find yourself interested in dive even deeper into a subject, you can easily find FREE courses and tutorials about it. For example, the Open Source Society University keeps a repository on GitHub with dozens of free courses that you can check and follow as it was an extra material.
Albert Einstein once said: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.
Be kind to yourself
Again, this advice should be for life in general. A full-time Bootcamp requires a tremendous amount of time, effort, money, and patience. Fifteen weeks can both sound too short and long. If you’re not kind to yourself and don't give yourself the time to learn, you will be overwhelmed by the end of the first week. After multiple weeks, the results can be disastrous. Taking a few moments for self-care throughout the day are necessary to ensure your success with this program. If you are stressed, you won’t be able to absorb whatever you are trying to learn. Take a 30 minute walk to free-up your mind a little bit. Take a pause and give yourself permission to have a glass of wine and relax if you feel like doing so. Do whatever will give you a brief break before you get back to work.
If you feel that you need to talk to someone, don’t hesitate to do it. Sometimes the solution to a problem is one text message away.
Something that I felt during my first week is what is called imposter syndrome. I felt that everybody knew more than me, and maybe I was behind everyone. The truth is that people will always know things that you don’t know as well as you will also know things that people don’t know. People come from different backgrounds. We study to learn subjects that people know more than us.
Enjoy it
If you are starting a Bootcamp, there is a high chance that this is a new field for you. It might be something that you will do for the next couple of years or the rest of your life! If you cannot enjoy the field while you are studying, guess what? You WILL NOT enjoy it while you are working. As with any area, sometimes it will be stressful, and sometimes you will have those sought after aha moments. Learning, in and of itself, should be something you enjoy because you will be doing a lot of it over the next few months of your life..
You also have the opportunity that thousands of people would love to have. Try to remember how lucky you are for having the chance to study something that you like and all the fantastic things you will be able to do with it.
