Data Science Studies // Python/R [2018 Study Plan]

Feature

The Journey Toward Data Science: A Study Roadmap

*Pivoting from web development to data analytics*

~4,000

Pages

10

Months

~442

USD Certifications

3

Fountain Pens

Table of Contents

• ①Career Pivot
• ②Subject List
• ③Reading Estimate
• ④Resources
• ⑤Certifications
• ⑥Updates

Section I

Career Pivot

It's time to start studying again, and I've decided against pursuing .NET/Web Programming in favor of Data Science. I've only begun researching what I need to learn to get better acquainted with Data Science, and for now, I will focus on Python Programming.

I'm already pretty good with SQL and Relational Databases (SQL Server, Oracle), but there's much more to explore. Beyond Math and Statistics, I want to understand how to work with unstructured data.

 

Section II

Subject List

My initial study list (subject to change as I learn what I need) includes the following topics, presented in no particular order:

• →Python Language — foundational programming for data tasks
• →R Language — statistical computing and graphics
• →MongoDB / NoSQL — working with non-relational data structures
• →Big Data — understanding Hadoop and Hive
• →Cloud Tools — leveraging Amazon S3

Additionally, I will need to brush up on my Math and Statistics skills, as it has been a few years since university.

Section III

Reading Estimate

• →Volume — 4,000 Pages [5 to 6 books, each 500 to 800 pages]
• →Timeline — 10 months [100 pages per week] // Estimated Completion Time: October 2018

Section IV

Resources

Python

• →Intro to Python, 5th Edition — Mark Lutz
• →Programming in Python — Mark Lutz

R

• →The Art of R Programming — Matloff

Section V

Certifications

There are several certifications available for Python and R to serve as a measuring stick and pace-setter.

Certification	Focus	Cost
70-773	Big Data w/ Microsoft R	$165 USD
98-381	Intro to Python	$127 USD
MongoDB DBA	Associate Level	$150 USD

Certifications are not my primary goal; rather, they serve as a measuring stick and pace-setter.

Section VI

Updates

Update (12/13/17) - Python

I am currently studying the 5th Edition of Learning Python by Mark Lutz. It is a larger volume with 40 chapters. I am taking my time and have read about 10 chapters over 17 days. I will try to pick up the pace as I delve deeper into this book and hope to finish it by mid-January 2018.

The content in this book is substantial; I've already filled out a 70-page notebook and had to re-ink three fountain pens. At this rate, I will need three more notebooks. Writing out the code manually helps me grasp it better and allows me to see differences, such as lists versus dictionaries.

Update (5/30/18) - Art of R Programming

I purchased The Art of R by Matloff and am currently studying it. I have installed R Studio on my i7 Windows 10 and i3 Linux systems.

Update (11/11/18) - Study Statistics First

This process is taking longer than anticipated. I have completed textbooks for both Python and R. Now, I am focusing my efforts on studying statistics itself rather than just tools or platforms. I aim to improve and hone my analytical mindset first, then augment it with the necessary tools.

  

Documenting the transition from programmer to data scientist.