Metis Reviews
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Daniel Verified via GitHub
Worth the Time and Effort
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I came into the Metis Data Science Bootcamp from a non-STEM background. Undergrad was in History, and grad school was in Architecture/Design. I choose Metis over other options because of the independent project work. It was important to me to work through structuring a project from start to finish, and for the finished products to represent the kind of work I wanted to do in the future. The project-based work resulted in a strong portfolio of projects that transitioned easily into demonstrative work for job interviews and networking.
Metis exposed students to a wide range of concepts, ideas, and strategies during the in-class content. For our own projects, we had freedom to work within certain frameworks to dive deeper into topics or strategies we found more interesting. For the final project, we had a blank canvas to execute a project of our own creation. The synthesis of all the bootcamp's learnings with our own interests was deeply rewarding and genuinely exciting. For a cohort that shared a common set of in-class experiences, the individual project-based work and final project created substantial diversity and differentiated expertise within the student body.
In general, the course and project work exceeded my expectations. Another dimension I could not have predicted was the positive and supportive social dynamic within the cohort.
I received my first data scientist job offer two months after the bootcamp ended through a lead generated by Metis, and the offer I accepted occurred 6 months after the bootcamp through a lead I generated on my own.
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Aaron Gittleman Verified via LinkedIn
Life changing
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If you are here shopping around for a data science bootcamp to launch your new career path, you can stop here. My experience at Metis allowed me to make a massive career change in a surprisingly short time frame, with very little prior experience. In this program, you'll learn from a team of incredibly smart and skilled data scientists who will always go the extra mile to help you understand the dense material. You'll also be in the good hands of a very knowledgeable and effective career support team. To put it simply, if you put in the work, they will make you a highly sought after D.S. candidate in 12 weeks.
Aside from the staff, you'll also learn a lot from your classmates. Cohorts are comprised of smart people with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise who are willing to help each other.
The projects that you complete during this course provide you with an impressive portfolio to showcase during your job search, and the materials taught during the course are exactly what companies are hiring for. If you are motivated to start a new career and ready to put in hard work for it, I can't recommend this enough.
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Tim Vogel Verified via LinkedIn
Incredible learning experience
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In short, Metis is a fantastic opportunity. I was blown away by the amount of information the faculty was able to teach just 12-weeks. I come from a science background and was delighted by the instructors' willingness to help with what is very challenging material. On top of the incredible teaching staff, Metis also provides you with stellar careeer-support and guidance for navigating life post-grad, and ultimately landing your dream job. If you have the opportunity to participate in this bootcamp, don't pass it up!
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Patrick Verified via LinkedIn
Exactly what I needed for my career
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I chose Metis because of its accreditation and encouraging reviews and I'm glad I did. Although it was probably the most challenging thing I've ever done, I was also having fun in the process and came in everyday eager to learn more. Not only did the bootcamp equip me with the necessary programming skills I needed to transition to a more technical career, I also built incredible work ethic in the process and befriended and connected with many other intelligent, driven students in the collaborative environment.
My instructors at Metis were very knowledgable and were great at communicating the data science concepts and machine learning algorithms. At the same time, they were patient enough to answer our many questions. The schedule and curriculum was well-rounded and we were trained to be better presenters and communicators with our 5 data science projects/presentations that were due during the course. I couldn't be happier with my decision to attend Metis and I would highly recommend it to anyone who's looking to get into this field.
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Marc Kelechava Verified via GitHub
Transformative
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I can't imagine a more well-structured 3-month program to prepare students for the current Data Scientist job market. The type of work covered in independent projects, the statistical inference/ML curriculum, and daily programming challenges are exactly what companies (in SF at least) are testing for in Data Science positions today. While the post-graduation interview process is difficult, I think in every interview I went on I used some piece of knowledge I picked up at Metis, and heavily credit the program with job placement success.
One caveat is that the program is extraordinarily difficult in terms of expectations and depth/speed of material covered. If you have any meaningful time commitments that can't be put on the backburner for 3 months, I would caution that the program requires near total-focus (this certainly varies per-student, but at least for me, this included heavy night and weekend work over the 3 months). That being said, I'd probably never been as excited to approach each day, and made enormous strides in technical capabilities because of it.
Our cohort was particularly close-knit, and most of us still are in constant contact most days despite the program's completion. This for me was probably even more valuable than the technical content, as it provided a strong network of other people breaking into DS that I'd image will remain invaluable for years.
Career Support after in SF was impressive as well. I ended up going with a company I found independently, but Career Support provided me with at least 20% of my strong leads during the job search.
If you feel compelled to break into the field and are looking to accelerate very rapidly, do this now.
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Spencer Tollefson Verified via LinkedIn
Warning! Commitment and Hard Work Required
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Metis isn't for the faint of heart. What this program is NOT: an easy, magical path to coast through for 12 weeks to land a data science position. What this program IS: a well structured, intense immersive that can lead you to your goals when doubled with appropriate effort.
My background is from business school. I worked as a Tax accountant CPA, then management consultant for finance related projects, and then as a community economic development volunteer in the Peace Corps. Hard skills such as programming, statistics, or any kind of science were not my forte - but rather I'd developed experience in problem solving and communication skills more than anything. However, one fascinating part of Metis was the diversity of backgrounds among my cohort - and the ability for many people to succeed in the program.
I strongly encourage any potential applicant to be thorough in their preparation and vetting process. If you are able to pass the entrance exam for Metis, and know why you believe the program will help you achieve your goals, then I would highly recommend it ensuring you have the discipline and time to focus on this for 12 weeks.
For my anecdotal experience, Metis was fantastic. I chalk a lot of that up to having done substantial thinking in deciding why I wanted to do a data science bootcamp and how it would help me make the career transition from accountant/consultant to data scientist.
So why Metis then?
- I found the instructors extremely knowledgeable and accessible
- My cohort peers were intelligent, engaging, and had diverse backgrounds. I think a large part of that is the Metis admittance process
- Dedicated career support (Marybeth in Seattle) was quite helpful in navigating and structuring the job hunt process
- The 5 project structure of the program was invaluable. In many of my job interviews I found being able to talk about how I did 5 projects - 4 entirely solo and which included gathering my own data - a huge asset
Additionally, the physical space was perfectly adequate and not run down like I've heard rumors of some other bootcamps. There clearly is support after the bootcamp - but finding a job is not handed to you on a platter. In my personal case, I spent about 12 weeks job searching after the bootcamp as well. It paid off in the end, and I would have done Metis 10/10 times again, but don't expect a job to be handed to you afterward. The Metis presence in Seattle is smaller than some other bootcamps, but if you are willing to expand your job search outside Seattle I personally found Metis connections help me make headway in over 10 different job interviews.
The curriculum continues to bee updated and I'm glad to hear they spent some more time on time-series for the cohorts after my own.
