We publish our rankings for various long-running analytics programs in India to 2014-15 In the past week. They were greeted with unmatched enthusiasm and response from our audience.. We continue our journey to help our audience choose the best training and analysis resources.
This week, we will focus on categorizing short courses or certification courses.
Latest classifications: Top certification classifications of 2015-2016
Scope of these classifications:
In this round, we rank various short term certification courses accessible in India. Therefore, the set of considerations will include courses that take place in India or are available online. We will exclude courses / certifications / campamentos de trainingTraining is a systematic process designed to improve skills, physical knowledge or abilities. It is applied in various areas, like sport, Education and professional development. An effective training program includes goal planning, regular practice and evaluation of progress. Adaptation to individual needs and motivation are key factors in achieving successful and sustainable results in any discipline.... que se realicen en otros países.
Apart of this, We have also categorized the courses into 5 tracks, the most popular clues in data science around the world. These are for learning SAS, R, Python, Machine Learning y Big Data. These should meet the needs of most people. If you have any other needs, feel free to ask us in the comments below and we will be happy to share our evaluation of the courses.
Why categorize certification courses and not institutes?
One of the conscious calls we made while creating the rankings was to categorize the courses and not the institutes. Why? Because that is how we believe and that is what we need to make our learning decisions. As usual, we need to find the best specific courses to learn a language or a tool. You will want to take the course that is best for learning R or SAS or Python. The institute ranking would not be the correct way to make these decisions..
Therefore, we decided to categorize the courses individually and not as institutes. Then, here are the ranges of various courses:
Certification courses for SAS:
- Basic course in analysis by Jigsaw Academy: The Jigsaw Academy foundation course is an ideal first course for your career in data science, if you want to learn SAS. The content is lucid and leaves you with enough knowledge on the subject to start your career in data science.. Course coverage is also holistic: covers everything, from collecting and cleaning data to building various predictive models. What I really like about this course is that it makes the journey of becoming a data scientist easier.. With its simple step-by-step approach, It is an ideal course for those who do not have experience in statistics or programming.
- SAS Institute – Predictive modeler: The Predictive Modeler certification from the SAS institute is probably the best short-term certification available from SAS. As usual, lasts longer than 5 days, This course assumes that you are familiar with Base SAS and have been using it for approximately 6 months (SAS also offers a Base SAS certification separately.). The reason this course has been ranked second is cost. SAS cobra INR 75k + for this certification. There may be further travel costs and if you also want to learn Base SAS, would double the cost, quite high for a course of 10 days. For motivated people, the SAS institute has begun to offer 2 online courses for free. You can do them to start, then practice for a few days and resume this course. This will save you the cost to some extent, but you still need to shell out a fortune for this course.
- Certified Professional in Business Analysis by Edvancer Eduventures: A lower cost option compared to the first 2 dishes. This Edvancer course covers SAS and predictive modeling comprehensively. Edvancer offers a good initiative to obtain 60 hours of instructor-led training at a relatively low cost. Definitely check them out if cost is a significant limitation for you.
There are other courses offered in the industry such as AnalytixLabs, EduPristine, Analytics Training Institute that are not complete from the point of view of becoming a predictive modeler. You should only consider them if cost is the only factor to choose.
Must read: a step-by-step guide to learning SAS from scratch
Certification courses for R:
- Data Science Specialization at Coursera: Probably the most definitive set of courses available for free. These are simple to follow, of 2 a 3 hours per week per course. You can select the courses you need and avoid the ones you don't need right away or take them simultaneously, if you have more bandwidth. The only downside to this certification is the lack of guidance from a mentor. You need to trust the forums for that role.
- The Analytics Advantage in edX: One of the most intensive courses to follow, this course needs you to dedicate 15 a 16 hours per week. And if you put them, covers everything you need to learn with R in less than 4 months. At the end of this course, you will be competing in a competition on Kaggle!
- Jigsaw Academy Data Science Certification: One more time, a complete Jigsaw offering with good quality content and instructors. This course provides you with everything you need to know to become a data scientist. The only complaint I have about the course is the cost: INR 26K for self paced and INR 42k for directed instructor may seem high, since there are many free resources available in R. Besides, this course will expose you to business case studies and real world problems better than any other course I have come across. If you are confident in your ability to obtain complex knowledge, stick to free courses. But, if you are intimidated by statistics or programming and feel like you need something to hand, Jigsaw is the ideal place to learn.
