Investing 3 lakhs on Data science Certification Course? Is it really worth it
Is it worthwhile to spend three lakhs on a data science certification?
Were you going to do the same? If so, please hold back your application for a few minutes, read this post, and then decide.
Nothing is wrong in investing in data science career transformation. Instead, it's an intelligent decision, but doubt comes with the investment amount. 2 to 3 lakhs. Is this investment worth it? Indeed, 'no'.
Certification is the key to a successful career switch to data science:- Myths Vs Facts.
Many certifications and master's degree programs in data science advertisements come through professional network sites, social media sites, and roadside hoardings. The massiveness of data science course promotions makes everyone believe that certification is necessary to shift your domain into data science.
But the fact is this is nothing but a myth. Yes, as a working professional, certification can never be the entry gate of your data science career. Instead, at this level, 'hands-on experience' becomes the key to your data science career.
Is a data science course or certification a complete waste?
The answer is 'yes' and 'no' simultaneously.
Are you getting confused?
Well, let me explain.
Pursuing a data science course is too worthy if it makes you competent in the data scientist job market. But the same becomes a complete waste of money if it makes you only knowledgeable, not job-ready.
Remember, you will shift your career toward the data science domain, not starting a new one.
Your goal is to get a hike, not an entry-level job in the data science domain. So, to ensure the maximum possible return on investment, choose a course of certification that makes you a successful competitor in the current data science job market.
How to choose the right data science course for you?
To choose the right course, you need to look into the following aspects:
Course Curriculum:-
No defined, universal module exists for a Data Science Certification Master's Degree Program. Every institution and university builds up its course based on contemporary market demands and upcoming scopes.
It would help to be cautious while choosing such a course.
Check out the course that offers in-depth learning options for programming languages, analytical tools like python, R, java, SAS, and SPSS, mathematical and statistical modules like NumPy, pandas, Matplotlib, and algorithms on demand.
As you are at the intermediate level of your career, dive deep into programming and algorithm. Unfortunately, the introductory data science courses remain limited to entry-level projects and data analysis. So as a professional, choose a course that includes the k-means algorithm, word frequency algorithm for NLP sentiment analysis, ARIMA model associated with Machine Learning, Tensorflow, and CNN related to deep learning.
Timing and class type:-
Being a working professional, it's apparent that you can't opt for full-time courses. So choose courses that offer flexible timing. Of course, live classes (online/offline) are always best but if it's impossible to commit to scheduled classes, choose a flexible one that offers both recorded and live classes options.
If you enjoy offline learning, choose courses offering weekend classes. But keep in mind your education should not hamper your present job.
Project experience:-
If your chosen course is not offering any real-time data science project option, immediately discard it. Companies only search for candidates having hands-on project experience. As a working professional, experience is everything for your next job.
Some institutions let you practice data science skills on a few completed projects. Be cautious in this regard. Before joining any data science course, verify whether the offered projects are real-time.
Choose only that course where you can work on hands-on industry projects. No matter if the projects are from MNCs or startups. If you can manage time, choose a part-time internship course.
Throughout assistance:-
Being a dynamic field, data science needs more personalized assistance. As there is no domain limitation in data science, your chosen course must fit your targeted domain. Investing in a generalized approach is nothing but wasting your hard-earned money. Instead, a valuable data science course assists you with domain-specific interview questions, mock tests, and interview calls from growing companies.
Certification/non-certification courses:-
As mentioned earlier, certificates become only a decorative entity for a working professional's CV. So don't run after certification courses; instead, you can choose any non-certification program that benefits your next job application in the field of data science.
If you are already working in a core technical domain and own an impressive amount of python, R, java, etc., then you can choose a specific course like Tensorflow. This Machine Learning algorithm will fill the gap between your current and targeted data science jobs.
How much money should you invest in a data science course?
Here comes the final answer. Up to 80k INR investment is fair enough to crack a promising career transformation. Yes, it's true because the primary goal of doing a data science course is to upgrade your current experience to such a stage that will let you enter into the world of data science with a good hike.
You don't need to master every subdomain of data science; in fact, it's impossible. Instead, you need to learn and up-skill yourself in the data science subdomain of your interest or offer huge possibilities concerning your present experience, and yes, again, the priority is real-time industry projects.
Fulfilling the above criteria doesn't require 2 to 3 lacs INR investments. Instead, plenty of excellent and reliable online and offline courses can make you a highly competent professional in the data science and AI job market by investing 80k to 1.5 lacs INR.
Final Note:-
Data science is critical for organizations. As it has implemented in exceptional results and sound judgments across a wide range of sectors, its become a lucrative career choice. Aspirants have the necessary skills needed to start their professional path in this fascinating world of possibilities.
They should focus on which courses help develop their experience level and not on the course fee. Many data science certification courses offer exceptional services in considerable price.
For more assistance, you may check out the Data Science and AI courses offered by Learnbay. Their data science programs cost upto 1,20,000 INR (excluding taxes). You will get a chance to work on domain-specific projects.
Best of Luck.
