Today, let’s explore 25 resources to learn Data Science online for free. This blog is categorized into the following sections to keep it organized for learners who are looking for something specific.
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While resources are available in plenty to study any field of knowledge, it is important to know exactly what to study. Let’s first take a look at the skills required in the field of Data Science.
Required Skills in Data Science
Data Science is not a single discipline, but rather an amalgamation of various disciplines working together to achieve a single goal, i.e., transforming data into an asset. To have complete mastery over all the disciplines will be overstretching it. So, depending on individual strengths, you can pursue a set of skills of your choice to contribute to the field of Data Science.
Below are the skill sets that are desired in a Data Science professional:
- Fundamentals of Data Science: Before jumping on the bandwagon, it is essential to cover the foundational concepts and ideas to truly understand the essence of Data Science.
- Statistics and probability: Statistics is an age-old indispensable concept and a powerful tool in the field of Data Science that executes technical data analysis to offer concrete conclusions.
- Programming: The only way to communicate with machines is through programming, so it is an essential skill to have. You can pick up any from these: Python, R, Julia, etc.
- Data manipulation: It involves the cleaning of data and transforming it into a better format for analysis.
- Data analysis: Data analysis is the process of finally understanding all about the data, and it typically requires skills in Excel, SQL, Pandas in Python, etc.
- Data visualization: You must be familiar with various plots and charts, including pie charts, histograms, bar charts, waterfall charts, etc. Tableau is an excellent tool for data visualization.
- Machine Learning: One of the core skills to have in Data Science, Machine Learning is used to build predictive models with high accuracy and low errors. Machine Learning experts have a good understanding of data modeling, Machine Learning Algorithms for data science, distributed computing, etc.
- Deep Learning: A good grip on programming (preferably Python), linear algebra, and mathematics is required for working with Deep Learning. Also, you must know how to handle libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Keras.
- Big Data: Organizations are trying to tackle data by adopting Big Data Analytics, and in this domain, Hadoop, Hive, Spark, Apache Storm, and Flink are some of the frameworks and tools that are required.
- Software engineering: You don’t need to be a software engineer, but knowing the basics of software engineering, such as the lifecycle of software development projects, compilers, time-space complexity, data types, etc., goes a long way.
If you are seeking resources for Data Science, you may find those that include everything, or you will find good ones that are best at explaining separate parts of it. Either way, there are countless ways you can master Data Science. Following are some of the freely available Data Science resources and platforms that are aimed at helping learners and professionals equally.
Learn Data Science from Free Courses
A great way to learn Data Science basics is through all the freely available short courses. While they may not necessarily come with free certifications, these lessons can come quite handy when learning Data Science concepts.
Intellipaat presents an all-encompassing course, Python for Data Science Foundation, that equips individuals with the essential knowledge and skills to excel in the domain of data science using Python programming. This course primarily targets beginners with minimal to no prior exposure to Python or data science.
The Python for Data Science Foundation course delves into indispensable concepts, tools, and techniques widely employed in the data science industry. Participants will gain proficiency in fundamental Python programming aspects, encompassing data types, control structures, functions, and file handling.
Additionally, they will develop a solid understanding of key libraries and frameworks like NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Scikit-learn, which play a pivotal role in data manipulation, analysis, visualization, and machine learning tasks.
An American online course provider, edX is offering an introductory course on Data Science for beginners to mainly cover:
- The definition of Data Science and what Data Scientists do
- Skills required to be a successful Data Science professional
- Useful tools and algorithms in the field
- How to gather a strong team dedicated to Data Science
- The role of Data Science in business
While this course is completely free, one can opt to receive a verified certification by paying.
Google Cloud offers a free Machine Learning crash course with video lectures, practice exercises, and case studies for learners. Learning with Google AI allows customization in the learning experience through consolidated videos, tutorials, sample codes, courses, documentation, labs, and interactive sessions.
Khan Academy has a number of free lessons that explain various Data Science concepts such as introduction to SQL, data analysis, finding patterns in datasets, statistics, and probability etc. These mini-courses also come with practice sets to test your knowledge.
An online learning platform, freeCodeCamp is another best place to learn Data Science for free. They offer free lessons on statistics for Data Science, computer science concepts, Python fundamentals, Pandas, Python Matplotlib, and even a guide to build a good Data Science portfolio. Scroll through their list of 6,000+ articles and see if you find anything of interest.
A subsidiary of Google LLC, Kaggle is an online community dedicated to Data Science and Machine Learning. It offers a condensed form of complex Data Science-related topics and free courses that help learners gain needed Data science skills in a short amount of time through key practical components.
This website offers a wide range of useful resources to master Data Science. These downloadable resources include tutorials, books, etc. They also have study groups for a plethora of subjects, from data design to computing and math.
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Data Science Tutorials
If you seriously want to get down to it, tutorials are the best resources you can find to learn Data Science. Here are some of the informative tutorials found on the Internet.
