Career Tracks

Data Science

101 What Is Data Science?

Data science is a multidisciplinary field that combines computer science and math. The objective of data science is to pull insightful and useful knowledge out of datasets to make smart business decisions. The average salary of a data scientist is $80,265.

Jump to a list of all Data Science Bootcamps

What Is Data Science?

Data science is a multidisciplinary field that combines computer science and statistics. With so much data being produced every day, data science makes it possible to draw useful insights from datasets which may be too large for traditional statistics to analyze. This data is often referred to as “big data,” and can include anything from analyzing complex genomic structures to interpreting handwriting to optimizing a marketing strategy. And data science is not limited to just numbers! Data science finds patterns in all unstructured sets, including text, images, and audio files. 

How to Become a Data Scientist

Many Data Scientists start their careers in academia – if you have a bachelor’s degree or PhD in a quantitative field, then you’re already close to a data science career. A data science fellowship like The Data Incubator or Insight Data Science would be fantastic options. 

Most data science bootcamps require students to have a degree in STEM and an aptitude for math and statistics. If you don’t have a quantitative degree, then you should sharpen your math skills like linear algebra, calculus, statistics, and probability. Then, you’ll be ready to apply to a data science bootcamp. 

Master’s in Data Science vs Data Science Bootcamps

While a Master’s in Computer Science with a specialization in Data Science typically takes 3 years to complete, data science bootcamps are typically intensive 3- to 6-month programs. Data science bootcamps often offer career assistance, and prepare graduates for entry-level and junior data science jobs, such as Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer.

A data science bootcamp is not a traditional coding bootcamp. In addition to learning programming languages, such as Python and/or R, data science bootcamps teach students how to extract valuable knowledge from large datasets using analytical and programming skills. 

How to Choose a Data Science Bootcamp

The best data science course for you depends on your own learning style, career goals, availability, etc. Here's our advice for choosing the data bootcamp:

  1. Narrow down your options – you can rule out some bootcamps based on location, cost, and time commitment.
  2. Examine the curriculum – does the bootcamp teach the most modern data science languages (Python or occasionally R), tools (Hadoop, Spark, Tableau etc), and topics (machine learning, data engineering, etc).
  3. Ask About Projects – communication is so important in data science, and projects are a great way to walk a hiring manager through your thought process and experience. At a good data science bootcamp, you'll build at least 2-3 projects using real-world data sets!
  4. Meet the Instructors – do the bootcamp instructors have qualifications like quantitative degrees, masters degrees, or even PhDs? This is much more common in the world of data science bootcamps. Pro-Tip: Take an intro course or free workshop hosted by the bootcamp to really understand the teaching style.
  5. Ask About Outcomes – do past bootcamp graduates get jobs in data? Ask the school directly for their CIRR report or job outcomes report, read data science bootcamp alumni reviews, and even reach out to alumni on LinkedIn to ask questions.

Red Flags – instructors don't have enough experience or qualifications, projects don't use real-world datasets, or the bootcamp can't tell you about past student career success. 

Are Data Science Bootcamps Worth It?

 “I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat. It was definitely worth the money. The learning environment, having the type of classmates that you can learn from, the instructors — you definitely couldn’t have gotten it just by learning on your own.” – Itelina, graduate of Metis

“I can say that, for me, 100% it was worth it – but I will say the boot camp is also about the work you’re putting in and the goals that you have. I really wanted to sponge off of the people around me – not just the teachers, but also all these PhD students around me. It was the most intelligent group of people I’ve been around in such a small space before. I’ve never had such an amazing opportunity.” – Sumanth, graduate of NYC Data Science Academy 

“I definitely think I needed Galvanize. Because I wanted to break into the tech industry, having Galvanize on my resume along with the skills I learned there, bolstered my ability to get a job.” – Rosie, graduate of Galvanize

“For me, It was totally worth it. I would do it all over again. IE in particular taught me a lot more than how to use Python and SQL. It teaches the technical skills, but at the same time it gives you access to professors that are going to make the process a lot less frustrating and more fun so that you have the motivation to keep going. Plus all of the extras. You get to network with companies and those companies come to give talks. I made a lot of friends in this bootcamp, too.”Inna, graduate of IE Data Science Bootcamp

How much does a data science bootcamp cost? 

