While I was waiting to find out whether or not I would be accepted into phase 2 of the FEND I applied for the Bertelsmann Data Science Challenge scholarship. I figured it was worth a shot. Apparently it was because on May 2nd I received an email congratulating me on being accepted into the Data Science scholarship program.
This scholarship opportunity is the first time I ever heard of the company Bertelsmann. I don’t even know what they do. Even so I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn a new topic.
The data science challenge program doesn’t officially start until May 8th. In the meantime, I joined the programs Facebook community which has been… interesting. There’s all sorts of different people. Some even in the FEND program like me. Some stay at home moms. There is also a few grumpy people complaining about too many social posts in the Facebook group unrelated to data science. Considering Facebook is a social media site I find the grumpy posts amusing. I have no problem with the “where are people from” and “what are your other interests” posts. The program hasn’t started yet people are just trying to get to know one another.
Based on the other Udacity Data Science courses I’ve made the assumption this course also uses Python. Thankfully I am familiar with Python as I took a Python programming class years ago in college. I really haven’t used it since but I don’t recall it being too difficult. I am spending this morning getting my laptop set up with Anaconda which is used in the free Udacity Intro to Data Analysis and Intro to Data Science courses. The courses use Python 2.7.x and not Python 3.x.x. So I will be installing an older version of Python to ensure the libraries for the course work properly. Hopefully this program also will use Python and Anaconda. If not, I’ve just wasted a good portion of my morning.
Speaking of Python, last year I was given a free copy of the book A Smarter Way to Learn Python by Mark Myers. The author reached out to those that purchased his other books (I have his A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript) and offered a free copy of his Python book to those that requested it. How awesome is that? Seriously go buy Mark Myers books. They’re a great way to learn and the lessons are accessible online.
I will be honest – I’m a bit nervous about doing FEND at the same time as this Data Science Challenge. Ultimately it will come down to my ability to prioritize my time and taking care to ensure I don’t get burnt out. If push comes to shove FEND is the higher priority. I will make an effort to do regular weekly posts on what I’m learning for both FEND & the data science challenge.