In summary, I recommend Metis if you do the hard work in visualizing how the immersion will help you achieve your next goals. If you believe a data science bootcamp is the right step for you, and you're willing to put in the time and effort into the program, Metis is an excellent investment of your time and money. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
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Stephen Ilhardt Verified via LinkedIn
All Around Excellent
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My background was in management consulting and I had some experience with data analysis, but the amount I learned here was unreal. I was really interested in machine learning and neural networks but found I was having trouble learning them on my own in an unstructured way. Metis was perfect for this and aligned with my preferred learning style really well. I learned everything I wanted to and then a whole lot more. They cover just about everything you'll come across as a data scientist in varying degrees of detail, but then set you up to learn so much more after you're done. I spent the weeks after I graduated reading and deepening my knowledge about all of the stuff I learned in Metis, and tutorials and research papers that would have been way over my head pre-Metis just didn't scare me anymore. It's really cool! The instructors were outstanding and could answer just about every question you'd throw at them, and then they went above and beyond to make sure you understood everything before moving on. Take advantage of that because they're all really knowledgeable and more than willing to help. I actually spent quite a bit of time learning things that interested me that weren't in the curriculum for my projects and they even had answers about that stuff too. I really think you'll get a lot out of this, but be prepared to put in the hours. The class goes from nine to five, but if you're willing to work nights and weekends and squeeze every bit of knowledge you can out of this then you'll be very impressed with what you know and can do by the end.
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Kendra Verified via LinkedIn
Buckle up!
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If you are looking for an in-person, immersize Data Science bootcamp that will give you skills and confidence in this burgeoning field, you need look no further than Metis. The highlights:
- Passionate, intelligent, yet personable and caring staff
- Applicable curriculum, a good balance of broad and deep
- Bright, motivated, supportive peers
- A true cheerleader in tne Career Support Advisor
I appreciated that there was a significant amount of "pre-work" recommended. This isn't a zero-to-hero bootcamp, and it shouldn't be. Everyone walks in with a baseline, so you can get more or less straight to work learning about Data Science. I enjoyed the project-based curriculum and believe it was a very effective way to teach new concepts. As you learn, you apply it. Instructors are highly available to assist with any questions or issues -- though they sometimes got monopolized by students seeking more help than others. They are incredibly patient, kind, and wise. Classmates were friendly and always willing to help -- it felt highly collaborative, and never overtly competitive. Metis puts forth a lot of effort to make it feel like a community and that each student is valued.
Beyond the Data Science, Metis teaches you *grit*: how to not give up, to find a way. *time management*: you don't have a lot of time for your projects -- so you learn how to time-block and set deadlines for yourself. *how to learn, and learn fast!*: don't know something? Google it. Find a book or a blog. Ask someone. Get creative. These are skills that will serve you well in The Real World.
My only quibble is that I was expecting a bit more from the Metis network in terms of finding a job. Perhaps the Seattle program is too new to have a vast expasne of alums armed with a trove of jobs, just waiting for us to graduate to bestow them upon us. Maybe I am just lazy and entitled. I should note that some alums were very involved and eager to help. Also, Marybeth, the career advisor, is an amazing resource. She is highly knowledgable -- and connected -- and is also always there for moral support. She'll help you structure your time post-bootcamp and negotiate that inevitable job offer.
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Marco Z Verified via GitHub
More Data Science, Less ETL
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I jumped at the chance to go back to the technical track of my career after spending far too long in technical management. My academic background has been in computer science and math, and I started professionally (a while ago) as a data dev and analyst.
Of the four or five data science immersives I researched, including the other two in-person full time programs in Seattle, Metis is the one that places more rigor and time in the data science aspect of the curriculum, as opposed to the data engineering side of it: data science first, the tools to do it second. Most other programs dedicate too much time to hashing over ETL and development best practices. Those are absolutely necessary in real-life data science positions (ask me about it over beer some time), but they should be a pre-requisite, as they are in Metis, in order to effectively immerse you in data science without distractions during the program.
That doesn't mean you end up being a stats nerd with no practical programming skills, on the contrary. The day starts with a programming brain teaser to fire up the neurons as the coffee kicks in, and the evening ends with you turning in a solid piece of working code that excercises the morning's data science theory and tools lecture.
I'm also always amazed at the quality of the people that make it into the program. From all walks of life, age groups and skill sets, but the common thread is that they have the intuition for data science, plus the drive to learn and do what needs to be done to master it.
And the people working for Metis are also top-notch: skilled, knowledgable, good instructors, administrators, and boosters for the data science professions in the business econsystem.
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LeeRyan Solomon Verified via LinkedIn
METIS Bootcamp CHI Fall 2018
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This Bootcamp has been one of the most rewarding experience. I got to learn alot and was introduced to so many new techniques regarding Data Science.
I had the pleasure to learn from Alice Zhao and Lara Katten. Both instructors are knowledgeable and are helpful through out the 12 weeks. Both of them are super humble for how much they know. They are perfect compliments.
The best analogy descibing this Bootcamp would be, say there are about 50 different doors where each door pertains to different topics in Data Science (e.g. Git, Data Viz, NoSQL, SQL, Supervised Learning, Unsupercised Learing etc). METIS opens these doors for you and helps you take the first step on the other side, then it is up to you to choose the topics you want to delve deeper into.
If you are thinking of making a career change to Data Science, please consider METIS Bootcamp. It will save you a lot of time and money.P.S. Everybody has their own interpretation of ratings. Please note I never give a perfect rating, for me a four star is a very high rating.
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Rachel Zhang Verified via LinkedIn
Data Science Fellow
Instructors at Metis are very experienced, willing to help with project questions and discuss ideas all the time.
The staff are super nice and helpful as well.
Great overall experience for data science training!
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Winnie Verified via LinkedIn
Great Community and Strong Career Support
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Metis turned me into a Data Scientist! I worked as a business analyst for about two years and had some exposure to analytics. But I lacked hands-on experience and a good understanding of machine learning. I tried to change my career path on my own but didn't have much luck. Trying to self-teach and rebrand, all on my own, was daunting and very stressful. I'm really glad that I found Metis and decided to commit to it.
Yes, you might be able to find all the materials online and learn everything on your own. But what makes Metis such a good experience is the instructors and career advisors. They really do care about your success! The instructors are not only good at explaining concepts but also have a lot of industry experience. I learned a lot about how to approach projects and design metrics from all the discussions I had with my instructors.
The bootcamp itself is tough and the job search after graduation is not any easier. Metis offers a lot of coaching and support to help me get to where I am today. Also, going through the job search process with my classmates provided a very crucial support network, and made it much easier to stick with it. I got multiple interviews through alumni referral and eventually landed a role through one of these referrals. The Metis community is incredible and I know it will be there to help me navigate through any challenges I have in my career.
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Chintan Verified via LinkedIn
Absolutely Recommend
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I joined Metis after reading reviews on websites such as this (Coursereport), and after attending one of their Meetups. In spite of all the 4-5 star reviews that I had seen, Metis beat all my expectations! Let me elaborate.
I earned my PhD in Experimental Chemistry at the University of Chicago. While my research was somewhat computational in nature, I was not well-equipped to get started with a career in Data Science. If you're from academia, you have to understand that universities have no interest or incentive to prepare their cheap-labor postdocs for real jobs. In spite of having science PhDs, half of my colleagues in academia weren't able to find a single job whatsoever, and some were already past their 5th year as postdoc (we're talking Physics, Chemistry, Math PhDs). Metis was instrumental in equipping me with all of the industry-relevant skills in a very short amount of time. They were also great with demonstrating the utility of ML/AI and the potential impact that it is likely to create in the next few decades or so. While one can technically learn all of this material by oneself, it would take at least a 9 months even if you did it full-time. It would take you multiple years if you tried learning all of it while doing some job or postdoc, which is why most postdocs can't make that transition by themselves.
