Practicum Bootcamp

The data science program offered by Practicum is very well structured to help you succeed. I enrolled this program knowing nothing about programming, and the lessons offered in the platform offered enough practice, examples, and projects to practice the skills that I learned in the program. I had recently graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in biochemistry and I wanted to apply my analytical skills in data science, and Practicum offered me that bridge I needed to learn the skills. One of the best components of the program is that they have tutors that are always available for when you need it. I would highly recommend this program if you're a beginner and want to master the skills needed to become a data scientist. 

Although I have a background in statistics through my studies in public health, I always felt really unprepared to enter into a data-related career and counted myself out of so many jobs and opportunities because of it. But even after going through just half of the Practicum Data Scientist curriculum, I have grown not only in my hard skills but also in my confidence to pursue a career as a data scientist. The support system is excellent and all the tutors and instructors are incredibly knowledgeable. I'd highly recommend Practicum to anyone who is looking to make a career shift into data science!

Software Engineering Bootcamp with Practicum-Yandex

Here are some of my thoughts about the P-Y Software Engineering Bootcamp.  I’ve been involved for about five months since the beginning of 2022.  That’s almost half-way through the nine-month, part-time program.  I find this bootcamp to be a very powerful learning platform. The course is a combination of online course material, interaction with an experienced tutor, online coding videos, projects with rigorous reviews and interaction with other students.  All of this provides an opportunity to learn and prepare to enter the job market.  The program is comprised of sprints with two- to three-week duration, with enough flexibility to allow self-pacing.   Twenty hours per week is the minimum effort; more if you want to dive deeper.  

Since my goal is to work remotely, the day-to-day experience of this bootcamp has been a good model for what lies ahead.  Often, it’s too easy to keep my head down working.  I’ve learned how important it is to recharge by stepping away. It’s true that short breaks bring solutions by letting your brain work in the background. Longer breaks help with maintaining balance.  When entering a bootcamp, it’s important to keep this in mind!  

Another aspect is the enormous body of knowledge.  My guess is that I’ll have acquired ten-percent of the available knowledge when I’m done with the bootcamp.  Together with an attitude of continuous learning, I believe that ten-percent will be the right amount to get started.  With so much information, so many different programming languages, and so many different specialties, I think it’s important to think of the bootcamp as a launching pad.  

You must be willing to search out information on your own.  The course will take you only so far and then it’s expected that you will be creative and inquisitive to find answers on your own.  Use internet search to find not only solutions for the project in front of you, but also to learn how to promote yourself in the job market, and to learn what your future path might be.

Finally, a hats-off to both our Community Manager who helps to keep everything afloat from making sure we know deadlines, online workshop schedules and upcoming seminars about networking and finding jobs, and our Tutor who goes out of his way to explain how your code may be great but what you did in twenty lines of code could be done in two.

 

 

My name Is Reg I started studying with Practicum because I am looking for a career change. That can truly allow me to work with a flexible schedule. And work from home so I don't have to relocate my family. My experience with Practicum has been excellent. though their program is still relatively new so there are some hiccups with in the program. But nothing major that cant be worked around. The curriculum is top notch and the Community managers and tutors are excellent. They are very hands on and involved with their students. And are very accommodating as well. I work a more than full time job where the term weekend does not apply and over exhaustion is a real pain to deal with. And piling the workload from the program on top of that has not been easy. And because of this they have been really accommodating for my tuff schedule and that is something I highly value about their program.  They truly want you to succeed.

I started the data science (DS) Bootcamp with Practicum by Yandex during the first week of October 2021. I choose to attend a DS Bootcamp because I want to prepare myself well for a career in DS. The cohort and community manager, Ana, is always very responsive and supportive of any questions during the learning process. The instructors and tutors are very knowledgeable, and they actively answer any questions that I have within 24 hours and usually within only a few hours. The interaction on the Slack channels is very smooth, responsive, and engaging. If some tough questions are hard to explain by typing in Slack, tutors will happily hold 1-1 Zoom sessions with any questions. I found the personalized support very motivating and beneficial.
The DS Bootcamp has 17 modules/sprints on essential data science topics: basic python, data preprocessing, exploratory data analysis (EDA), statistical data analysis, integrated project 1, data collection and storage (SQL), introduction to machine learning, supervised learning, machine learning in business, integrated project 2, linear algebra, numerical methods, time series, machine learning for texts, computer vision, unsupervised learning, and the final project. Each module/sprint has chapters to study and interactive exercises and lessons. At the end of each module/sprint, an assigned sprint project requires applying the knowledge and skills in that module and some previous modules to solve problems. It is a cumulative learning process. Modules and projects in later modules require the skillful application of skills learned from previous modules. That also means that as one progresses, the project feels harder. So if you start off feeling, "Wow, these are too easy for me!" Then wait for a while, you will realize, "Wow, these are not that easy for me!" I like to be challenged and grow, so the progression of the complexity of the modules/sprints feels excellent!
It is a flexible learning process. There are deadlines for each module and project. A certain level or amount of extension is possible if one falls behind. If you want to finish faster, that is possible too. As long as you can complete the modules' lessons and projects and pass the project code reviews, you can continue and move forward. Speaking of project reviews, the reviewers are sharp at picking out mistakes. The perk is that they also offer more efficient code or approach to solve problems if my code is too bulky or output looks too "ugly." The community manager will coordinate the process and facilitate your needs, whether you are going fast or slow.
Now, 16 weeks into the program, I am at module 11. I spend a few hours learning and flexing my DS muscles each day. I am feeling stronger. This journey with many like-minded friends, peers, and data scientists is super enjoyable. I like the journey more and more. My heartfelt appreciation goes to everyone I come across on this journey. Thank you.

