NYC Data Science Academy

My experience at the NYCDSA was really amazing although it was fully remote at the time (Jan - Apr 2021). When I joined, I already had strong skills in programming but my data science skills were close to none. The teachers at the academy were very patient with all of us and taught us everything from basic programming in R and Python, basic data analysis, statistics before moving on to machine learning models.
I decided to go with the academy because of its AMAZING alumni network. Before signing up, I reached out to alumni working in the industry and a really large number of them got back to me and even had long calls with me to give me the pros and cons of joining. This was reassuring as it shows the networking culture instilled in students at the academy.

After graduating, the academy has also been really useful at helping students land job and the academy introduced me to my current employer.

Finally the NYCDSA really sets itself in a different class of bootcamps because of how helpful the instructors and admins are at ensuring the student's success.

I graduated from the 12-week remote-live bootcamp in December 2020 and have since transitioned into a data scientist position. Based on my personal experience, I would say that the education/training provided by the bootcamp and the career support provided afterwards are excellent and well worth the investment if someone is truly serious about making a career transition into the data science. 

Prior to enrolling into the bootcamp, I worked in academic research & clinical trials doing primarily lab work with a degree in molecular biology. No longer wishing to continue with benchwork, I thought data science would be a good transition given my scientific background and familiarity with programming in R. In looking for data science programs, I eventually chose to enroll at NYCDSA because of the range of topics they cover and that the school teaches both R and Python. The enrollment staff were open to answering many of questions and concerns regarding enrollment and my career prospects after the bootcamp. 

With respect to the actual bootcamp experience, I would say that my experience was challenging but necessary. Quite frankly, there is a lot of material that is covered within a relatively short period of time, so keeping pace with the work and the data science projects was difficult at times. Thankfully, the instructors and teaching assistants were supportive in helping students with their work and answering questions. The teaching staff are aware that the training is intense and allot specific days and times just to help students. The projects that you complete within the bootcamp also go a long way towards improving your portfolio and hardening the data science skills.

Post-graduation, there is also a lot of work that goes to preparing for interviews and additional materials not covered in the bootcamp like SQL. We would often have weekly meetings regarding job hunting in the data science market and how to prepare for technical interviews. The alumni staff would regularly inform us of job opportunities. I would say that if you are willing to make the intensive bootcamp your top priority then you will definitely reap the rewards.

I graduated from the 12-week remote live boot camp in April 2021. I can't speak highly enough of this program.

A bit about my background: BA&MA in social science (psychology), I had a lot of stats knowledge but very minimal programming experience. I had taken an introductory data science class and fell in love with the material. I chose NYCDSA over other boot camps because they teach both R and Python (this is a huge plus - I strongly believe both are necessary for most jobs). I had no industry experience and was a recent grad.

Prior to starting the program, all students are assigned about a month of pre-work. This includes some introductory calc, linear algebra, statistics, and basic R and Python in Jupyter - this is mostly to make sure everyone is on the same page for day 1. In the 12 week program, mornings were lecture-heavy. After lunch, we would have either occasional extra learning, homework/material reviews, and dedicated time to work on projects. I found the pace to be completely fair - we moved through the intro material a little slower, which is to be expected.

The curriculum is fantastic. There's an emphasis on the theoretical background behind ML algorithms, as opposed to just having the instructors provide use cases. The program covered R and Python, as well as SQL, some UNIX/console coding, Github, and (in my Big Data track) Hadoop and Spark. The projects students complete are really essential. They provide solid data science experience on your resume and really stand out. Having the practice to present to your cohort and write up your findings in a blog post really ensures that we know how to speak to our knowledge and explain it to those with a less technical background.

The instructors and TAs are incredible. They come from a variety of backgrounds (some CS, some math, some other!) and really provide unique approaches to teaching. The staff was always available for questions and happy to help with homework or project-related questions.

As far as the remote aspect: my program was the COVID online alternative to an in-person, 9-5 program. I was highly impressed with the quality of the online learning, and I genuinely feel that the remote program is just as good as any in-person offering. Through slack, we were able to form a community and really feel close to my other cohort members and instructors.