Alice Zhao and Roberto Reif were both great instructors with many years of industry experience. I miss the energy from our instructors and cohort. Three weeks into the bootcamp, I remember a few of us discussing about how good the bootcamp was. Fast forward 6 months, and most of us who were looking for a job have found one. Having an advanced degree helps, but not having one is completely okay. I now work for a firm called Soothsayer Analytics (with Microsoft as end-client).
My only minor complaint from the bootcamp is that it doesn't delve too much into SQL or Time-Series Analysis, and a lot of companies like Facebook or Expedia make you go through really tricky SQL questions.
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Carlie Verified via LinkedIn
Career Change Experience
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TL;DR: Metis was amazing. The instructors set the tone for excitement, grit, intelligence, and success. The projects were invaluable experiences for learning so many data science skills and for using as examples of work in interviews/applications. The curriculum is as close to real-world experience as a bootcamp can get. A+ to Metis
I found Metis after several months of knowing I needed a career change and searching for the right way to jumpstart my return to tech after two years of completely unrelated work. I graduated undergrad as a mechanical engineer, worked as a research engineer, but then took a hiatus after moving to Seattle and worked as an assistant manager at a restaurant. I learned about data science through friends already working in tech in Seattle and realized I already had some of the skills from mechanical engineering and working in research, but I didn't have any recent relevant experience that would allow me to get a job anywhere. That's when I found Metis. I compared it against a couple other bootcamps, but honestly there was no comparison. Metis was an actual data science bootcamp - not just a coding bootcamp. Metis promised instructors with real-world experience and work-life balance. Metis promised a portfolio of work based on five data science projects compelted during the bootcamp. Metis was accreditted. And Metis was small, but already had excited students and a reputation for being hands-on, real-world-reflecting, and full of direct career support.
I was not disappointed. The application process was challenging, but appropriately so. My engineering background provided me with the proper math and thinking skills and I was accepted into the winter cohort of 2017. Then I had to complete the prework before starting in September; that was also very challenging, but totally necessary and I highly encourage you to do the prework if you want to do well. I had no prior programming experience other than Matlab, but I was able to teach myself enough Python in the month before starting to be completely capable during the bootcamp. That leads to another piece of advice: you get out of Metis what you put in. In other words, Metis is good for you if you're willing to put in the effort and the hours and learn a ton.
My final note, regarding my Metis experience, would be that the people made it what it is. The instructors were amazing; so intelligent, so in touch with real-world data science, so excited to be there and teach and guide, and just so overall great people. The rest of the cohort was amazing too; the application process and just the type of people Metis attracts includes only intelligent, passionate, and driven people. This was what drove the learning environment and what truly helped me get excited, challenge myself, and succeed.
For those of you interested in where you could end up: I am now a data scientist at a tech consulting company in Redmond. Because of my more recent graduation date, lack of an advanced degree, and minimal relevant paid experience, I began my role as an intern at the company. Do not let this deter you; the internship was invaluable especially after a particularly grueling application period (where I was applying to almost five companies each day for several months). I learned a ton during the internship and it was an opportunity to take risks in a lower pressure environment.
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Cyrus Rustomji Verified via LinkedIn
A strong educational experience!
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Being a math major, I wanted a deeper understanding of data science at an application based level, which I knew a masters program would not achieve. I looked across all the different bootcamps, and I found Metis as the only accredited course. The quality of instructors attracted me the most to Metis, and it is the only bootcamp that makes students complete 5 end-to-end projects. This fell in line with my urge to learn data science at an application based level. Each instructor has previous experience in the data science field from work to educational experience. These instructors made learning these complex topics easier to understand by applying basic real world analogies to them. Additionally, the instructors went around to students every day and made sure there were no lingering questions as a group and 1:1 basis.
Deciding to do Metis was a huge step for me, the financial, time, and educational undertaking were all factors in play when I decided to join Metis. Financially, Metis is the same across all bootcamps, and it is cheaper than completing a data science masters program. The time commitment is ideal as it is just 3 months; however, I would not recommend doing any job (part time included) with this course as you get more out of the course by solely focusing on the course itself. The educational undertaking seemed questionable at first but with the strong instruction from the instructors they cleared up any loose ends.
Regarding the course, I would highly encourage starting the pre-course work as soon as you receive it and make sure you understand each topic well. This will help you in every mornings pair problems and save time on your projects. One thing that helped me learn the data science algorithms better was that I would watch Andrew Ng’s videos on the topic we are learning for that day before class. This helped me absorb the information better than learning it for the first time in class. I also recommend completing the challenges that are given by the instructors. These are optional, but by completing a few of them, I was able to gain a stronger understanding of each topic.
Metis’s career support is extremely strong. The career support staff makes sure to get you connected with individuals at companies that you are interested in. The staff helps you get prepared for interviews by setting up frequent mock interviews. Joining Metis was an overall positive experience, and it changed my life for the better.
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Anthony Verified via LinkedIn
Great experience and highly recommended!
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I began my search to build skills towards data science without any real knowledge of what specific subjects or topics I needed to understand in the field, other than knowing a programming language such as Python. I researched various programs that offered a variety of courses but noticed that Metis was purely dedicated to data science. I looked over the courses (and accompanied curriculum) provided by Metis and was initially stuck between taking the Introduction to Data Science, or the Beginner Python & Math courses. I reached out to the team at Metis, and had an informative and helpful conversation with Amy Ramnath, and ultimately decided that the Beginner Python & Math course best suited my needs as a beginner looking to get his feet wet.
I took flight on my journey through the 6-week online Beginner Python & Math course from May 21st to June 27th twice a week, 3-hours per lecture, with Garrett Hoffman and Roberto Reif. Both Garrett and Roberto were fantastic teachers who are passionate about the subject matter, and whom make themselves available to assist students in answering questions or providing professional suggestions and recommendations towards student goals. There is copious material to cover and review throughout the 6-week course to get you rolling in the right direction, and as with any educational course, personal time allocated to studying and practicing outside of normal lecture hours should be anticipated and expected. Although the course material was dense, I feel much more confident and comfortable knowing that I've been provided a breadth of information and knowledge to establish a foundation to build on using Python and Jupyter notebook along with NumPy, Pandas, and Matpotlib packages, and understanding what subjects and topics in math (Linear Algebra, Calculus, Probability, and Statistics) are common to data science. A nice perk of the online course is that the lecture sessions were recorded, and could be reviewed at my own convenience if I were unable to attend lecture or needed to review material again.
Overall, this was an exceptional course that has provided me with more insight into understanding what baseline subjects I need to understand to begin working towards my goal of starting a data science career.
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Allen Verified via GitHubFantastic experience, great educators
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I think I may be of a slightly different variety than many students and attendees.
I am an adult undergraduate student in my Junior year of an applied mathematics degree. I attended my course as part of an independent study contract with my university.
I attended the 6-week Math and Python for Data Science program. My instructors were Gordon Dri and Roberto Reif.
In my experience, Gordon and Roberto as well as other support staff were extremely attentive, professional, courteous, and warm. Plus, in class, there was some humor to each lesson.
My class was online via video. It is a one-way video, so only the teachers can be seen by the students. This was super convenient. We could communicate via chat (which worked very well), and I could work from anywhere at all and still receive one on one help when necessary.