The free intro course by Practicum fulfills it's purpose well. It introduces you to the learning platform with a very light introduction to HTML & CSS. It also gives you direct access to  Practicum personnel that are able to answer your questions about the program. At the end of the course it gives you an idea if Web Development is something you may choose to pursue. The sales rep is helpful and not pushy. From my limited experience the people at Practicum want to provide a quality learning experience that is mutually beneficial.

Practicum experience was the best thing I did this year, from theory to practice, even before finishing I was passing interesting interviews. I improved my portfolio significantly and feel I'm way more confident in my hard skills but also soft skills…- Projects and reviews are on point, - Courses encompass all that you will need to master the field. And you can turn back to summaries when you want to.- Slack channels are very organized.- Instructors office hours' are helpful. - Community managers were always there to help with meeting deadlines for example.
The overall experience was very helpful and fun.  

Studying in the ‘Data Analyst’ program conducted by ‘Practicum by Yandex’ was a nice experience for me to learn lots of new things in a sequential and well-organized way.

A basic introductory course, Python and Basic Data Analysis has been provided for free where anyone can get an idea of the style of the program. Almost everything that is necessary has been included in the mainstream in an organized way and explained in a nice manner so that it has become easier for students from different backgrounds to learn and gain a deep comprehension. It should be mentioned that it's not possible to unlock the next topic without completing the current topic. This approach has given the platform a new dimension so that students are supposed to complete the task with good knowledge. 

There are several communities of students, support teams, community managers and well-knowledged tutors. All are there to help with any kind of problems; therefore, it has been a nice way to learn and discuss across the time zone. It’s just awesome to see that twelve projects (guided) are also completed within the duration of the original program.

In a nutshell, theories, tasks, projects, community and platform all contributed to make the program outstanding.  Finishing the course will boost any students’ knowledge, confidence and implementation power as well.