By far, I was most impressed with the career counseling services. NYCDSA helps with resume refreshing, cover letter writing, Linkedin profile personal branding, and professional email writing. But the support goes so much beyond this. I've received mock interview practice (both behavioral and coding), and the post-boot camp study plan really prepares you for any job interviews in data science-related fields. NYCDSA really cares about its students and wants to ensure their success. If you take advantage of all the resources available and how kind and caring the staff is, you are bound to succeed!

A final note on my success with NYCSDA.
Before beginning the boot camp:

• I spent 6-9 months looking for jobs. Not only did I fail to find a position, but I didn't get a single interview.

After the boot camp:

• I applied to 50-75 jobs in the 6 weeks after graduation. I got many rounds into the interview process and ended up receiving job offers from 4 positions! 
• Two months after I graduated, I started my current job as an analytic modeler for a professional services firm. I am making double my salary expectations prior to the boot camp, and I genuinely love what I do.

NYCDSA really changed my life. I cannot recommend this program enough. If you're considering getting into data science, this is your sign to apply today!

I graduated from the 12-week remote live program in December 2020 and I highly recommend it. The program is intensive but well worth the challenge. 

Prior to NYCDSA, I had just finished my undergrad and was looking to break into the data science field. At the time, I had a strong quantitative background and a decent foundation in programming but was missing tangible data science projects/experience. I found myself gravitating more towards this program than any other Bootcamp because the time frame worked perfectly for me, and after cross-referencing them and their alumni, they seemed legit. 
My overall experience throughout the Bootcamp was positive. The instructors knew what they were talking about and taught it well. Additionally, the optional homework they provide helps reinforce what they teach. One thing I want to highlight is their willingness to stick with struggling students. There were several instances where I didn’t understand a particular machine learning topic and I was able to schedule time with an instructor to hash it out. It was these talks that cemented the conceptual part and ultimately made implementing these concepts much easier. 
However, what most impressed me was their post-Bootcamp curriculum. They don’t just take their students’ money and leave, NYCDSA provides supplemental material that helps prepare newly graduated students for interviews. Additionally, Vivian scheduled weekly zoom meetings to advise us on our job hunt and keep us accountable. It was these accountability meetings where gems lie and what truly helped me with my search. Vivian went above and beyond to make my job search more efficient and successful, taking time out of her schedule to work 1 on 1 with me as a mentor. I’m truly grateful and highly recommend this program! 

After 18 years of specialist experience, I was starting to develop a FOMO with Data Science. After some research and recommendation from a friend who completed this program I decided to enroll. No doubt, this will change my life. It was liberating and the 6-month investment was well worth the tuition fees. The instructors were experienced and curriculum was cutting edge and the program 'forced' me to keep pace with my learning and successfully complete it. It was hard, because I have a demanding job on an xVA trading desk at an investment bank but this was a necessary investment in the skills for the future. There is no limit to the applications of Data Science and I encourage more executive-level candidates with strong business experience and some STEM experience to challenge themselves. You will not regret this and I suspect that it will open up many doors for your future endeavours.

I did the Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) program in 2020, so keep in mind that my experience was strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am a career switcher from the health services industry - this bootcamp got me into the tech industry 2.5 months after completion of the program and taught me fundamental coding and machine learning skills as well as advanced statistics skills. That said, for the IDL course, because it is relatively self-paced, you get out exactly what you put it. I am highly ambitious and set myself up for success really well. Not everyone does. The content, instruction, mentorship, and community engagement are excellent and only getting better - these people are absolutely well-versed in their fields, care extraordinarily deeply about the success of their students, and are constantly iterating. I gave the program 4 stars because I did feel like there was an institutional bias toward the Remote Live Instruction students - when I was there, those students got access to internships and other resources that IDL students did not even though we pay the same tuition. Perhaps it has changed, but if you want the best chance of being noticed, the Remote Live course is the better choice, while if you need flexibility and are okay with a little less support, IDL is still a fantastic choice. Their career and alumni services are also top-notch, but again, only if you take advantage of all the resources.