Full-time, immersive data science bootcamps typically cost between $10,000 and $20,000. Many data science bootcamps offer scholarships and financing options to make tuition affordable. There are also fellowships and free data science bootcamps, such as Insight Data Science and The Data Incubator.

Data Science Jobs

With everyone from businesses to non-profits to the government collecting data, there is high demand for turning that data into smart business decisions. There is a wide variety of data science jobs, and if there’s one thing that we’ve learned after interviewing so many data science bootcamp graduates, it’s that no two companies use the exact same job titles. Common job responsibilities of data scientists include data engineering, data cleaning, and data analysis. Here is a list of the most frequent data science job titles for bootcampers:

  • Junior Data Scientist
  • Senior Data Scientist
  • Data Engineer
  • Machine Learning Engineer
  • Data Scientist/Software Engineer
  • Big Data Analytics Consultant
  • Data Science Instructor
  • Decision Scientist
  • Data Analyst
  • Business Analyst
  • Business Intelligence Analyst
  • Data Journalist
  • Financial Analyst
  • Product Analyst
  • Database Administrator

Data Science Salaries

Data Science Job Average Salary
Data Science Analyst $80,265
Senior Data Scientists $105,909
Data Engineers $105,909

Data Science Skills

According to Josh Wills, Director of NYC Data Science Academy, a data scientist is a “person who is better at statistics than any software engineer and better at software engineering than any statistician.” While math skills and coding skills are an essential part of data science, business intelligence and a scientific approach are key to making sense of data. Most data science students have a previous background in STEM, but overall, data science students and professionals are detail-oriented and excel at problem-solving, logical reasoning, and communication.

Here is a quick list of data science skills and technologies used in the field and often taught at data science bootcamps:

  • SQL - SQL stands for Structured Query Language. SQL is designed for managing data in relational database management systems. SQL extracts data for data analytics and reporting. 
  • Hadoop - Hadoop is a suite of technologies used to manage data and execute programs in a cluster. Hadoop includes a file system designed for large datasets, the MapReduce system which allows for running programs in parallel, the SQL-like Hive database for querying data in a cluster, and other components.
  • Spark - Spark is a system for writing parallel programs to run in clusters. Spark has a powerful machine learning library, mllib, and can be used with R. 
  • Python and R - Both languages are equally important in data science! Python is used for computer science components of a data scientist’s job. R is used for building statistics packages and visualizations. Combining both Python and R greatly increases their range of capabilities.
  • Machine Learning - Machine learning is a set of algorithms that is put in place to analyze large sets of data. Many of these algorithms are built so that the machine learns to feed better data into later models, and ultimately make predictions about future events. 
  • Natural Language Processing - Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a method for pre-processing text to turn it into numerical data. NLP is also known as computational linguistics.
  • Data science math includes linear algebra, calculus, statistics, and probability.

FEATURED SCHOOLS

 

Showing 51 - 75 of 309

  1. 99
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    3
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    DataCamp is an online learning platform that helps students build data skills at their own pace. DataCamp courses include non-coding essentials like BI tools... Read More

    Bram Foubert

    5Graduate - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Superb experience

    Excellent online courses at beginner's and more advanced levels. Clear lectures, hands-on assignments in emulated R environment, and quizzes, all with direct fe ... Read More
  2. 97
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    Lighthouse Labs is a Canadian online bootcamp that teaches web development and data science. The bootcamps have small class sizes and on-demand mentorship fr... Read More

    adam

    5Graduate - Course: iOS Development Bootcamp - Toronto

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Is coding bootcamp for you?