Well, the first 2 weeks seemed great at Yandex-Practicum, then I discovered that their program is full of bugs which hinders understanding of the practical exercises. You have to message customer support who, in some cases, just give you the answer, and unlock the next lesson for you. So you may not understand the practical tasks because you didn't even get a chance, but you'll need them later, for the project they ask you to submit every 2 weeks.   Lessons are locked, even though they say in their guidelines that they won't prevent you from learning while they review your projects. For example, you can't actually study any of the lessons in a chapter unless you complete today's lesson. Even if you don't understand it and want to tackle a different lesson to not waste time, all other lessons are locked so you're forced to complete today's lesson. In a book, if you have 5 chapters to study and are having a hard time with one of them, you can always study another, so you don't waste time, and get back to the hard one when your mind is clearer or can get some help understanding it. That brings me to another issue: you can't afford to wait or do extra research to understand confusing concepts in any one lesson because the entire course has very strict deadlines so you have to complete the lesson even if you didn't understand any of it.   The time pressure is enourmous and even though they advertise the course as a 20-hour per week course, it's actually not like that. It requires way more time, expecially for beginners who have no prior or very little experience with coding. I spent almost double the time in some instances and seriously thought of hiring someone outside of the course to help me. That while actually paying Yandex to help me learn.   One huge problem is the discrepancy between the level of the lessons and practice (which is very basic, for beginners) and the level of the project required at the end of each sprint (at least intermediate level to advanced). I told one of their reps once: the way you're doing this is like giving me the alfabet of a new, foreign language then asking me to write an award-winning novel. That's how big the discrepancy is. The level of expertise and perfection required for the project exceeds anything taught in the lessons. Not to mention that if you had a lesson with bugs, and customer support just fed you the answer without you even having to figure out the task, you're basically in the dark when you have to incorporate that in the project.   This brings me to another issue: the way they tell you that you need to ask for help for your projects. You're supposed to exhaust all possibilities on your own, then ask your fellow students, and only then contact a tutor. You could spend hours and hours scouring the internet for answers, before you can ask your fellow students. But your fellow students are not allowed to give you the answer either, only to direct you to other resources. If those resources don't work or are incomplete, only then you should contact your tutor. And the tutor doesn't give you the answer, but usually directs you to yet more resources, which then you have to decipher yet again. Every once in a while, you might get the right answer because someone takes pity on you, but very rarely, even when it's obvious you've been running into a wall and tried everything you could think of. This system only promotes waste of time and energy when you could just get straighforward help for some things.   Another huge issue: we're supposed to complete a project every 2-3 weeks, but the instructions contain confusing, inconsistent information, and once you submit the project, it can get rejected at least 4 times, and the next sprint/module starts immediately, in some cases. But the lessons in that next module are not available because Yandex-Practicum keeps them locked until your project gets approved. They have 4 official rejections for your project but they may reject it for some mistakes in the beginning, which doesn't count towards the 4 official rejections. The reviewer almost never gives you a straight answer about what you've done wrong, just that you need to correct '[insert issue]'. He/she only respond once every 24 hours so if your project gets rejected one or two times (without review) because of some mistake, which doesn't count towards the 4 official rejections, then 3 times with review, before your final rejection, that means you've wasted 1-5 days. That's a whole week during which all you can do is wait for the reviewer to decide what else is wrong with your project. In the meantime, you have no acees to the next lessons. And the next sprint starts per the schedule, for which you're not eligible and you can't access because , again, they haven't approved your project. Even though their guidelines say lessons will not be locked while you're waiting for review (as I've mentioned).   The whole review process is messed up. It's almost like a mind game, like a relationship with a toxic partner who tells you that they're upset with you, but they won't tell you what it is. But they're upset so you have to figure out what's wrong and fix it. This is the strategy Practicum employs for projects, which is just not healthy, and it's constantly demoralizing. For every project submission (I've done two), you see your project getting rejected again and again with barely any indication as to why. Then you submit it for the third of 4th time, after trying to figure out what's wrong, knowing that if it doesn't get approved, you'll have to leave your current class and wait to join the next one. Which puts you behind your class and your own deadlines to finish the course. It's in their guidelines: after the 4th rejection, you have to wait for and transfer to the class that started after you until they catch up, while your current class continues advancing.   I'm not a stupid person, but they make it so hard to get your project approved and actually help you feel satisfied that you did a good job. My last project got rejected 3 times, 2 of them because I didn't remove comments in the code, even after I manually removed them all and checked every single line at least twice. No instructions as to how to find all of them or where the elusive comment might be hiding. In the meantime, my code is solid, the website works, but there's one comment or a minuscule character that was part of a comment somewhere, and I'm on the verge of the fourth and final rejection because of that. Which means I'll fall behind again because I'll be demoted to the next class.   They make you have a constant feeling that you're on the verge of falling behind after every sprint, and it makes you miserable. And you have many sprints before the end of the course so living with that all the time, every 2-3 weeks, is just not right. And definitely not necessary. Negative reinforcement much?   They advertise this as a 20-hour per week course, for 10 months. This is grossly misrepresenting the time you have to dedicate to this. It says it's beginner-friendly but it's not. It requires perfection from the students but the organization of the course is a mess, their software has many bugs and the support you receive seems minimal, with very few exceptions, and definitely doesn't bolster confidence in the process. I've never felt so discouraged in my life, after working like crazy and ignoring everything else in my life. Even when I tried to start early, so I get a head start, I still fell behind because of the way the course is structured. When I tried to study harder every day to finish the lessons early, so I can start on the project early, I still fell behind, again because of the way the course is structured. Psychologically, my last 2 months with Yandex-Practicum have put me off learning to code. This is like the worst possible situation to be in when you're learning something. Your growth and development as a student is stunted.   I'm done with the course and I can't actually recommend it to anyone. I feel like it employs some bad teaching techniques which seem akin to toxic mind games, and which make the learning process torturous. Which is not how it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be hard work but not to break you mentally after every sprint. And this was just the beginning sprints, with many saying: it'll get harder. If they make it this hard now, what am I supposed to expect over the next months?   Obviously, this is my opinion, and maybe other students are having an easier time. But like I said, I'm not a stupid person, and I like math and logical thinking so if it's this hard for me, I can't imagine what it's like for others who come from other backgrounds. I guess I'm not willing to put up with the unhealthy system they have. Maybe others are.   Yandex-Practicum has notified me that they're giving me a partial refund.

Practicum's Web Development program helped me find jobs and increased my skills. I got a job offer while studying and found freelancing jobs along the way. The program helped me think critically and solve problems myself without following tutorials. It really gave me the confidence to tackle and debug the code myself, thanks to the mentors. The mentors are very helpful and show you the way how to approach any bug. Career support is great. They have a dedicated section for career prep, resume revamp, cover letters, social media, and LinkedIn optimization. Their tips hugely affected my job applications. I gave more thought to my applications and got into the interview stage. Overall, great experience!