The iPython notebooks that are provided by Metis can be printed to create your own personal reference manual and can be customized and expanded.
I learned quite a bit more than anticipated, though I was thoroughly familiar with all of the mathematics that were covered.
I’m grateful for the experience. This stuff is going to be invaluable for research and lab work.
I would like to have seen more/deeper mathematics covered using python, but this is a relatively short beginners course with a specific application, and I’m leaving with more than enough tools to do it myself (which is the best way for me to really learn).
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Dan Taber Verified via GitHubSurpassed every expectation
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Doing Metis was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. The time/financial commitment is tough to swallow for anyone! That said, it’s one of the best decisions I ever made, as Metis paid off in every way you could imagine.
Several peers have captured the benefits of Metis here, so I’ll try to avoid repeating them and focus on what stood out to me personally …
The obvious doubt about a bootcamp was, “Why pay thousands of dollars?? I can learn all this online.” But Metis provided so many intangibles - career support, alumni network, mentorship from instructors, friendship from diverse peers - that you can’t get from an online course. Not to mention improving your chances to get a job. Prior to Metis, I tried to transition from academia to industry, but with zero success; I couldn’t get a single tech company to even consider me. Within 2 months after finishing Metis, though, I received multiple job offers and accepted one with a company that I’m thrilled to be at.
The project-based curriculum, with the guidance of experienced instructors, is the ideal way to learn. Aside from giving you a strong portfolio of material to use on the job market, the projects teach you to learn and apply new material quickly. In my first job after Metis, I was much more confident learning new tools because Metis had prepared me for the fast-paced learning you need to be a data scientist.
I can’t emphasize enough how committed the Metis instructors and staff are to students. They go above and beyond to not only teach you data science but provide mentorship, career support, and emotional support. The bootcamp and subsequent job search can be an emotional roller-coaster, so their support is instrumental.
Finally, one of my favorite things about Metis is that they don’t sugarcoat the challenges of the bootcamp or make grandiose, inflated claims about what the outcome will be. Getting a job in data science is very, very hard. Metis acknowledges it’s hard, doesn’t make any wild promises, but gives you every resource to succeed and remains committed to their alumni long after you graduate. They treat you like you’re part of their family.
My biggest piece of advice - think carefully about how you need to personalize the Metis experience to suit your needs. Everybody comes in with different backgrounds and life circumstances. There’s no single formula that works for everyone; when making decisions like picking projects, deciding when to start your job search, etc., you need to consider that what’s best for you. Whatever you choose, Metis staff are going to be there to help you through it.
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Jannie Chang Verified via LinkedIn
Metis changed my life!
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About a year ago, I was in your position. I was reading reviews about data science bootcamps and weighing my options. At the time, I was a full-time lawyer (no formal STEM background), watching MOOCs in the evenings and teaching myself python on the weekends. I attended Metis in Chicago during the spring of 2017. Within a month of graduating, I was recruited by a growing startup. Since then, I have been prototyping new tools, working with engineers, and enjoying the tech industry. This transition would have been impossible without Metis, its encouraging staff, its supportive instructors, and the genuine connections I made through Metis.
Having worked in my new profession for the past 6 months, I have a different perspective and new appreciation for my experience at Metis. The curriculum is rigorous, but well-structured and current. Our dedicated instructors, senior data scientists Zach & Seth, updated our lessons to tailor them to the needs of our cohort. With this foundation, I have had no problems learning other algorithms and tackling new projects at work.
Not only did Metis teach me to think like a data scientist, but more importantly, it also taught me to be a data scientist. Specifically, my transition from the bootcamp to my job was almost seamless. The bootcamp is full time 9 to 6, emulating the work day of a data scientist. We did standups, pair problems, completed projects in short deadlines, and presented our findings. Although, I wish we had dedicated more time to unit-testing and other “best practices” for collaboration with engineers, the instructors appropriately incorporated practices inspired by their own experiences and those common in the industry.
While the instructors well-prepared me for my new career, it’s the dedicated staff, program manager Nathan and career advisor Ashley, who got me this career. Metis regularly held events, hosted speakers, and organized the all-important Career Day to expose the cohort to all of Metis’ corporate and employer contacts. (I met my boss at an open house!) All the career workshops, including the essential mock interviews, were so well organized and thorough I was in fighting shape to apply, interview, and negotiate for my job.
Metis is the “marathon” of career transitions—intense, exhausting, longer than I thought I could handle, but when it’s over, so rewarding. After a quick but demanding 3 months, I left Metis with friends, a taste for junk food (so much free pizza & cake), mentors, an impressive portfolio of 5 projects, skills that I will be able to leverage for the rest of my life, and entrance into the most exciting industry.
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Susan Fung Verified via LinkedIn
Intense, rewarding experience
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I was part of the first cohort on the Seattle campus and came from a neuroscience background with bench science experience. To echo other reviews here, Do The Prework and do not procrastinate on that! My programming skills weren't as strong as the rest of my cohort and I likely spent more time on the prework as well as weekly HWs. The curriculum is standardized across campuses and the instructors prepare quite a bit to bring the material to life. I didn't even mind when we ran into technical difficulties when code failed or during installation days because it's a peek into real-life debugging a stack trace and troubleshooting.
With the bootcamp being project-focused, you are allowed to be as creative as you want. You will learn to fail fast and to love (or accept) the MVP. Between lectures, HW, and projects, this is a very intense, immersive program with regard to your time, and mental and emotional energy. During these 12 weeks, I'd say I spent an average of 12 hours a day on activities relating to the bootcamp, which includes attending Metis-sponsored speaker talks and regional networking events, so the access to resources is awesome. And in the end, it does make the payoff feel incredible.
My classmates were and are a valuable source of support. The staff is responsive and quite supportive and it's not that campus staff only interacts with their "home campus"; it's nice that you can learn from different career advisors and instructors if necessary. The alumni network is also a great source to bounce off ideas, learn about resources, keep up to date on job postings, and be silly!
What I also really appreciated about my Metis experience is that they help you not only learn new skills and how to apply them, but they helped me (re)discover skills that I enjoy and am good at, helping me polish those skills.
I am giving the curriculum less than 5 stars is that while there was great coverage to ML, there wasn't much time devoted to (advanced) SQL. A lot of data will already be housed in databases (at big, established companies) and relies on accessing it, rather than scraping it from outside sources. Talking to the next cohort, I think they remedied that, so 5 stars to listening to feedback!
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Jeff Verified via LinkedIn
Worth the price of admission/attendance
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Before: I had a bachelors in engineering and a law degree. I had worked in a number of different fields and didn't find a job that was fulfilling. I wanted to work on machine learning and NLP, and a bootcamp seemed like the fastest way to get there. From my research Metis seemed to be at exactly the right level for me. I didn't have an applied math Phd, but had a good amount of technical experience and math abilities that I wanted to take further.
Application: I had plenty of background in calculus, stats, and linear algebra, and some python experience. The application was challenging and multi-faceted, requiring math, coding skills, and some product sense/presentation skills as well. Looking back, it was important to have a competitive admissions process, as it allowed us to establish a baseline level of knowledge and hit the ground running on the first day.
