A Guide to the Best Data Science Bootcamps

Data science, a combination of math, computer science, and business, revolves around the study of data to extract useful insights.

Corporations in multiple industries have become increasingly reliant on big data to optimize ads, improve online experiences, and forecast sales. According to Techjury, Netflix saves $1 billion annually by using big data.

Interested in data science? You can attend bootcamps to learn valuable skills and pursue related careers. These programs consist of intensive courses aiming to quickly teach foundational data science knowledge.

Data enthusiasts considering a bootcamp can discover popular data science bootcamps, what these programs entail, and potential career paths.

Data science can be broken down into data collection, data processing, data warehousing, data visualization, and data analysis. Data collection, as the name entails, revolves around first gathering necessary data.

Data in its raw form must be transformed to gain actionable insights — which is called data processing, or stored in a central location (data warehousing). Data analysis can be used to learn from transformed data, and findings can be communicated via data visualization.

Data science bootcamps help students learn the necessary technical, mathematical, and fundamental business skills required for the data science field. As the data science field is vast, programs offer different focuses and time commitments. While you can finish some bootcamps in a few weeks, others take nine months or longer.

Applicants to data science bootcamps may quickly notice that bootcamps offer various prices and financing plans. Bootcamp costs can range from $1000 to over $10,000.

Bootcamp enrollees will spend their time learning data analysis, coding languages, and statistics. Students can learn through a mixture of courses, coding tasks, and capstone projects.

After studying data science, you can pursue various careers including data scientist, data analyst, data engineer, and machine learning engineer.

Many of these jobs have higher average salaries and growth rates compared to the national average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), data scientists roles may grow 35% between 2022-2032, well above the growth rate of many jobs.

Data science bootcamps offer various features and costs. Prospective data science bootcamp attendees should consider important details, including cost and reputation, and take a holistic view of the program.

You can choose between online and in-person programs. Online courses allow students from around the country to participate in synchronous or asynchronous learning. Working professionals can take advantage of asynchronous classes to study in their free time. In-person programs have less flexibility, but may offer additional networking opportunities and hands-on experiences.

Bootcamps come in multiple length and time formats. Programs can be part-time, full-time, self-paced, and last anywhere between a few weeks to nearly a year. For example, the NYC Data Science Academy program takes 3-4 months to complete while TripleTen’s program takes nine months. Consider your weekly time commitment and timeline when choosing programs.

Instructors in data science bootcamps can be anything from novices to experts in the field. Prospective attendees can research instructor credentials and the curriculum before joining. Some bootcamps, including General Assembly, offer curriculums created with help from data science professionals in top corporations.

Most bootcamps offer at least basic career support. However, the extent of help varies throughout programs. Students can expect to receive a mixture of mock interviews, resume assistance, career guidance, and meetups with local data scientists. Some providers, such as LearningFuze, allow graduates to utilize their career services throughout their lifetime.

Popular programs often have reviews from alumni that describe the courses and career support. Additionally, some bootcamps publish data on graduate job placement and median salary. Look for outcomes data that has been verified by a third-party rather than data that was self-reported by the bootcamp.

Before enrolling in a bootcamp, you should always consider how you will pay for tuition and any applicable living expenses. In 2021, BestColleges found that the average data science bootcamp costs $15,078.

Luckily, students can fund their education with a variety of means, including scholarships, loans, the GI Bill®, and income share agreements. Some programs, including Thinkful, will offer a full refund for qualifying graduates who do not find a job within six months.

Yes. Bootcamps offer real-world projects and an opportunity to hone your skills and build your portfolio. The best data science bootcamps are worth it because their providers typically develop them with job placement in mind. However, data science bootcamps are intensive and often challenging for beginners.

Yes, many data science bootcamps report an 80% or higher job placement rate within six months for their graduates. Select bootcamps also offer money-back guarantees if students cannot find a job within this time. Although bootcamp graduates may not qualify for all data science roles, they can pursue careers as a junior data scientist, data analyst, or web developer.

Data science may be considered difficult as it incorporates topics from computer science, math, and business. However, those interested in data and extracting insights may find the subject fascinating, which encourages studying. With self-paced bootcamps, students can adjust the curriculum to their learning speed and master data science on their own schedule.

Data scientist roles are in-demand and expected to grow 56% between 2022 and 2032. Companies increasingly need data scientists to gain insights from data. Professionals that can take the ever-increasing amount of data in the world and present findings to shareholders offer a unique combination of skills that may be valued by corporations.

Yes. freeCodeCamp offers a database of over 10,000 tutorials where students can choose from multiple technological topics to study and obtain free certifications such as Data Analysis with Python Certification and Machine Learning with Python Certification. Students that prefer visual learning can participate in Intellipaat’s free 13 hour YouTube tutorial on data science.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://benefits.va.gov/gibill/index.asp.

Page Last Reviewed August 25, 2023.