Intellipaat offers both a Data Science tutorial on their website and several video tutorials that are available on their YouTube channel. The tutorials are very extensive and cover a wide range of topics in detail. For anyone, who wants to completely learn Data Science systematically, Intellipaat has included almost all concepts as well as practical projects for hands-on experience.
KDnuggets™ is an award-winning site for learning Data Science, AI, Big Data, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and data mining. It is known for its monthly tutorials and overviews on various Data Science topics. They also redirect users to other free resources and learning materials.
This website offers tutorials that focus on discussing Data Science concepts and includes a platform that offers advice on a multitude of topics by industry experts. Additionally, they provide practical information and start-up guides for new visitors.
This website contains open content on Data Science to raise awareness and focus on the fundamentals of Data Science. There is a good collection of materials available on it that covers many critical topics, including linear regression, random forest algorithms, data explorations, etc., as well as practice worksheets with code sections for learners to explore.
Data Science Communities and Forums
What’s better than a group of people with shared interests coming together to explore what they are passionate about? A community or forum is the best learning platform for Data Science as it will be full to the brim with ideas, opinions, information, discussions, and experiences shared by people from around the world.
The Data Science community on Reddit boasts 350,000+ members. The platform offers Data Science enthusiasts and practitioners a space to connect with like-minded people and share all kinds of Data Science resources with each other.
Quora is another great Q&A platform to find answers to specific Data Science questions. The answers are provided by industry professionals or anyone who is experienced in the specific question raised.
The Codementor community gives access to useful guides and tutorials for Data Science beginners and professionals. You can find anything from how to perform data analysis to tips on picking the right Data Analytics software.
Kaggle offers a space for Data Science practitioners and enthusiasts to discover content and engage in discussions on a wide range of Data Science-related topics. Learners can also get course-related help and information on the forum.
Intellipaat
Intellipaat’s community boasts 74,000+ members and is the best place to get all your Data Science queries answered. You can register yourself for free and drop all your questions. You will get all your technical questions answered by top developers.
Aspirants can join various discussions on the IBM Data Science community and read about a myriad of topics related to Data Science, AI, Machine Learning, and more. There are different groups on the website to join as per the learners’ interests.
Data Science Magazines, Newsletters, and Events
Various publications and events ensure that people in the Data Science world remain updated on the latest developments, achievements, scope, and technology. Here is a list of publications and journals to follow:
This influential platform aims at the Big Data and Analytics industry professionals, leaders, and innovators. It features fresh information and showcases quality tech-business articles, interviews, as well as commentary. The magazine is dedicated to shining the spotlight on various trends, insights, and opinions on data-driven technologies from all around the world.
The Data Science Journal is an open-access e-journal that is peer-reviewed, and it publishes papers on the management, use, and dissemination of research data and databases across various research domains in science, technology, and many others.
The magazine is owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and broadly focuses on authoritative, influential, and trustworthy journalism. Although the magazine is subscription-based, it offers three free articles a month. That being said, it is absolutely more than worth the price, and you might as well get the subscription.
Datafloq features information, insights, and opportunities in the world of Big Data, Data Science, AI, and other emerging technologies. It is another great publication that focuses on high-quality articles, technology vendors, job postings, connecting with talent, news on important technological events, etc. One can also register for their online training.
This global conference is run by the International Machine Learning Society (IMLS). The event is aimed at supporting Machine Learning enthusiasts and covers a wide range of topics. There are numerous workshops and tutorials available for use as resources for Data Science practitioners as well.
Data Science Blogs
Blogs can be really extensive, insightful, informative, and last but not the least, fun to read. Blogs are also a good medium to understand different opinions on a single topic and to gain knowledge on something you didn’t know through others’ experiences.
Intellipaat’s blog section contains a lot of information on Data Science, AI, Big Data, Machine Learning, and all the latest technologies. The blogs aim to provide readers with all the latest information and updates on different trending technology as well as to share specific topic-based information.
Apart from its useful tutorials and other free resources, KDnuggets also has a dedicated section for blogs/news that covers all the latest information prepared by seasoned experts.
Data Science Central is an online resource hub for everything in Data Science and its related technologies, contributing to key topics such as Data Science tools, analytics, data visualization, technology, code, as well as job opportunities in the industry. The website also includes a community forum that encourages helpful discussions or questions.
This blog is dedicated to a wide array of well-written articles, news, trends, and unique opinions and contributions by over 5,000 experts and professionals in the field of Data Science from around the globe. Some of its authors share the latest codes and tutorials on the platform.
If statistics is your calling, here’s the perfect blog for you to explore topics on statistical methods used in Data Science and Big Data by scientists all over the world. The authors of this blog are biostat experts sharing their knowledge, experience, and resources with up-and-coming statisticians.
Conclusion
A career in Data Science today is truly a promising one. With the right resources and guidance, you will learn Data Science, this multidisciplinary domain in no time. Explore all the freely available Data Science resources online and join interesting discussions with people in Data Science communities.