I share the experience of training in Yandex.Practicum, for those who would like to receive either a completely new specialty or move from related fields. I would call it the first step in the profession, in my subjective opinion. It is difficult to know exactly from scratch what you need to learn, because everyone has a certain amount of knowledge, and this course will teach a lot, and everyone will understand for themselves the knowledge in which areas you will need to get - in almost all cases free additional courses will be enough.
How did I come to the “thought” of analytics?
For several years she was engaged in the creation of online stores and their maintenance (marketing, advertising, Yandex.Direct, etc.). I wanted to narrow the scope of activity and do only that of this wide spectrum that I like the most. And even the name of the future profession did not know, there were only approximate requirements for the work process. The independent development of programs and tools has never been an obstacle for me, so I decided to look for where I can apply experience and learn new things.
At first I thought about getting a second higher education or professional retraining, since the courses seemed to be something frivolous. While viewing various options, I stumbled upon Yandex.Practicum. There were few professions, among them there was a data analyst, the description was interesting.
I began to study what there is in information analytics in terms of getting a second higher education, but it turned out that the training time is quite long for the field where everything is changing very quickly, higher education institutions are unlikely to have time to respond to this. I decided to see what the market offers in addition to the Workshop. Most of the participants again offered a very long 1-2 years, but I would like a parallel development: entering the profession in lower positions and further training.
What I wanted in the profession (I do not consider the work process)
- I wanted training to be a permanent process in my profession,
- I’m doing a great job with routine operations, if I see an interesting goal, but I want to multitask so that the workflow does not consist of several mechanical actions
- so that business really needs it and not only (the market itself confirms this with the ruble or the dollar),
- there was an element of independence, responsibility, “full cycle”,
- was where to grow (at the moment I see this as machine learning and scientific activity).
So, the choice fell on Yandex.Practicum because of:
- training period (only six months),
- low entry threshold - they promised that even with secondary education you can learn a profession,
- price,
- they will return the funds if you understand that this profession is not suitable for you (there are certain rules, quite fair),
- practice and practice again - practical projects that will be included in the portfolio (considered this the most important),
- online format, support,
- a free Python introductory course, also at this stage you understand whether you need it,
- In addition, you need to consider what type of memory you have prevails. The speed and success of training will depend on this. It is very important for me that the training materials are in the form of text, since personally, I have the most developed visual memory. For example, Geekbrains has all the training materials in video format (according to information from the training course). For those who perceive information by ear, perhaps this format is more suitable.
Concerns:
- got into the very first stream and understood that, like any new product, there would certainly be technical flaws,
- I understood that there was no question of any compulsory employment.
How is the training process going?
To get started, you must take a free Python introductory course and complete all the tasks, because without completing the previous one, the following will not appear. So built and all subsequent tasks in the course. It also explains what the profession is and whether to go on a course.
Help can be received on Facebook, Vkontakte, Telegram and the main communication in Slack.
The main share of communication in Slack occurs with the teacher during the passage of the simulator and during the implementation of the project.
Briefly about the main sections
We start the tutorial with a deeper in Python and start using the Jupyter Notebook to prepare projects. Already at the first stage we carry out the first project. It also introduces the profession and the requirements in it.
At the second stage, training in data processing takes place, in all its aspects, and we begin to study and analyze data. Two more projects are added to the portfolio here.
Then comes the course on statistical data analysis + project.
The first third is passed, we are doing a large team project.
Further training in working with databases and working in SQL. Again the project.
Now a deepening in analysis and marketing analytics and of course the project.
Further - experiments, hypotheses, A / B testing. Project.
Now visual presentation, presentation, Seaborn library. Project.
The second third passed - a large consolidated project.
Automation of data analysis processes. Streaming analytic solutions. Dashboards. Monitoring Project.
Predictive analytics. Machine learning methods. Linear regression. Project.
GRADUAL PROJECT. Based on the results of which, we receive a certificate of additional education.
All ongoing projects are applied in various areas of business: banks, real estate, online stores, information products, etc.
All projects are checked by Yandex.Practicum mentors - working analysts. Communicating with them also turned out to be extremely important, they motivate, but for me, the most valuable consideration of mistakes.
The important part is video conferences with mentors and video trainings with invited practitioners.There are also holidays)) - one week between two thirds. If the process goes on schedule, you rest, and if not really, then finish the tails. There is also academic leave, for those who for some reason should postpone their studies.
A little about the simulator
The course is new, but apparently based on other courses, Yandex specialists know how sometimes it is difficult to deal with when an overload occurs and the information "does not enter." Therefore, they decided to entertain the students as much as possible with funny drawings and comments, and I must say, this really helped in times of despair when you “fight” over the task.
And despair sometimes came:
- you graduated from a university a long time ago and, it would seem, you don’t remember anything and then you see the name of the topic “Normal approximation of the binomial distribution” and you give up and think that you already won’t understand it, but later the probability theory and statistics become for you more understandable and interesting,
- or you can do this:
Advice to future students - 90% of errors are more from fatigue or overload with new information. Distract for half an hour - an hour and try again, as a rule, during this time your brain will process and decide everything for you)). And 10% if you do not understand the topic - re-read again and everything will work out!
During training, a special program for assistance with employment appeared: compiling resumes, cover letters, arranging a portfolio, preparing for an interview, and so on, with specialists from the HR department. For me, this turned out to be extremely important, as I realized that I had not been at interviews for many years.
Already being, almost at the end of training, I can advise what it is desirable to possess:
- oddly enough, the tendency to analyze, the ability to build logical relationships, this type of thinking should prevail,
- the ability and desire to learn should not be lost (you will have to learn a lot on your own), this is more, of course, for the category of people over 35,
- it’s also corny, but it’s better not to start if the motivation is limited only by the fact that “I want to earn a lot / more”.
Deficiencies and not entirely justified expectations, where without them
- They promise that with secondary education anyone can understand.
Not quite so, even secondary education is still different. I think, as a man who made ancient times)), when there was no widespread use of the Internet, there should be a sufficient conceptual framework. Although, high motivation will win. - The intensity was quite high.
It would be difficult to work (especially in a sphere far from this), perhaps it would be worth reallocating the time not equally between the courses, but by the first third more and so on in descending order. - As expected, there were technical issues.
As a person involved in full-cycle projects, I understand that at least at first, it is impossible without technical problems. The guys tried very hard to fix everything as quickly as possible. - The teacher at Slack does not always respond on time.
“On time” is a twofold concept, in this case, the time you need, since working students devote a length of time to study and the speed of answering questions is critical for them. Need more teachers. - Third-party sources are obligatory (articles, additional courses).
Some articles are recommended by Yandex.Practicum, but this is not enough. I can recommend, at the same time, add courses on Stepik - Big Data for managers (for general development), Python Programming, Statistics Basics, both parts with Anatoly Karpov, Introduction to Databases, Probability Theory (first 2 modules).
Conclusion
In general, the course is done very well and has the goal of both training and motivation. It will take a lot more to master, but now it doesn’t scare me, there is already a meaningful plan of action. The cost is very affordable - one analyst salary in a lower position. A lot of practice. Help with everything from resumes to coffee supplies.