Can I Learn Data On My Own?

Learning some things about data on your own is possible, but how far you can go depends on what you want to do with data. Are you interested in learning how to collect and analyze data for a digital marketing campaign? Do you want to learn how to use Excel to keep track of student test scores? You may want to learn to use tools like Tableau and Power BI to create data visualizations to share with colleagues. 

Collecting and analyzing data and creating visualizations to gain insights can be challenging. Most people prefer to take a class, especially if they plan to start a new career as a Data Scientist or Data Analyst. There are YouTube tutorials, self-paced classes, and free seminars to watch for an introduction to the topic, but what if you have questions? Trying to teach yourself data analysis or visualization takes longer than signing up for an in-person or live online class, and it is difficult to know if you're getting the most up-to-date information. Also, many people find they need the structure of a class with a live instructor to hold them accountable for finishing their work.

Advantages to Self-Teaching Data

One advantage to teaching yourself to work with data is convenience. You determine your schedule. You can watch self-paced materials whenever and wherever you want. If you have a full-time job, you can watch videos at home after work and on the weekends. If you need to take a break for a few days, you can do that because you set your schedule.

Another advantage is that you can use free resources. You can watch YouTube videos and find online tutorials on data analytics tools like Google Analytics and Excel without paying. If you need something more in-depth, self-paced classes are generally less expensive than courses with a live instructor. While this may save you money, it will cost you time. An experienced instructor has worked with data for several years and will steer you in the right direction. They are familiar with best practices in data analytics and visualization and how to avoid the errors beginners often make.

Data Self-Teaching Tools

If you’re interested in learning more about working with data for digital marketing, improving customer service, or increasing efficiency in your business, you can use video tutorials to get started. You can watch a video on Excel while you eat lunch or learn about Python coding in the evening. You can go at your own speed and watch video tutorials as many times as needed to grasp the information.

Noble Desktop offers many free videos on its website, like Top 10 Beginner Excel Tricks You Need to Know, Intro to Google Analytics, or Get Started in Data Science. The videos are each about an hour long and are presented by experienced trainers. You can also find free courses on some platforms, like Udemy, Coursera, and FreeCodeCamp.

Like free tutorials, on-demand classes are self-paced, but usually you have pay for them.

You can watch these prerecorded video sessions anytime and anywhere. They are usually accessed through a subscription platform, some offering a limited free trial period. 

If you’re highly motivated, you can learn this way, according to your own schedule. 

On-demand subscription courses are a smart and cost-effective investment, often less expensive than in-person and live online sessions. For instance, the business social media platform LinkedIn offers LinkedIn Learning with thousands of classes on many different topics for a monthly or annual fee. The subscription becomes active after a one-month free trial. Similarly, Coursera charges a monthly or annual fee with a one-week free trial. Skillshare also offers a one-month free trial and a monthly or annual membership.

Drawbacks to Learning Data on Your Own

One drawback of learning data handling tools alone is that you may need a live instructor to answer questions, which can slow down the process. Also, it can be difficult to tell how up-to-date the information is. Tools and best practices change frequently, and old information can slow learning. An experienced instructor will teach you the best way to collect, clean, and analyze data and create visualizations based on insights to help make business decisions in the future.

Another possible issue with learning about data on your own is that you don't have anyone to hold you accountable. You are entirely responsible for watching the videos and completing the assignments. Some on-demand classes have asynchronous teaching assistants you can contact via email, but this takes more time than simply asking a question in class. Learning with an experienced instructor, you'll be part of a community, which can help combat the isolating feeling that many people experience when learning on their own.

Alternatives to Learning Data on Your Own

When embarking on a career as a Data Scientist or Data Analyst, remember that you're not alone. You have the option to pursue a college degree or complete a certification course at a professional training center. Colleges and universities offer degrees in computer science and information technology, while some learners opt for mathematics and statistics. Even community colleges, with their supportive environment, provide data analytics classes, ensuring you have the necessary support on your learning journey.

Professional training centers offer a wide range of programs, from bootcamps to certificate-granting courses, catering to those who want to build technical skills. These classes can be attended in person or live online, on a part-time or full-time schedule. They are designed for those who want to understand how to perform data analytics for their own business or are looking to start new careers as Data Analysts or Data Scientists. The topics covered in data courses are diverse, ranging from introductory Excel training to in-depth data science or data analytics certificate courses, promising an exciting and varied learning experience.

You’ll also need to decide which learning environment works best for you. If you prefer in-person classes, you can find them in larger cities or community colleges. These are traditional classroom sessions with instructors and students in a classroom or computer lab. However, if you can't find a class that meets in person, you can choose a live online class. These courses run at the same time as an in-person session, with some students logging on through a video conferencing platform. Online students can ask questions and talk to other students during breaks, work together on group assignments, and get the instructor's help if needed. The flexibility of accessing a live online class from anywhere with internet access empowers you to learn at your own pace and convenience.

