The Udacity ALX-T Data Analysis Program
There would be a conscious effort not to make this article a long read. The program teaches data analysis using Udacity’s E-learning platform courtesy of a scholarship by Alx Africa.
I came across the program via a WhatsApp broadcast message, I proceeded to fill the application and do the test. Yes, there was a test in basic python and SQL (the two pre requisites to get the scholarship). Don’t worry, you will be fine if you know only python. Still learn SQL later though.
The program lasts for 3 months. My cohort started 9th May to graduate 7th August, 2022 though it was extended by one month till September.
The program is mainly divided into 2 main parts, the core curriculum and the extra curriculum. The later contains courses that are not necessary graduate but are necessary for self-development while the former (core curriculum) is the main dish. The core curriculum is divided into 7 parts and 7 different projects. To pass and graduate successfully, I had to finish all the 7 parts and projects before the deadlines of each. Just submitting a project does not guarantee moving onto the next level for the individual as the project would have to pass a review before the student can move to the next level.
The Peculiarities That Make the Program Beautiful
This program is like no other, I have a underwent a decent number of online courses and this program is so different and in a refreshing way. What makes this program a must for entry level data analysts?
· Connect Sessions
Ask any alumni or current student of the program what the best part of the program is and most would go for the connect sessions. If you have taken other online courses in the past, most of them just involves you and yourself only, adding Google into the mix when you do not understand a concept. This program is different, it does not just leave you at the mercy of the rough seas of Google.
What are connect sessions? Connect sessions is a two-hour weekly class (zoom meeting) where the connect lead assigned to you would answer technical questions that you did not understand. Think of the connect session as a compulsory extra lesson for everyone. This time the student gets to ask the teacher questions unlike during the main classes where information goes in only one direction; from the classroom tutors to the student’s ears.
· Revoking of the Scholarship of some students
After the deadline for project 1 (Investigate a Dataset) had passed, people that had not submitted the project would have their scholarship revoked. This was done to sift out people that probably applied for the scholarship, got accepted and then forgot about it or were outright not serious about it.
This is something that made a lot of students, including me to go harder to avoid revoking.
· Connect Leaderboard
This one was more for the fun of it for me. There is a score board that ranks each student with points considering how long they spent in the classroom. I was first on the leaderboard only once. Sad.
· Project Based
One of the best things about the program is that it is heavily geared towards projects. For every lesson that you take, there is a project waiting for the student at the end of it and there is no better way to learn if not by learning by doing. There were some concepts taught in the classroom, I understood them (or so I thought). When it was time to do something similar, I knew there was problem. Lol. I had to relearn the concept again. There is no better way to learn than learning by doing. I like this aspect of the program because it is not good to be caught up in the endless cycle of watching tutorials.
When a project is submitted, there is also feedback gotten. It does not matter if it is a successful project or not. There would be appraisals and constructive criticisms of your work. The fact this comes from professionals that are worth their salt makes me glad.
Here is a link to my GitHub repo to see my projects.
· Slack Channel community
I am no longer sure of the best part of the program anymore. The program is an all-rounder and the community it gave me and other students is worth so much. Take other courses and the only friend you will have is just Google. In this program, there is a whole community of students and industry professionals just an internet connection away from you. The whole community is there to help you in various ways.
There were a couple of times I was stuck while doing the projects, immediately I asked for directions on the slack channel, there were replies that pointed me in the right direction. If well harnessed, you could well be graduating with new friends, business associates, collaborations or even a spouse (So help me God). Kidding. lol
· Great Content
After all said, done and written. This is the most important aspect of any class; the content of the class. The ALX-T Udacity Data Analysis Nanodegree program does not disappoint here. How the classroom does not follow the norm but it still delivered a hundred percent here. God bless the content creators.
· Career Sessions
At the end of day, the reason most people take a course is to try and forge a career path in that field and unfortunately most courses would leave the individual high and dry. The course would have great content but the content does not have content on what path to follow after reading the content. Excuse my excessive content, but you get my point.
Career sessions just like the connect sessions are a two-hour weekly session (zoom meeting) where you get to be taught about getting a job (by people, writing a pitch, basically anything that makes you get employment after the program. You also get to ask questions too.
WHAT DO YOU STAND TO LEARN/GAIN?
You stand to gain a support group if I may call it that. As a beginner, it may most likely be that you are on your ow trying to figure the whole journey by yourself but when you have people that are ahead of you in the journey and even behind you, your focus can be on other areas when you have a community that has your back.
There are a host of things to learn and different students would learn different things. Examples are; creating a slideshow, gathering of data from Twitter’s API, cleaning of data, how to write elevator pitches, using Git and GitHub, data visualizations and the rules that guide it, resume writing, writing meaningful READMEs and many more things. You just have to see for yourself.
At the end of the day, there is a certificate of completion given to all graduates.
HOW TO APPLY
Just click this link to apply. At the time of writing, applications are being taken for 2023 cohort.
Prerequisites
· Proficient in spoken and written English
· Basic computer skills
· 18 to 35 years old
· Open to learners of African origin.
· Knowledge & experience working with data in Python (Numpy and Pandas) and SQL.
Thanks ALX Africa and Udacity for this opportunity.
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