Prework: Definitely do the prework. Unless you have been working as a data scientist before the bootcamp (unlikely if you are in the bootcamp), you will need to do the prework. I used it as a reference during the bootcamp as well. The more deeply you get the prework, the more time you can spend during the bootcamp on your project and more complex concepts.
Bootcamp: Full-time for three months. Days start with a coding challenge, followed by lectures, followed by project time. 5 projects in the bootcamp and a presentation to go along with each. Blogs were also encouraged, but not required for each of the projects. Classmates were diverse, thoughtful and supportive - in the 14 students we had, we had students straight out of school, and Phds who had worked in research for several years. The instructors were knowledgeable and made themselves available after class hours to answer any questions. There is definitely a lot to learn, but I found that there was a good balance between the theoretical, the practical, and practicing communicating using data with a business person/colleague/potential employer. Beyond the assigned work, nobody will be pushing you to go above and beyond, though, so you definitely get more out of it the more you put in.
Career support: Great career support that led to lots of positive effects (more interviews, more positive feedback from employers) as I am going through the job search process. The alumni network is very helpful in the job search as well.
Job: It's only been a few weeks since the bootcamp finished, but I have a good number of leads at companies that I would have been ecstatic to work at before the bootcamp started. When I interviewed, I felt technically prepared even when it was with teams staffed entirely of Phds. I'm confident I'll find a fit in a position I'll be very happy with. I don't think it's reasonable to expect any three month bootcamp to be a silver bullet that will get you a job at Google, but Metis definitely made a huge difference in focusing me towards an exciting data science career.
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Zoe Verified via LinkedIn
Intense and totally worth it
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Before: Psychology major with eclectic work experience for the six years since I'd graduated. Decided I didn't have enough concrete skills/experience to land a job that would be challenging and interesting enough, and I didn't trust myself to learn on my own. Decided on a bootcamp because of the structure and network it would provide, and considered data science because it seemed more niche than coding.
Application: I wasn't set on attending Metis, but when the application was harder than I expected, I was determined to get in. With virtually zero coding experience, I had to learn everything on the spot, and honestly that application was the most empowering weekend of my life. And I got in. Whoo!
Prework: I worked right up until the bootcamp started, so it was challenging to finish up there while completing the prework (I enrolled three weeks before the start date). However, the application plus the prework meant that I was prepared for the bootcamp. Would have been really hard to do the bootcamp without the prework.
Bootcamp: Full-time for three months. My boyfriend was annoyed that I was always working on projects, and I probably would have done better on my projects if I'd been single, but alas. Classmates were very supportive (I didn't experience any competitiveness between people). My cohort was unusually small (19 people), which was nice, and the small size of Metis overall meant it felt very personal, but the WeWork environment provided more people to chat with, ping pong, and coffee. Class material was great, and A LOT. Every day we "learned" something that I could have spent at least a week playing around with. There's really too much to learn, and the hardest part of the bootcamp was figuring out how to prioritize between projects, challenges, reviewing lectures, doing the extra readings, and experimenting on my own. The projects were challenging but essential for learning and also provided good presentation experience. Although both of my instructors were very knowledgeable and eager to help, the quality of instruction varied; I think Metis needs to spend more time preparing instructors (because intelligent people don't always teach well, especially not on such a wide variety of tools). Daily pair coding was awesome for the learning and the social aspect, and occasional cohort+staff activities were nice too. Definitely not an easy program! But like most things, you get what you put in, and of course YMMV.
Career support: Awesome career support throughout the bootcamp and beyond. Headshots, resume help, mock technical and non-technical interviews, speakers from the field, etc. Luckily I got a job pretty quickly and didn't need that much help after the bootcamp, because I think supporting the current cohort and the one that just graduated is too much for one person and she was sometimes hard to connect with once the new cohort started.
Job: I got a job! It's a data/backend engineer for an advertising/marketing agency. I don't use any data science per se, but I LOVE my job and I definitely could not have gotten it without the coding I learned at Metis and the opportunity of Metis Career Day, where I met my current manager.
Feel free to call/text me to hear more! 917-583-5942
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Aaron Wiegel Verified via GitHubExtremely valuable experience
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Before attending Metis, I was a postdoctoral researcher in chemistry who was not feeling academic research anymore. I took some online classes in data science and thought it seemed like a cool and interesting field, but online courses can only take you so far. Also, I lacked enough connections to actual data scientists to really get a job in the field. I got into and applied to several different boot camps to help me bridge this gap, but I really appreciated that Metis did not try to oversell me on my prospects afterwards. Some of the other boot camps could really learn from this no nonsense approach.
Metis helped me bridge that gap between academia and the tech industry through both the data science cirriculum and career workshops. The cirriculum starts out much more lecture focused, but quickly turns to applying that knowledge to actual projects. Lectures include both descriptions of the math behind various algorithms and programming demonstrations showing practical programming/computing skills like web scraping, SQL, and using AWS. Career-wise, weekly workshops helped you to get started on improving your resume, LinkedIn profile, and networking strategies. I felt it was extremely focused and helpful, if a bit intense! (they don't call it a boot camp for no reason.)
By the end of the program, you have a portfolio of projects covering the major areas of data science (Supervised Learning: regression and classification, Unsupervised Learning/Natural Language Processing) and your final passion project. These let you start networking with other data scientists in the field and give you something to talk about!
The other people in my cohort were also wonderful. It was a pleasure to interact with people of such diverse professional and personal backgrounds. I felt like I not only met a bunch of professional contacts but also some great new friends.
The boot camp just ended last week, but I have met so many new contacts that I don't think it will be too long to find the right position. The boot camp also offers indefnite career support and lets you return to the office as much as you need. Even a lot of the alumni who already found jobs come back on a regular basis and offer career/interview advice if you ask.
The only thing I think could be better about the curriculum is that there could have been more feedback about projects/challenges. It seemed like it came a bit late or inconsistently. Also, we went over the basics of Big Data tools like Hadoop/Spark, but it felt a little out of place since we never used it.
The one last thing I would add is that this is called a boot camp for a reason. Be sure that you are mentally and emotionally prepared, because while it was a wonderful experience, it was a very intense one. I'm glad that my cohort was such an amazing, positive, and passionate group of people to help me (and everyone else) get through this experience.
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Tim Martin Verified via LinkedIn
Great experience
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Prior to attending Metis I was a data analyst for a market research company. At the time, I was ready to leave my company for a new position, and so I conducted a search for new analyst or data scientist roles. I had trouble finding a good opportunity, and I found that I wasn't competitive for the data scientist positions to which I applied.
Metis helped me change that. After 3 months of bootcamp and a couple more of job searching, I got a GREAT data scientist position.
Metis is valuable because you learn a lot, and you apply that knowledge to concrete projects that show organizations what you can do. You should end the bootcamp with presentations, github repositories, and blog posts that form a portfolio to help you get hired as a data scientist.
The Metis network of alumni, staff, and companies that often hire Metis grads is also indispensable in hooking you into the data science scene and making opportunities known to you.
To comment on the day-to-day aspects of the bootcamp, the curriculum is full of useful material, and each morning's pair programming assignments really complement the material that we learn in the lectures. My one complaint here is that some of the algorithms and code examples were not explained very clearly in the lectures; I think specific lectures could have been a lot better. That said, lectures are where the learning starts, but then you continue by using the material and asking follow-up questions, so there's always opportunity to understand what you didn't before.