    I came to this review site before quitting my job and doing this bootcamp, so I thought it would be nice to come full circle and leave a review after starting m ... Read More
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    UNC-Chapel Hill Boot Camps offer 24-week, part-time courses in web development, or data analytics, and 18-week, part-time courses in digital marketing, techn... Read More

    Scott Swiger

    5Student - Course: Full Stack Flex - Part-Time - Chapel Hill

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Great informative course

    I enrolled in this course as a supplement to my Computer Science degree in order to learn relevant industry tools that were not taught during my coursework. Alb ... Read More
  4. 94
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    iO Academy is a coding bootcamp based in the UK that offers a 16-week, full-time, full stack coding bootcamp and a 12-week, part-time data science & mach... Read More

    Robin Hodge

    5Student - Bristol

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Life changing course

    It took me about 2 years of planning to finally commit to making my career change into development, and after considerable research I desided to choose iO Acade ... Read More
  5. 91
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    Wild Code School is a 5-month, European training program teaching in-demand digital skills through a blended learning approach. Wild Code School was created ... Read More

    Carlos M.

    5Student - Course: Data analysis - Lisbon

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Recommend this school.

    Highly recommend WCS. I was able to learn different skills (soft and technical) and at the end finally got a job.The curriculum is complete and will give you pl ... Read More
  6. 89
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    4
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    Develhope is a tech school with headquarters in Sicily, Italy, and offers 24-week, full-time and part-time online coding bootcamps. Students choose between 5... Read More

    Onur Ertugrul

    5Graduate - Course: Data Specialist - Online

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: Trust in the process

    I'm writing this review as freshly graduated student of Develhope Data Specialist course. First thing to point out that these people are HELPFUL and this create ... Read More
  7. 88
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    14
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    The Bridge is a digital talent accelerator that offers cybersecurity, cloud & devOps, data science, UX/UI product design, full stack web development and ... Read More

    Francisco

    5Graduate - Course: Data Science Part Time - Valencia

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Aprendí mucho y lo pase bien

    El bootcamp me gustó mucho. Los profesores eran muy buenos, intentaban que todos los alumnos entendiéramos la materia, ademas eran muy divertidos. Pienso que el ... Read More

  8. The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Boot Camps offer a 12-week, full-time and 24-week, part-time web development program, 24-week, part-ti... Read More

    Kirti Henry

    5Graduate - Toronto

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: In-depth, intense but SO WORTH it

    From the application to the graduation process, I want to say that everyone in the back-end of this journey helped so much make this an amazing experience. I ha ... Read More
  9. 81
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    7
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    UT Austin Boot Camps offer 12-week, full-time and 24-week, part-time web development courses, 24-week, part-time data analytics, UX/UI, and cybersecurity cou... Read More

    Cortney Rielly

    5Student - Austin

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Amazing experience! I definitely recommend this class!

    I absolutely loved the Digital Marketing Bootcamp course. The instructor was fantastic - very knowledgeable and able to make every topic exciting and easy to un ... Read More
  10. 81
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    2
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    Techmongers offers a 10-week full-time web development and 12- week part-time Cybersecurity academy in Amsterdam and online. Their program prepares students ... Read More

    Evangelia Alamani

    5Graduate - Course: Codaisseur Online Academy - No Cure No Pay Model - Amsterdam

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: An intense and amazing experience

    From day one of the Bootcamp, the teachers kept telling us "Check yourself before you wreck yourself and trust the process". I didn't know what they meant at th ... Read More
  11. 79
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    Northwestern Boot Camps offer 12-week, full-time, or 24-week, part-time web development courses, and 24-week, part-time data science, cybersecurity, UX/UI, a... Read More

    Davit Ksor

    5Student - Course: Data Science and Visualization - Part-Time - Chicago

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Data Analytics Experience

    The data analytics program is blessed with great TAs and a fantastic professor who does his best to make the class entertaining despite the material being chall ... Read More
  12. 75
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    University of Richmond Boot Camps offer 24-week, part-time web development, data analytics, and cybersecurity courses. The full stack curriculum includes HTM... Read More

    George Kasper

    5Student - Course: Cybersecurity - Part-Time - Richmond

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Excellent Course!