- Business Analytics with R by Edureka: A profitable offer led by an Edureka instructor, that covers the concepts well. You can also consider offering their data science for slightly higher fees and get working knowledge about Hadoop and Machine Learning with R.
- Edvancer certified R programmer: This Edvancer offering tries to serve the people in the middle: those who are motivated enough to learn with self-paced tutorials, but they still need on-demand support to help them sometimes. Since there is no shortage of videos / self-paced tutorials in R, you should consider this course for its on-demand support.
Data analysis with Udacity's R also covers basic exploratory data analysis in R, but it does not provide enough learning to build predictive models.
Must read: a step-by-step guide to learning data science in R Programming
Certification courses for Python:
- Mastering Python by Edureka: Personally, I like Python as a tool for data science. The Python ecosystem is still evolving. Therefore, It is difficult to find courses as complete in Python as this one from Edureka. The course starts with the basics of Python and continues to make sure you can apply machine learning with Python. One of the best offers to learn Python for data science.
- Introduction to Udacity Data Science: Udacity has a bunch of courses that assume you know Python. This particular course is a good introduction to Pandas and data disputes using Pandas. Although the course is a good introduction, It is not exhaustive and does not cover all of your needs as a data scientist through this course.
Must read: a comprehensive guide teaching Python from scratch
Machine Learning certification courses:
- Machine Learning from Andrew Ng on Coursera: I would probably not be wrong if I call this course the most popular course on machine learning. Professor Andrew Ng explains even the most complicated topics in an easy-to-understand way. An essential course if you want to learn Machine Learning from scratch
- Learning from data in edX: One of the most intensive courses taught by Prof. Abu-Mustafa. The course contains some truly intensive exercises and tasks. The course is not for people with a light heart, but for those who can endure; this is the best course on the subject.
- Udacity Machine Learning Courses: Udacity's machine learning offerings are somewhere in between the two previously mentioned courses. No simplifican el tema en la measureThe "measure" it is a fundamental concept in various disciplines, which refers to the process of quantifying characteristics or magnitudes of objects, phenomena or situations. In mathematics, Used to determine lengths, Areas and volumes, while in social sciences it can refer to the evaluation of qualitative and quantitative variables. Measurement accuracy is crucial to obtain reliable and valid results in any research or practical application.... en que lo hizo el profesor Andrew Ng y los conjuntos de problemas tampoco son tan intensivos como el curso sobre edX.
Must read: a beginner's guide to conquering machine learning
Big Data certification courses:
- courses from bigdatauniversity.com: Big Data University has a variety of courses on Big Data, Most of them are free! If you can deal with some ambiguity and are motivated enough to search for courses yourself, bigdatauniversity might be the right place for you. Despite this, if you feel lost with so many courses, go to the following.
- Jigsaw Academy Big Data Specialist: If you need a guide or mentor to take you through the complex world of Big Data, this might be the best place to start. One more time, a complete offer of Jigsaw, if you already know R. Again, my course evaluation remains the same, it's a good course and Wiley's certification is an added bonus, But it comes at a cost! The biggest USP of this course is that it teaches big data from the perspective of a data scientist rather than from the perspective of an IT professional. If you want to become a big data analyst, this is a great course. You can read a detailed review about the course here.
- Big Data and Hadoop by Edureka: Even though the course does not come with the Wiley certification, it is a very profitable alternative. The course covers the Big Data and Hadoop ecosystem in good detail and is clearly the most popular course in Edureka's offerings..
Some other courses worth mentioning here are MongoDB's arguments on Udacity and Mining Big Datasets on Coursera. As the name suggests, MongoDB course provides you with all the basics to work with MongoDB. Mining of massive data sets, Besides, is a combination of machine learning and Big Data.
Brief note on the methodology:
You can read more details about our methodology here. We classify the courses in 4 parametersThe "parameters" are variables or criteria that are used to define, measure or evaluate a phenomenon or system. In various fields such as statistics, Computer Science and Scientific Research, Parameters are critical to establishing norms and standards that guide data analysis and interpretation. Their proper selection and handling are crucial to obtain accurate and relevant results in any study or project....:
- Breadth of coverage
- Content quality
- Industry Accreditation
- Value for money
Final notes:
I hope these rankings and information help our readers to make the right decisions when selecting certification courses.. If you have been part of any of these courses or want to add more information, feel free to add it via the comments below or on the individual pages of the course.