The instructors were great. They're very knowledgeable and always willing to help. During my job search, one of the instructors volunteered to help me prepare for a presentation that I had to give in an interview. Another instructor agreed to drill me on algorithm questions for an hour in preparation for another interview. I'm super grateful for their help.
Lastly, the individual career coaching was incredibly helpful. It's just great to have an experienced person giving you advice and helping you practice for interviews and whatnot. My only gripe here is that the career coach seems like she's got a few too many balls in the air at one time, so I had to be more aggressive about following up on certain things. On the upside, Metis seems to be very interested in feedback and making improvements, so I expect that issues will be ameliorated over time.
All in all, Metis was well worth the cost. I was able to make the career leap into data science that I wanted to make, as well as meet a great group of friends and colleagues!
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Ana Gentle Verified via LinkedIn
Valuable Experience
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I finished the Data Science Bootcamp in April of 2017 and it was a great experience! Making a career change is difficult and Metis did an excellent job of preparing me to enter the field. The technical skills and network I built have been invaluable and certainly worth the time and effort the program demands.
If you're interested in reading a more in-depth review, check out my blog post.
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Kayla Starmer
Could not recommend enough
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I chose to write my review one year into working as a data scientist to give an honest assessment of my experience with the program from the perspective of an actual data scientist, not an aspiring one. My honest assessment is this - you can go into Metis with literally no experience in data science and be employable by the time you graduate. I shopped around a lot for the boot camp that I believed would give me the best shot at getting a job by three criteria - hands on instruction, one on one availability, and curriculum. Metis did not disappoint in these areas; instructors always made themselves available to help with a project or a lecture that I couldn’t quite grasp. They also did a great job tailoring their instruction to the vast audiences present in the boot camp (fresh math PhDs vs those of us who hadn’t taken a math class in 8 years) and taking feedback when things weren't clicking. As for the curriculum, I think Metis provides a great foundation for machine learning specifically. While it’s true that in my first role as a data scientist I’m doing little machine learning and mostly working in SQL, having an impressive portfolio filled with machine learning projects on my CV is what got me all of my job interviews. Another important part of Metis’s curriculum is how their lectures are rarely disambiguated; they teach every lecture within the context of a project meant to solve real world problems with data science. This was especially helpful for both remembering the content and applying techniques in my first job. In conclusion, I couldn’t recommend Metis enough. It will still probably be hard to land your first job, but choosing this boot camp will both prepare you and make employers look twice at your CV.
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Jonathan
Tight-Knit Community with High Standards, Higher Results
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I had an incredible experience at Metis. The program is a rewarding experience if you are up for the challenge.
Admissions: It will require you to have a bit of python experience (Metis offers an Intro Course that is perfect for beginners) so be sure to practice coding on one of the many resources out there and to brush up on basic statistics and probability. And if you feel like you need more practice, Metis lays out pre work to cover any areas you may need a bit of reinforcement in. The admissions team is extremely responsive and will work with you to make sure you are in the right program and have a great experience.
Program: The topics were broken up into digestible modules that start with exploratory data analysis and build into more complicated data science and machine learning content. The teachers are world class. Some with PHDs and others with elite educational and/or professional experience, many of the teachers having nearly a decade of data science background. Each week includes pair programming challenges to continue to refine your python skills, engaging lectures with quizzes to reinforce learnings, office hours and time to work on module project deliverables. Both the teachers and the teaching assistants are extremely helpful at working with you to instill concepts and help apply concepts to your personal projects. In addition, your classmates, Metis faculty, the careers team and admin teams become your second family. Make no doubt, the program is challenging and requires hard work, but you can be successful whether your fresh out of college or an experienced professional looking to pivot into a data science career. The diversity in experience within my cohort and the teaching staff made for a well rounded experience that opened my mind to different view points, ideas and solutions both in programming and professional situations.
Career Services: A+ ... Jen and Ashley are truly incredible as career advisers. As part of your program we had nearly one speaker every two weeks, all former Metis alumni working in finance, sports, government, entertainment, consulting and information technology to name a few. The careers teams also has a couple of introductory sessions to help plant the seed on how to begin working on your resume, networking and use the Metis network. After the bootcamp, you have an entire week of workshops with career teams including mock interviews both technical and personal, resume polishing and advice on how to attack the job search. The Metis Alumni community is truly incredible and almost always willing to lend you an ear whether it be for things like interview advice or looking for a role. Many of my job leads came from Metis Alumni either posting or referring me to roles. Jen was instrumental in helping me get more "cold call" resume submissions into interviews than I had ever had previous to Metis. Not to mention, there are firms where I knew what questions were coming from the preparation I had done with the careers team. There were even some places where I skipped a round of interviews because I went to Metis and the company knew the standards the program has for itself and its students abilities. Jen helped me negotiate multiple offers which resulted in higher pay and getting a fantastic role, all within two months of graduating the bootcamp. -
Tawney
Worth the investment
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I found my time in Metis to be challenging but incredibly rewarding. Prior to Metis, I worked in management consulting so I had very little background in data science. The skills I gained through the programme enabled me to get a data science role a month after graduating from the bootcamp.
ADMISSIONS: Rigorous process but the Admissions team was supportive throughout the process. They provide guidance on what to expect for the testing / interview process as well as materials to help you prepare.
PROGRAMME: The curriculum was robust and well structured. Each module built on top of skills learned in the previous module to deliver a strong, incremental learning process. The instructors were amazing - I thoroughly enjoyed learning from and engaging with Vinny and Leon. Fortunately, you were able to book 1:1 time with instructors for as much as you needed, which really helps the learning process. The Teaching Assistants were also incredibly engaged and supportive. The peer element in the programme is also so important! Because of the programme's focus on skill level and cultural fit (collaborative, not competitive), you really feel like you are a part of an awesome community of smart, kind and supportive people!
CAREERS / POST BOOTCAMP: Engaging with Careers for input on my CV, interviews, and negotiating process was so helpful! Ashley provided a lot of advice and insight on what to expect as I progressed through my job search until I received the offer. -
Chris Doenlen
Curriculum, Community, Commitment
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After several years in finance, I wanted to pivot my career towards data and decided a bootcamp would be the fastest and most direct path to that goal. I think the core benefits of a program like this are (a) outsourcing the time and decision-making of curating a curriculum, (b) cultivating a data science community, and (c) making a commitment in terms of time and finance to learning the material, getting hands on practice, and finding that next job. While evaluating different programs, Metis really stood out from the others. Here's an unordered list of things I learned throughout my experience that may help you decide if this program is right for you:
- Admissions process was the most rigorous, which means you'll spend more time in the program learning and implementing advanced concepts.
- Similarly, your cohort will be filled with highly intelligent, driven students to collaborate with. Metis is highly selective and prefers collaborative over competitive. I found my fellow students to be extremely generous with their time and ideas - we formed study groups outside of class hours, and supported each other in any way we could during the job search after.
- The faculty is truly amazing - the teachers, program managers, and career advisors are all invested in your progress.
- The capstone projects really stood out to me when I was comparing different programs. There are some really exceptional projects all around, but those from Metis students were on average more captivating .
- You'll get access to a large network of alumni and hiring partners. I found alumni to be very supportive -- reach out to folks on slack or linkedin, have a conversation, they'll often make referrals. Again, it's a very collaborative community!