    I am very happy with my decision to enroll in University of Richmond’s Cybersecurity Bootcamp. I have no previous experience working in IT so I was a bit concer ... Read More
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    Syntax Technologies is a training provider offering online, full-time bootcamps in software development engineer in test (24 weeks), data analytics and busin... Read More
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    Mindmajix offers Data Science, Cybersecurity, and UI Developer coding bootcamps online or in-person in Hyderabad and Bangalore, India. Mindmajix’s bootcamps ... Read More

    Jayasri

    5Graduate - Online

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: Salesforce Online Training

    It is really good learning experience with Mindmajix.  Actually i come across about this website while i was looking for salesforce online course later i enroll ... Read More
  15. zaka-logo

    Zaka

    4.79
    72
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    4
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    Zaka offers a 16-week, online Machine Learning Certificate program for participants from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The bootcamp include... Read More

    Marwan ALHawat

    5Graduate - Course: Machine Learning Specialization - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Mastering the Art of Machine Learning

    I recently completed a 16-week Machine Learning Specialization training program, and I am thrilled to share my experience. This comprehensive program provided ... Read More
  16. 72
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    Byte Academy is an industry-focused coding school with remote and onsite courses in New York City and Bangalore, India. Its offerings include Full Stack Pyth... Read More

    Adrian Heredia

    5Student - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Intro to Python

    Anton, one of the teachers here was amazing. He really went out of his way to ensure we were getting all the information. He left room for questions and really ... Read More
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    RevoU

    4.99
    71
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    4
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    RevoU is an online academy offering a 14-week, part-time Full-Stack Digital Marketing and Business Development bootcamp for motivated individuals who want to... Read More

    MARIA FRANCISCA AYU WULANDARI

    5Graduate - Course: Full Stack Data Analytics - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Unforgettable 13-weeks Journey

    I'm so glad I stumble into RevoU ads in social media, and without a doubt (except for the tuition) I sign up for the full program. I took Data Analytics program ... Read More
  18. 67
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    Data Science Dojo offers online and in-person data science bootcamps in Redmond, Washington. Data Science Dojo believes that anyone can learn data science, a... Read More

    Tatyana S.

    5Graduate - Course: Remote Data Science & Data Engineering Bootcamp - Seattle

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: 16 Week Remote DSDojo Bootcamp

    16 weeks may seem like a daunting time commitment, but the course is so worth it! The way the Data Science Dojo crew runs their bootcamp program is very thoroug ... Read More
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    5Graduate - Course: JavaScript Full-Stack Bootcamp - Barcelona

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: Barcelona Code School Review

    It was an excellent course. The program is super complete, it becomes very bearable and entertaining. The teachers are really supportive, patient and very commi ... Read More
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    University of Denver Boot Camps are 12-week, full-time, or 24-week, part-time web development, UX/UI, data analytics, financial technology, and cybersecurity... Read More

    Zachary Elliott

    5Graduate

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: Coding Bootcamp

    I finished the coding boot camp in February of 2022. Overall, I had a good experience. There were about 30 people in a class and 1 instructor and 2 TAs. The cou ... Read More
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    5Graduate - Course: UX/UI Boot Camp - Part-Time - New York City

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Prepare good specialists

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    5Student - Course: Analytics for All - Online

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    Says: Such a great experience!

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    5Graduate - Course: Full Stack Web Development - Part-Time - Orlando

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Transformative and Exciting

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    Says: Berkeley Cybersecurity Boot Camp

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    Claire Lee

    5Graduate - Washington

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Full of Suprises

    This course taught me I am so much more capable than I think I am. Growing up, I didn't think I was any good with computers or coding and that there wouldn't be ... Read More

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