Before joining the program, I was a student majoring in Business Analytics. I had a hard time finding a data analyst position and therefore I was thinking maybe I was not qualified for a data-related job yet. My friend recommended this Bootcamp to me and when I check out the course curriculum I knew this is exactly what I was looking for. The courses are very comprehensive, covering topics including web scraping, data analysis & visualization, machine learning, and big data. I felt so lucky that I got enrolled in this program and I would never regret for this choice. Although the content of the courses is challenging, all the instructors are there to help you. I did improve my coding skills a lot through projects and I also added new skills to my profile through courses. I would recommend this Bootcamp to anyone who wants to get into the data science field.

For the better part of the past decade, I worked as a medical researcher both in an academic setting and professionally for a company. While I had a strong foundation in mathematics and statistics, I lacked the rigorous coding, experience with relational databases, and machine learning knowledge to pivot towards a career in Data Science and business analytics.

Before the Bootcamp, I tried teaching myself R through an impersonal, distant online course with limited success. While the experience convinced me that I wanted to make the career leap, the online course did not allow me to ask questions to further my understanding. In Dec 2019, I quit my job, moved to NYC, and enrolled in the NYC Data Science Academy (NYC-DSA). 

My reason for choosing NYC-DSA was rather easy. While some boot camps offer the option to study data science among other UX, software, or cybersecurity career routes, it was important for me to know that my entire tuition would fund my data science education - that the resources would only support the recruiting of college professors and Ph.D. lecturers, career development professions, and teaching assistants. Secondly, NYC-DSA was one of the only boot camps to provide analytics on previous student cohorts, emphasizing the program's accountability to find me the best jobs, not just take my money. Additionally, NYC-DSA had a rigorous but fair selection process to ensure that the cohort had a capable background in mathematics, coding, statistics, and a wide array of professional and educational experiences. The cohort's diversity made the experience particularly valuable as each person could provide insight into how data science is applied in their respective field. Lastly, I chose NYC-DSA because they were the only boot camp that taught both Python and R, in addition to SQL. The ability to learn both languages ensures that students are not limited to certain industries because they only know one language - in fact, my current job frequently requires that I code in both languages.         

After the 1st day at NYC-DSA, I was not disappointed in my decision to attend NYC-DSA. The instructors were beyond impressive, many with PhDs in Mathematics, Physics, or Statistics, and with professional backgrounds in Biology, Finance, and Marketing. Unlike my previous engineering or college courses,  the professors were engaging, frequently made jokes to lighten the mood, and were immediately relatable. The boot camp made an effort on Fridays to provide food and drinks at the end of the day and emphasizes socializing with other students and the instructors themselves (come to find out, they are also people, haha).  

I decided to attend a coding boot camp because I wanted to educate myself and ultimately change careers. Finishing the boot camp in April 2020, at the beginning of COVID-19, when NYC and the economy shut down, was not easy. In fact, it wasn't easy - NYC-DSA would send out monthly job reports of NYC/SF/etc., showing 50-70% fewer job postings from the year before. Despite that, the career development team at NYC-DSA could not have been more helpful in ensuring that I had the best possible resume, cover letter, and application package for each job listing. For nearly a year, I would meet 1-2x a month with someone at the boot camp to go over my applications and how I could better utilize LinkedIn to network and reach out to recruiters. Several of my job interviews resulted from the lecturers recommending me for a job they heard about. If the boot camp knew I had an interview at a company coming up, they would get me in touch with a current or former employee to better prepare myself for the interview process. After nearly a year and hundreds of job applications, I landed two job offers on the same day for nearly $40k/yr more than my previous salary - largely through the networking I did through the boot camp. 

The boot camp was hard; it was an excruciating three months of getting to the camp at 9 am, frequently staying until midnight, coming on the weekends, etc. But all of it was worth it, thanks to the dedication of the faculty, CEO, and students at the New York City Data Science Academy.        