- While I was evaluating different programs, I reached out to alumni from each. Look at their career progression, ask about their experiences. I found Metis folks on average to be more enthusiastic about their bootcamp experiences than those at other programs.
There's plenty more I could say, but I think this captures the main ideas. I found Metis to be an integral part of my career transition and would highly recommend it to those with the means. Please feel free to reach out via linkedin if you want to chat more or have any questions!
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Julian Cheng
Difficult but Rewarding Experience
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If you're not sure which review to trust because you're not sure which shoes you fill out, hear me out for just a moment. I'm a bioengineering student. Coding, let alone data science, was a world away for me. I barely knew there was a science to data. But with the continuous support of the instructors, and then the diligent career advisors even well after the bootcamp had ended, I went from mean, median, mode, to creating full-fledged end-to-end projects, even in my own time. Metis is a revolutionary experience, but you'll have to put in the hard work to make the most of it. -
David Weon
Excellent way to jump start your career into data science/analytics
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The Metis data science bootcamp is an excellent way for you to not only jump start your career into data science/analytics but also to feel out if this is what you really want to do in your career. I had some coding/analytical experience prior to the program and yet I still found myself really grateful for the extra prep that Metis emphasized before Day 1. The course will teach you the foundational concepts of data science in both the technical and professional aspects of the field. Of course, you will learn how to code different machine learning concepts but I found the greatest help in learning how to translate that and present it to an audience that may not know what machine learning even is. In my opinion, this professional skill is fundamental to the success in your new job/career outside the bootcamp. Lots of people can code, but are you able to deliver the insights from that data?
As a bootcamp, it will no doubt be challenging and you will constantly feel like you don't know anything. However, by the end of the program, your imposter syndrome will slowly disappear as you gain more confidence with each completed project. The program's return really depends on how much you are willing to invest in it. The resources are excellent with the instructors and TAs providing a wealth of experience and knowledge to really help you at every step of the way. I found myself having to review the concepts that I just learned each day after "class hours" and I was lucky enough to have that time. If you don't have that kind of luxury, the concepts might just fly past you. Or maybe you don't need the review and you're absolutely brilliant.
Regardless, I think the deciding factor for this program for me was the project-driven curriculum. By the end, you end up with a portfolio of data science projects that you can add to your resume and have the confidence in explaining tough concepts during interviews. The lectures nicely follow the project format and each day you learn something new that can help you refine the particular project you are working on.
I would highly recommend this data science bootcamp if you have prior technical/coding/analytical experience and are looking to break into the data science/analytics field. Metis also has a wide network of alumni that you have access to once you graduate and this is really invaluable to your job search post-bootcamp. -
Lisa
Transformative experience
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I attended Metis in the summer of 2020 after spending a decade in education as a math teacher and administrator. Simply put, Metis was the best decision I ever made. The experience changed my life and gave me the skills and confidence to pivot to a completely different industry. As an educator, I was consistently impressed with the quality of the curriculum and support and expertise of the instructors. While it can feel a little like information overload at times (it is a bootcamp after all), the projects are where your learning really comes together! The experiences I gained with the projects prepared me to hit the ground running in my new job. The career support was truly the best career information I've received in my professional experience. Throughout the experience, they plan workshops, alumni sessions, and one-on-one support that prepare you for the job search process. After the bootcamp, careers is there for you as much or as little as you want. Additionally, the Metis alumni community is AMAZING! With the support of careers and the alumni network, I was able to land a job as an Associate Data Scientist just a few weeks after graduating! I highly recommend Metis to anyone looking to transition into Data Science! -
Han
High Quality Data Science Program, Worth the Tuition
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Hi,
I am currently a Director of a proprietary trading company as well as an adjunct professor at the Business School at DePaul University in Chicago.
I took the 12 week Metis data science program between April and June 2020 between the job transition.
I wanted a full-time, in-person data science/coding boot camp. I had a commitment issue with pre-recorded videos. Also, I wanted a real time interaction with instructors to resolve any issues that I would face as opposed to getting into a rabbit hole trying to find the answer myself, since I sometimes do not even know what the issue is.
While the Metis program was offered through zoom link due to pandemic, I am truly grateful that I chose Metis program to improve my quantitative and coding skills. I had such a high quality and efficient coursework and met amazing instructors, TAs and cohorts.
I am very satisfied with the quality of the program as it covered a wide range of topics covering not just python coding skills but theoretical mathematical and statistical background necessary to become a good data scientist. I have advanced degrees in mathematics from MIT and financial economics from Stanford Graduate School of Business. While I had already learned many of the mathematics and statistics topics such as regression, classification, etc at school, Metis instructors taught the courses much more intuitive and in an engaging way that there were a lot of ‘ah ha’ moments that I realized how intuitive these concepts were, which I did not have back at these top schools.
The instructors were also so good at presentation that it was such a pleasure to learn the way they taught. I learned a lot about not just the course material, but about the way they do presentations. Also, their attitude towards data science and learning set such a high standard that I was very impressed. I could truly see that they did this teaching not just as a daily job, but as their passion.
Finally, I felt so lucky to be with such supportive and friendly cohorts that I would like to keep in touch with them even after graduation. I felt that I was always welcome in the group and wanted to work with them in the future.
I loved the program so much that when my son (currently in elementary school) goes to college and if he decides to pursue a science and engineering major, I will enroll him in the Metis program as a gift for his college entrance. I think all the materials and skill sets that I learned from Metis are so fundamental and critical for any person with a quantitative major or a career path, that I want my son to learn these concepts and skill sets as fundamental building blocks no matter what his major/interest would be.
Overall, there are many data science/coding boot camps or degree programs, and I am afraid that some of them focus on teaching students various technical skills without really emphasizing the fundamental understanding of when and why we use these techniques. I sometimes interview students out of master's programs in data analytics. While they claim they did many projects using many fancy machine learning projects, the majority of them do not have 'true' understanding of why they used the specific methods and why some approaches would work or not work. Some of them do not even understand basic concepts such as 'over-fitting' vs 'under-fitting', or 'R-squared' in regression. When solving real world problems, one has to have a solid understanding of the problem as well as the methodology that they want to apply, so that when a method is not working, they would understand why and what to do next. Just blindly repeating 10 different machine learning technologies without any idea of why they are working or not working is not acceptable. In that sense, I learned a great intuition on topics from Metis class, and am very happy with the quality of the program. It was totally worth the tuition.
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Darien Mitchell-Tontar
Metis data science bootcamp
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I attended Metis in the Spring of 2020, and as a high school math teacher for the previous 8 years, I entered the program with minimal coding and data science skills. In my 12 weeks there, Metis transformed me from an apprehensive career-changer, to a confident and competent data scientist. Post graduation the career services team supported my job search, and after 3 months I received two excellent job offers. I ultimately ended up at an extremely successful start-up where I am able to leverage my skills as a data scientist and educator.
There are many positives to share from my experience, but I will highlight some of the major ones below:
1. Upon graduating you will have a robust data science portfolio:
Throughout the bootcamp you will complete 5 projects (1 group, 4 individual). Other than a few basic requirements for which tools and algorithms to use, you are in complete control over your project. You come up with a problem, find data, complete an analysis and present your results. Some people may prefer more structure, but if you are uncomfortable with this fluidity then maybe reconsider trying to become a data scientist. The hands on work prepares you for the "real world."
