The Best Data Science and Web Development Resources
As you guys know, data science and web development are two of my favourite subjects. I've been lucky enough to be able to use what I have learned every day and now I think it's time to give back.
I used to write to experts in the field looking for secrets. One thing common answer I would get back, to my frustration, was 'read every day'. It took time but I realised there is no secret. To go far in any field, you have to keep learning. Find great resources and learn all the time then take action on what you have learned.
Here's a list of the resources I used to get me where I am today. I hope you can take some things from this list and help you get to where to want to be. It will help you at any stage of your career and hopefully give you as much value as I have gained from it.
Each section is divided into the following headers; Data Science, Web Development, Marketing, Tech.
I hope for this page to be an ongoing list that I keep updated with the best resources for each of these topics. Get in touch with anything that has given you massive value that you want to share with others.
I feel like I’m giving away my secrets but I’m here to help. Also, I stayed away from books for this because that's enough content to fill a whole different article. Check back soon for the book list.
Let's get started....
Data Science Resources
A hands-on introduction to Python for beginning programmers
Literally the video that started it all for me. If you have zero experience in programming or using python then start here. It couldn't have been a better introduction for me and I feel lucky to have found this.
I learned so much by the time I finished the video and it gave me the confidence to keep going. If I ever meet Jessica McKellar one day, I will thank her and let her know how much she helped.
Again, I feel lucky to have found this. It's a free pdf you can download through the link above. It is written in a way that uses the first section of a chapter to explain a concept with code along exercises. In the second section it gives you independent exercises to complete to cement what you just learned.
When you finish this book you will have every skill you need to get started in the vast world of programming.
Kirill Eremenko is a celebrity in the world of data science. He has many great resources including his website, book, multiple Udemy courses and podcast.
The Super Data Science podcast - I listen on Soundcloud but he mentions iTunes so I'm sure you can find it on there. If you need a mentor from afar then add this to your playlist. He has interviewed many thought leaders in data science and releases content frequently. As you will learn, he makes the complex simple.
Udemy courses - Honestly, if you take a few of the Super Data Science Courses with Kirill and Hedelin de Ponteves you will be ready to start a career in data science. Instead of going to university for at least 3 years, you could take these courses, make a portfolio and find a job in data science.
There are a few to choose from but here are the two I would suggest;
python A-Z: Python For Data Science With Real Exercises!
Machine learning A-Z - Hands-On Python & R In Data Science
Udemy/ Online Courses in General
I’m always learning and I find online courses are great for learning quickly. They are put together by people who spend a lot of time finding the best content and doing research. If you wait for the discount sales, they are very cheap for what you get.
Once you have learned the basics of data science and have gained some confidence in building models. Kaggle is a great place to get some practice. There are a lot of public datasets to choose from and there is a huge community.
The one thing Kaggle is most well know for is their competitions. There is prize money for the winners, not small change either. Don't expect it to be easy to win though. Either way, it is a great experience and you get to see what it is like to build models for real world data. Although it has usually been cleaned already.
An amazing resource for everything to do with data science. The site looks a bit crazy and outdated but you will quickly get past that because of the value you will gain.
There are tutorials, datasets, jobs courses and the latest news in data science. It is definitely worth bookmarking KDnuggets site and checking back once in a while, or just subscribe.
Makeover Monday is run by Eva Murray and Andy Kriebel, they educate in data visualisation using tools like Tableau. Don't feel put off if you don't know Tableau because they are knowledgeable in all things data visualisation and can help in any area.
The site uploads a dataset every week along with a basic visualisation. Readers are encouraged to come up with their own visualisations that are both attractive and reveal information in the data.
A YouTube channel with well thought out and structures playlists for learning. If you are interested in doing some free python tutorials I recommend this. Try the python basics and python videos playlists.
Not necessarily data science but if you find mathematics interesting then give this YouTube channel a watch. Their videos are educational and fun. They explain complex concepts in a simple way so it's nothing like reading complex mathematics papers. Great if you want an introduction to the subject.
The Reddit community for data visualisation. I don't need to say too much about this one. If you are on Reddit join this community if you haven't already. If you don't have Reddit, join just for this community.
Web Development Resources
A great place to learn web development. If you have no experience or anywhere intermediate level then this is for you. Angela Yu is an amazing teacher and I would recommend her courses to anyone trying to get into web development.
It it surprising how she takes subject that seem complex and makes them easy to understand. I personally took her web development bootcamp course. She updates the course and you can find the current one on Udemy. The Complete 2019 Web Development Bootcamp. Just have a look at the list of chapters if you are not sure.
It's one of those things you find every so often that is worth much more than we pay for it. There is huge value here.
You will most likely have heard of stack overflow so I won't need to go into detail here. The point is that as programmers, we can sometimes feel unworthy because we can't recall every single thing we learn.
Well, just remember you don't have to. We can't know everything and we certainly won't remember everything so use stack overflow as much as you need to. Don't feel guilty.
I am always amazed at how generous the programming and development community is. I have been part of other communities such as photography and media. None were as generous and friendly as programmers.
It's like we clearly remember how difficult it was to begin with and don't want anyone else to go through it. It could be that teaching is one of the best ways to learn. I am not sure but I hope it never changes.
That being said, I am amazed the resources on code academy are free. They have tutorials for just about anything in development. Just get over there, browse some of their courses and learn something new.
A lot of time can be wasted on Reddit because it can be very entertaining so be careful. The Reddit community is known for being much smarter/ wittier than other online communites so there is a lot to learn. Next to Quora that is and we'll get to that later.
Here's a list of the communities I am part of for web/ mobile development. Have a quick browse and when you join the communities, check back every so often to keep updated with the latest and keep learning.
I follow quite a few more and you just need to browse to find communities for you but here are some I follow...
r/javascript - All about the JavaScript programming language
r/web_design - A community dedicated to all things web design
r/webdev - A community dedicated to all things web development: both front-end and back-end.
r/node - All about Node.js
Conclusion
I was going to add my resources for marketing and tech here but I just checked the word count and it will go well over 2000. I don't want make this article too long so stay tuned for the next part.
This is probably for the best because I know some of you guys won't be interested in marketing and tech. I'm sure you will be eventually though because there is a natural progression and all of these fields complement each other well. If you wanted to implement these things but didn't want to learn them, you can read on article on outsourcing work to get an idea.
I hope you get as much out of the resources as I did and still do. Remember that in the world of programming, it is essential to have a strategy to keep learning.
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