 I recently graduated from the NYC Data Science Academy online part time bootcamp program and can attest to a very positive experience with Vivian and team. In case helpful for future students considering this bootcamp program, here is a breakdown of different considerations concerning my experience at NYCDSA:  1. Why I picked NYCDSA NYCDSA appeared to be the only bootcamp program that taught both Python and R at the time I was considering enrolling in a data science bootcamp program, which I expected would provide the best optionality in terms of choosing a data science framework both best fit for me and best fit for the industry I would want to integrate both graduation, as the public sector / academia generally lean towards R while private sector and tech industry broadly generally lean towards Python. The NYCDSA curriculum further appeared well structured and paced for someone in my position just learning how to code and getting a first exposure to data science concepts.  2. Overall Experience Vivian & team create an incredible learning environment with in-depth & concise lectures providing detailed overviews of multiple essential data science frameworks such as Python, R, SQL, Docker, AWS, Hadoop and Spark. The team further goes above and beyond for students during the job placement process, such as for instance making themselves available to answer student questions on personal projects and case studies, promoting student projects to recruiters and alumni on their LinkedIn page or providing students with opportunities to present projects to recruiters and alumni. The mentor meeting credit system connecting students to alumni in 1-on-1 30min or 1-hour sessions is especially well designed for students just getting started in data science and provides good opportunities to ask questions and review any material with an industry professional. Overall the lectures are well-taught and provide concise overviews of the analytical frameworks and knowledge necessary to perform in a professional data science environment, while the hands-on labs and projects do a great job of providing students the opportunity to practice learned coding skills.  3. Skills learned The bootcamp does a great job of providing ample opportunities to practice coding skills through projects and labs and I was able to develop strong proficiency in Python, SQL, R and Docker through these various projects, coming from a mostly non-coding undergraduate background, which I was able to apply directly after graduating working as an intern with a tech startup and finally in a full-time data scientist capacity at a large financial services firm.  4. Post-graduation plans I received a data scientist job offer at a large financial services company three months after graduating from the bootcamp after initially working as an intern at a data science startup and could not be happier with the outcome. Vivian and team are truly special and I could not be more thankful for an amazing experience over the course of the past few months. 

In short, the bootcamp excels on the curriculum, providing guidance, and career services. I found this bootcamp online, and I decided to go for this one because of the curriculum and the feel of it during the assessment process - they sounded like they knew what they were doing! They provided valuable feedback on the areas I needed to improve.
I have a math degree and was already a Sr. Data Analyst, but wanted to move a step forward in my career by learning Data Science and Machine Learning. What I liked is that the coursework is tailored to each person depending on their experience, strengths and weaknesses.
I went for the part time program since I was also working, and I am not going to lie, it is challenging! But worth it. Throughout the bootcamp I learned of many DS/ML concepts that are widely applied across different roles and companies, the projects assigned were the best way to apply and practice the things learned, and I eventually was able to apply them in my own job. They also offer TA sessions that are very helpful to review on the parts that seem confusing. One thing to note is that because of the extensive material taught condensed in a short period of time, studying extra materials is needed in order to get the most out of the bootcamp. Upon graduation, there are helpful resources on landing the next job - mock interviews, career advising, and networking. 
I landed a job at The Trade Desk as a Business Intelligence Analyst thanks to the stories I was able to tell of the projects I worked on in the bootcamp, the projects I worked on my previous role with the bootcamp knowledge, and with the various mock interviews (I was very bad at interviewing).

In my mind, there is no such thing as a perfect bootcamp but NYCDSA got as close to perfect as it can get for me, which is why I gave it a 4 star. The curriculum is the most comprehensive of all the data science bootcamps available and covers topics that are the most practical for job search. What students learn at schools are often not used in real world settings. NYCDSA gets this so its curriculum focuses on skillsets that graduates can apply directly at work but also offers materials for those who want to take an extra step and learn about non-practical aspects of data science. Instructors are all well qualified to teach and mostly do a great job but the only thing I would say is the pace of learning could be overwhelming for some students if they don't take the time to review the materials before and after each class. Doing the homework, which is optional, reinforces the learning. This three pronged approach of lectures, homeworks, and projects positions the students well for a data related job post graduation if they put in the work to complete all of them. Lastly, the career team does a fantastic job guiding the students through the job search process. The team knows what works and what doesn't, so as long as students follow the guidelines, the prospect of finding a data related job is very high (bootcamp has statistics on this). Overall, I'm very satisfied with the experience and would recommend the program to anyone who's looking for a new career path or looking to add a new skillset.