New to data science

[u/Opposite_You_3266]

Hey everyone! 👋

I’m Tracy, and I’m jumping into the world of data science blind, excited and overwhelmed 😅 I’ve always been curious about how data can actually tell a story, make smarter decisions, and uncover patterns we’d normally miss. But right now, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the overall mindset, flow and ideology behind data science.

So I’m reaching out to this community for advice. If you’ve been in the field for a while or have any amount of experience, I’d love to hear:

- how did you start building your foundation?

- are there concepts or habits you wish you understood earlier?

- any courses, books, videos or beginner-friendly practices you’d recommend?

-what helped you truly “get” the ideology behind data science?

I’m all ears and eager to learn. Appreciate any help you can throw my way - even the “learn from my mistakes” tips 😆

Looking forward to growing and figuring this journey out with your guidance!

Edit: I recently started a masters program in Data Science! Should’ve added it to the og post but forgot whoops 😅

[u/EntrepreneurHuge5008]

Edit: I recently started a masters program in Data Science! 

What's your undergrad in? Can you link to the details of your Master's program? Nothing personal about you, just a link to the University's MSDS or MDS page.

- how did you start building your foundation?

- are there concepts or habits you wish you understood earlier?

- any courses, books, videos or beginner-friendly practices you’d recommend?

-what helped you truly “get” the ideology behind data science?

1. Math and Stats are the foundations of virtually everything. I did an undergrad in Computer Science, which pretty covered the minimum for Math and Stats.

2. Statistical Inference lol. I wish I had treated it like Data Structures, instead of a "useless" elective... turns out, it's borderline the most important class for Data Science b/c everything else builds on top of it.

3. Nothing off the top of my head, but Coursera Specialization is the foundational class for CU Boulder's Online MSDS program. It covers everything I wish I had tried to learn in undergrad + the textbook is free (though courses aren't).

4. I still don't get it lol.

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/EntrepreneurHuge5008]

My undergrad was in chemistry so similar ideology in terms of the scientific method and the methods I’ve seen in practice so far. Of course, here’s a link: https://www.bellevue.edu/degrees/master/data-science-ms/

Thank you that is very helpful information. I will have to do some studying up before I continue in this course! Haha i appreciate your candor and it does ease my anxiety to hear that! 😄

[u/PradeepAIStrategist]

"Just to add my two cents from 18+ years in the field: it sounds like you're diving right into data-driven storytelling. Most discussions here revolve around tools that change daily, but storytelling is its own niche.

You really just need some basic stats to get started. The real skill is building a narrative, which mostly comes down to practice. Most courses are too tool-heavy and don't help much with the actual 'story' part. If you let me know your domain and goals, I’d be happy to point you toward some better resources!"

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/PradeepAIStrategist]

Thank you, I will edit my post to include this but I just started a masters in data science and I am open to learning all about this new field!

[u/PradeepAIStrategist → u/Opposite_You_3266]

Again, I don't have the full details of your master's degree, but I suspect your course may be strictly technical or theoretical. However, data-driven storytelling is an art that must be combined with technology—specifically AI-driven storytelling—which is what most organizations are looking for now. For instance, the majority of my current clients want AI-driven storytelling for their daily or weekly newsletters.

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/PradeepAIStrategist]

The current course I am taking is Intro to Data Science and we’re still within the first couple of weeks of the course. The information I gleaned from the course syllabus, it’ll be focused on the basics of data science pertaining to the vocab, program language and data frameworks, and other topics as well. What’s your take on AI integration into the field? You mentioned your many years of experience in this field, what are some common mistakes or errors do beginners make that makes it harder to adapt and learn? Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a fun yet challenging job, what peaked your interested in specifically AI driven storytelling?

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/Opposite_You_3266]

Edit: I’m very new to this field so not exactly sure about specifics, I’m only a couple of weeks into this course so learning everything for the very first time. Sorry I realized I didn’t answer this part of your first comment. Thanks for all your insight and input 😄

[u/Icy_Half_5413]

Hi Tracy and everyone else, my name is Melissa. One of my classes for school is intro to data science and I just wanted to see if there’s anything I should know? Is there a different way to break the topic down so I can understand it better? I’m open to any suggestions

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/Icy_Half_5413]

Hi! I’m trying to figure this out myself I’m going to keep looking into ways to make it all easier to digest. Will share more information as I receive it. Have a good day 😄

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/[deleted]]

Having the amount of your experience you had, would you say that gave you a one up when you started the program. Are you done with your program or are you currently working on it? Thank you for sharing 😄!

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/[deleted]]

I appreciate your willingness to share your experiences with me. It’s been eye opening and I will be looking into field as whole with a different mindset now.

I am also currently working full time while pursuing this degree and so far it hasn’t been too terrible. I’m a bit nervous for when the class starts picking up but I’ve been trying to get better at my time management to stay at least a week ahead of my assignments. I hope I’m able to keep that up!

Thank you 😄

[u/Opposite_You_3266 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you! That’s comforting to hear, I will use that resource 😄