The length of data courses depends on the focus of the course. Bootcamps are intensive classes focused on one topic, like Python or foundations of data analytics. These classes usually last two to three days and are ideal for those who want to gain specific skills quickly. Certificate programs, on the other hand, include classes on various topics and are designed to give you the skills you need for a career working with data. These courses last several weeks to months, providing a more comprehensive education.

Courses offered by professional development or training centers like Noble Desktop vary widely from school to school. Data Analytics Foundations is a two-day class including 12 hours of instruction. Excel for Data Analytics covers core functions and formulas taught over three days. Noble Desktop's Data Analytics Certificate course runs for six weeks full-time or 24 weeks part-time. The Data Science Certificate includes four weeks of full-time or 20 weeks of part-time instruction. Meanwhile, CareerFoundry offers a full-time data analytics course focused on job preparation that you can complete in approximately five months. General Assembly offers a Data Analytics Immersive that takes 12 weeks to complete. These are taught either in-person or via live online classes with a live instructor in the classroom or remotely over a video conferencing platform like Zoom.

Learn Data Tools with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop's Data Science Certificate can help you change to a career as a Data Scientist, even if you are a complete beginner. Learn Python, SQL, automation, and machine learning for data analysis, database querying, and predictive modeling. Start with the basics of Python programming like reading and writing complex database queries, preparing and cleaning data for analysis, and using Python to automate repetitive tasks like aggregating, updating, and formatting data. Next, learn to build machine learning models to clean and balance data, then build dynamic dashboards and visualizations. The course includes real-world projects to help you build a data science portfolio and job search and resume preparation assistance.

Noble Desktop also offers a Data Analytics Certificate to provide students with hands-on experience working with data analytics tools and techniques, and practical lessons in quantitative and qualitative data analytics. In this class, students will learn how to use Excel, Python, and SQL to build, query, and organize databases. Once students are comfortable with these tools, they will learn more advanced Python programming and how it can be used to automate data collection, create data visualizations, and build machine learning algorithms that can perform data analytics processes. Finally, students will learn how to use Tableau, one of the most versatile data visualization tools available, to create rhetorically persuasive and convincing graphs, maps, and charts. The real-world projects in the course help students build a data analytics portfolio and the course also includes assistance with job searches and resume preparation.

Noble's Tableau Bootcamp is designed for beginners who want to learn about data visualization and the various tools offered by Tableau Public. You'll learn to identify datasets and how to connect to and explore them. You will also learn how to analyze, filter, and structure data to use for powerful visualizations. Once you master the foundations of Tableau, you will learn how to make maps and create custom visualizations. The course ends with manipulating and publishing different types of visualizations.

Power BI Bootcamp is a class from Noble Desktop that helps businesses make better use of their data and become more adept at the process of reading and interpreting it. In this professional skills bootcamp, you’ll learn how to use all of the features of Microsoft's Power BI business intelligence software and how it can be used as an interactive data visualization tool. In this course, you’ll learn how to turn data into interactive visual dashboards, how to use these visualizations to connect multiple databases and gain relational insight, and how to publish your findings so that others can benefit from your data insights. 

Noble's Python for Data Science Bootcamp is designed to take beginners through the basics of Python programming to the start of machine learning. The course starts with fundamentals like writing basic statements and expressions, creating variables, understanding different data types, working with lists, indexing and slicing lists, and using functions and methods. After establishing the basics, the course moves on to working with data types such as strings, lists, dictionaries, and tuples. The second part of the course covers program structures and the third features arrays and dataframes. The final section deals with data analysis and visualization. This class will prepare students to work in the machine learning field.

Noble Desktop's Python Programming and Machine Learning Bootcamp focuses on the most common data science programming language. This intensive course covers two foundational skills for Data Scientists: Python programming with its many libraries–including Numpy, Pandas, and Matplotlib–and automation with machine learning. Upon completing the course, students receive a certificate licensed by the New York State Department of Education. Free retakes are available within one year and students can access recorded sessions the next day. 

When you work with data, you need to be able to locate it. Noble Desktop's SQL Bootcamp trains students to work with databases. Learn how to filter the data, group it, and turn raw data into insights. Combine information from multiple tables using join statements. You’ll also learn more advanced techniques like aggregate functions, subqueries, and how to use functions with parameters. In this hands-on course students will learn PostgreSQL and the free DBeaver app to explore the database and execute SQL queries. The concepts you’ll learn on PostgreSQL can be applied to other flavors of SQL (such as Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, etc.) with minor syntax differences.

Excel Bootcamp from Noble Desktop covers beginner, intermediate, and advanced data analytics skills. Students will learn basic functions and essential calculations, more complex functions like VLOOKUP and Pivot Tables, and advanced features like creating macros and using database functions.