A Hierarchy of Ways to Leave Healthcare for Data Analytics, Parts 3 & 4

By Lauren Rosenthal and Kimberly Richey

Part 3: Supported Courses

Next up we have a newer emerging level of training that we will call Supported Courses. For a while there was a big leap or gap between all the plot-your-own-course, self-taught options and doing a bootcamp. To make that leap requires a lot of structured time and a hefty price tag. What is great about the Supported Course option is that you get the freedom of being self-paced and the support of an instructor and classmates in live time via a Discord or Facebook group. For starting out in data analytics we recommend two supported courses specifically:

Break into Tech by Charlotte Chaze: (full disclosure-Lauren and I met through the Break Into Tech Certificate course) Charlotte offers a free course to get a taste of her teaching style. The paid certificate course (currently $249) is built on the Teachable platform and covers SQL and Tableau. There is the opportunity to set up GitHub and Tableau portfolios, do projects and practice. There is a very active Discord group for the certificate program. Charlotte is in the group often answering questions and offering advice, as are other students and alumni. This way you never get stuck on a query problem in SQL or (like me) trying to figure out why Tableau Public will not work on your new laptop. The community around the course is also great for making connections and getting recommendations on LinkedIn and learning about data analytics jobs and job market in general.

Data with Danny: Danny Ma offers a Virtual Data Internship through his Serious SQL(currently $50) course. The course covers all the SQL basics as well as how to set up a portfolio, resume reviews, mock interviews, 1:1 mentoring opportunities. Danny holds live SQL training and career Q&A sessions on Zoom every Saturday 9:30PM to 11PM EST. The lively Discord group and live training help to keep you on track and gaining skills. The case studies that go along with each course section are a great way to build a portfolio to show at interviews that you both understand the technical skills and the critical thinking involved in data analytics.

Part 4: Top Speed in Top Time: Bootcamps

If you have spent an hour (or maybe less) tooling around the internets about learning data analytics then you have most definitely heard about bootcamps. A bootcamp is a highly structured program that teaches specific technical skills in an intensive format over a short number of weeks or months. Bootcamps can be excellent for learning new skills quickly, but that support, intensity and speed come with a higher price tag, sometimes as much as $10,000. The most respected and well established bootcamps for data analytics are: Springboard, General Assembly and Thinkful. There are many bootcamps to choose from now. You can select the length of the bootcamp and time of day that works best for you. You have a variety of options for how to pay for the course including income sharing agreements that mean you don’t pay anything until you get a job. Bootcamps generally have live and recorded instruction, assignments to complete which are assessed, and a cohort of fellow students who will be with you through the duration of the course. This can be a winning combination for many learners who thrived in college style classes.

What next?

As we're sure you've realized over the last 3 days, there are a multitude of options when it comes to learning data analysis. From free tutorials all the way to bootcamps, you have the opportunity to tailor your journey to what best fits your life and learning style. Here are some questions you may want to consider in order to get you started on your right path:

• How certain are you that this is the path you want to take? If you're still feeling out options, maybe free tutorials are the right way to go; but, if you're 100% sure, perhaps structured courses or bootcamps are it.
• How self-disciplined are you? No answer is a bad answer in this case, but it's good to be aware! If you are able to keep yourself on track without hard deadlines, then free, subscription, or structured courses are fantastic. If you thrived in college-style courses where there was a syllabus, distinct deadlines, and oversight, bootcamps are a good option.
• What are you looking to get out of the courses? If you're just looking to learn, free tutorials and classes may be the way to go. Structured courses and bootcamps often give you a support system in the form of a Discord or Slack community and bootcamps may give you job search assistance. This is not to say that subscription courses wouldn't provide you assistance; Udemy courses often have TAs to answer questions and the team at Maven is incredibly responsive if you have a question! Structured courses and bootcamps are just more conducive to collaborative opportunities.
• How much can you spend? As mentioned, bootcamps are by far the most expensive option. They almost always cost upwards of $5000 (in my experience), which is a big investment. Subscription-based sites and structured courses cost less and are truly a fantastic alternative.

In the end, you've already taken the hardest step in deciding to explore your options! After all, breaking up (with healthcare) is hard to do.