How to learn Data Science & Machine learning?

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During this surreal time, we found ourselves with some more time in our hands if some of us are placed into furlough, or simply working from home, we can use this new time, that I will call now QuaranTIME for this article, to learn new skills and to improve our existing skills.

So I have decided to help out anyone interested in learning about Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science, in general, some of the best resources I found helpful in my journey on these topics.

Learning a new skill, concept or subject is not at all easy, and requires some discipline to make sure there is progress, a lot of people hit that brick wall when things start to get a bit more complex and tend to give up, usually due to time pressure, work creeping up into personal time, or responsibilities that take all of their time.

So my advice is, have the time allocated for learning, at least one hour a day, maybe more if you can, split your quaranTIME in a smart way and you will see results quickly, personally I find that early morning, while I am having my coffee, is when I am the most receptive to new ideas, concepts, and the house is silent and still…. Is bliss.

You will see there are an enormous amount of learning resources to choose from, books, courses, videos, etc. But remember that you will need complementary skills, such as python programming, R programming, data visualisation and statistics. This is a common mistake that people make when they dive into a subject without having the necessary foundation, they get overwhelmed and give up. This will not happen to you, you will do this the smart way. In the next section, I present some resources from beginners to advanced in Data Science, Machine Learning, Python, R and Artificial Intelligence, as they are all related it is important to compliment each with the other.

Data science is a “concept to unify statistics, data analysis, machine learning and their related methods” in order to “understand and analyse actual phenomena” with data. It uses techniques and theories drawn from many fields within the context of mathematics, statistics, computer science, and information science.

With this in mind, I selected a few books and online courses to help you start learning about Data Science.

These books are available now for free from Springer, or GitHub during this QuaranTIME, Springer decided to create a COVID–19 pack with a lot of usually expensive books for free! It is a great opportunity to start.

There are endless courses in Data Science, Data Analytics, etc. I chose these ones as they are self-paced and detailed. They use real case scenarios and are challenging. All these courses can be completed for a certification that will increase your chances of landing a data science job.

Machine learning is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems with the ability to automatically learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.

This very small list has the basics of machine learning using Python and R. A statistical mindset and knowledge in algebra and probability will help you a lot.

There are a lot of opportunities to learn machine learning online, mostly free. I feel that the list above is a great mix of theory and hands-on application of machine learning.

In computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), sometimes called machine intelligence, is intelligence demonstrated by machines, in contrast to the natural intelligence displayed by humans and animals. Leading AI textbooks define the field as the study of “intelligent agents”: any device that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximise its chance of successfully achieving its goals.

Artificial intelligence and the application of machine learning books usually have lessons on how to sell these projects, how to start an AI capability within your company and how to create ethical and trustworthy AI systems.

These two courses cover the basics of Artificial intelligence and how to manage and successfully implement AI in your company, or even personal life. I found them very useful, especially when explaining benefits and strategy to stakeholders that can sponsor a project.

Some extra resources that helped me a lot, learning the basics of Python and R. And having hands-on practice while doing some small projects.

There are a LOT of free resources online to learn Python, R, SQL, etc. These are curated by a strong community of developers and enthusiasts that share their knowledge, and happy to answer any questions you might have.

The world we knew may be gone, millions of people are at home, with plenty of quaranTIME to spend on learning new subjects, getting new skills, and prepping yourself for a more uncertain future. The way you spend your quaranTIME, will impact your future, learning these skills will give you an edge once things go back to “normal”.

Data Scientists, Machine Learning experts and Artificial Intelligence managers are rare and well paid. So use your time right and start a path.