In addition to the projects, you'll write a minimum of two blog posts and maintain a Github page. Both are instrumental in your job search.
2. The instructors are excellent and truly care about their students:
The instructors are experts in data science, programming and presenting results. They are always willing to help you scope and debug your projects, but they definitely do not hold your hand. They are also open about some of the personal struggles you may face as a data scientist, such as imposter syndrome and battling perfectionism, and will help you grapple these issues as well.
3. Your python programming skills will improve dramatically
You will write a lot of python code throughout the bootcamp, which is essential because Python is overwhelming the most common language used by data scientists. By the time you graduate, as long as you put the work in, you will have the python programming skills necessary to perform in the workforce.
4. The career services team is excellent and supports you during and after the bootcamp
They will tell you everything you need to do in order to make you a strong candidate, and they will also help you get there. This includes: updating your resume, encouraging you to write a blog, encouraging you to maintain a Github page, apply to 7-10 jobs per week (or whatever you feel comfortable with), recommending resources to study post-graduation, etc. Again, they can't force you to do all of these things, but if you follow their guidance you will put yourself in a much better position.
They will also coach you through practice interviews (both during and after graduating) and will provide guidance throughout the application process.
I have plenty more to say about Metis, so please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions.
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Nick Wilders
Propelled Career Change to Employment as Data Analyst!
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In February 2020, I was a full-time career musician who didn't even know what Python was, let alone how to create neural networks and algorithms using it. On year later, I received a full-time job offer as a Data Analyst (while in the interview process for a separate Data Scientist job) , and that simply would not have been possible without Metis. My case is not typical (I had a pre-existing relationship with the company, but had previously been rejected from the position) but I still credit Metis for giving me the qualifications and confidence to snag this role.
Metis was recommended to me by an alum after my own self study in Python and data science; I could tell from quick research that it was intense, challenging, and well-fit for motivated, self-starting students. The admission process was straightforward, including a technical screening and personal interview. I was prepared for the technical screening after approximately four months of self-guided study in Python (using Coursera and Udemy), and a bit of linear algebra review. i would suggest doing some Python challenge problems before undertaking the admission exam, especially if you're not very comfortable solving basic to intermediate problems on the fly.
I was accepted to the program and found out that Metis offers a $3,000 diversity scholarship that was a substantial factor in my decision to attend. Basically every protected minority is covered by this scholarship. It was clear on my first day of class that Metis walked the walk on valuing diversity. We were a decently ethnically diverse cohort (starting with about 30 students), coming from many backgrounds and skillsets. My background in the arts and the non-profit sector gave me confident presentation skills, but I was far less skilled than many of my classmates at programming. It became clear who was good at what, and my experience was a cohort of data scientists eager to help each other with our own individual expertises.
Metis utilizes a project-based curriculum, with one group project and four individual projects. The "final project" is emphasized in the promotional materials and talked about a lot, but in my experience so far, all four individual projects have come up in interviews and are equally weighted. The units are (basically) Exploratory Data Analysis (group project), Linear Regression, Classification, NLP, and a final project that probably (but not necessarily) integrates a neural network or some other sort of deep learning. Although you learn a lot in there, the class felt like it was divided up into these five specific units.
There was a West Coast and East Coast cohort, but we had our lectures and various speaker events together. There were separate instructors and TA's for both, but the lines were blurry and I felt comfortable chatting with both TA's and teacher sets. I found the teachers to be very qualified and mostly very adept - some instructors are more willing to hold your hand through the learning process, and some will basically present you the material and leave it up to you to facilitate your own understanding. All lectures are recorded and made available. The teachers are responsive to your needs; if someone asked for a lecturer to go a bit slower, they always did.
Career Services post graduation are excellent if you take advantage of them. My Career Advisor, Jen, was such a knowledgeable and confident expert in the hiring process and was helpful whenever I had questions. You are provided resources on Salary Negotiation, Networking, and admission into the alumni Slack channel where jobs are frequently posted. Our program manager, Jesel, was also very personable and excellent at keeping us informed through every step of the process.
I have no complains about my experience, but If you decide to go to Metis (or any bootcamp), your potential success is hinged on your own initiative. Instructors and alumni of the program told me that writing Medium articles and creating public-facing articles for your projects go a long way, and they were 100% correct. My articles came up in every interview I had, and I believe that my Classification project article was what locked in interest for the position I was ultimately offered! Rewatch lectures, find extra resources for things you don't understand, and utilize the brain power of your cohort members. Metis certainly provides all of the tools you need to succeed as a data scientist, but you have to take the initiative to take them.
Good luck! -
Karen Benson
Metis Python Course
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The Metis Python course is extremely beneficial to anyone who would like to optimally leverage data in presenting their business results. The three-week course provided the ideal amount of time to learn the basics of Python. As a human resources executive, I have found that Python is an essential skill to master the intersection of human resources and technology. Stakeholders consistently depend on utilizing data to best illustrate how to attract and retain top talent, address gaps in areas of diversity, etc. Globally, as the workforce has been transitioning to work remotely, the ability to use Python has a greater significance today than ever before. -
Anna Bradley-Webb
Worth it!
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Can't say enough good things about this program. If you know that you want to be a data scientist and you have a background in programming and statistics, I highly recommend Metis. It's fast-paced and covers a lot of material, but the instructors are amazing and the project-based format really emphasizes understanding the material. You learn data science in a very practical way and there's a focus on best practices and job skills. I honestly wished I could have stayed for another 3 months and just kept learning and working on my projects. The career support is also incredibly helpful. A career change like this is a huge commitment, but if you're sure about data science, this is a great way to go. -
Gautam Soni
Data Science Beginner
Metis has brilliant teachers. Adam Wearne did an awesome job of explaining such an overwhelming series of topics in data science in a very succinct way in such a small span of time. I don’t think there is a better way for busy professionals to get up to speed in this alternate world of data science than this structured content delivery from Metis. -
C Lew
A Rigorous Program
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This boot camp really is an immersive program to the core. The first few weeks were intense but at the same time rewarding. Keep in mind that nothing is handed to you on a platter and you must put the work in. The instructors were when needed for questions and answers. The curriculum touched on a myriad of topics and it can be difficult to cover everything in detail in 12 weeks. Hence, if something really catches you, go deep in it as a project. The program introduces you to the tools and you have to continue learning right after the program ends.
It may not be for everyone, but before you dive into the program, make sure one actually does complete the preparation for it as it will be crucial to your success. Overall, the program was worth it especially the network of friends that I have made. I will always cherish the times I had at Metis-Seattle. -
Andreas Oikonomou
Best Investment
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Metis exceeded my expectations. As long as you are on top of things, you will learn everything you need to know to be fully qualified for a Data Scientist role at a reputable firm. The program is dense, but its structure makes it enjoyable at the same time. Instructors, TAs are amazing and always available to help (and the rest of the staff of course).
Do not hold back if you do not have previous experience in data or computer science. I did not, I started learning Python 2 months before the program and did not know any other programming language. A quantitative background helps, but Metis still offers a lot of pre-course material to help you. Metis is a great and very efficient place that will help you break into the Data Science world. Needless to say, you will also make a lot of friends and work connections!
