Udacity, a pioneer in online education, is building \"University by Silicon Valley\

Udacity

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Hello Hackers! Welcome to another series of HackerNoon’s Company of the Week! Each week, we shine a light on a standout company from our Tech Company Database—featuring those driving real change in the tech world and in users' lives. This unique HackerNoon database ranks everything from S&P 500 heavyweights to the year’s most promising startups. Company of the Week! Company of the Week This week, we're thrilled to spotlight Udacity, the trailblazing online learning platform that's been redefining digital talent development for over a decade. Now part of Accenture, Udacity delivers career-ready education at scale, tackling global tech talent shortages head-on with real-world training in AI, data science, programming, digital marketing, and more. Udacity What sets Udacity apart? What sets Udacity apart? Industry-vetted curriculum, hands-on projects, and human mentors who actually work in the fields you want to break into. Whether you're eyeing a role in Silicon Valley or just starting your AI journey, Udacity equips you with the in-demand skills to thrive in today’s evolving tech landscape. Want to be featured on HackerNoon’s Company of the Week? Request Your Tech Company Page on HackerNoon Today! Want to be featured on HackerNoon’s Company of the Week? Request Your Tech Company Page on HackerNoon Today! Want to be featured on HackerNoon’s Company of the Week? Request Your Tech Company Page on HackerNoon Meet Udacity: Fun Fact! Udacity just snagged a Stevie Award for Customer Service & Sales—beating out over 170 global contenders in the Achievement in Customer Service Automation category! 🏆 Their win highlights a major behind-the-scenes effort to create fast, smart, and seamless support for learners around the world. 170 global contenders Achievement in Customer Service Automation They resolved 79,000+ support tickets with an average full resolution time of just 9.5 hours. A multilingual support bot handled over 52,000 interactions (including 32,000+ in Arabic), while automation took care of 30% of all tickets—saving thousands of hours for their team. It’s proof that when it comes to learning, Udacity puts people and performance first. 79,000+ 9.5 hours 52,000 30% Whether you're already based in the top tech companies of Silicon Valley, or just beginning to plan your future in AI, get started with Udacity today! get started with Udacity today get started with Udacity Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Udacity 🤝 HackerNoon Business Blogging Udacity Udacity has turned its sights on HackerNoon and has partnered with us for our business blogging program. So far, Udacity’s’s stories have garnered over a whopping 46,000+ reads and counting! blogging program 46,000+ reads Discover Udacity’s Latest Insights on HackerNoon Their stories reveal the quickest and most effective path to gaining job-ready skills for the careers of tomorrow: stories How to Become a Cloud Developer: Requirements, Salary, and Courses
300 Scholarships Up For Grabs at The School of Cloud Computing Courtesy Udacity and SUSE
Here's What You'd Typically See In A Full Stack Developer Job Description
The Lowdown on Udacity's Intro to Cybersecurity Nanodegree How to Become a Cloud Developer: Requirements, Salary, and Courses How to Become a Cloud Developer: Requirements, Salary, and Courses 300 Scholarships Up For Grabs at The School of Cloud Computing Courtesy Udacity and SUSE 300 Scholarships Up For Grabs at The School of Cloud Computing Courtesy Udacity and SUSE Here's What You'd Typically See In A Full Stack Developer Job Description Here's What You'd Typically See In A Full Stack Developer Job Description The Lowdown on Udacity's Intro to Cybersecurity Nanodegree The Lowdown on Udacity's Intro to Cybersecurity Nanodegree Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon Share Your Company's Story Via HackerNoon That’s all for this week! See you all in the next series, The HackerNoon Team The HackerNoon Team

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Udacity has teamed up with — a global leader in innovative, reliable and enterprise-grade open source solutions — to help students everywhere get the in-demand skills they need to launch a successful career in cloud native application development. SUSE Cloud Native Architecture (CNA) is a form of tech stack that consists of microservices and cloud technology, and has been described as the future of application development today. The — launching soon — will be our latest addition to the , and the product of our partnership with SUSE. Cloud Native Application Architecture Nanodegree program School of Cloud Computing Along with collaborating to create the Cloud Native Foundations course — the first course of the soon to be released Cloud Native Application Architecture Nanodegree program — SUSE has also worked with us to provide for the program. 300 scholarships How the SUSE Cloud Native Foundations Scholarship Works Udacity and SUSE will welcome 15,000 applicants into the Cloud Native Foundations challenge course. In the first course of the Cloud Native Application Architecture Nanodegree program, students will learn how to structure, package and release an application to a Kubernetes cluster, while using an automated CI/CD pipeline. Once students complete the scholarship challenge, 300 top performers will be selected to receive a full scholarship to the Cloud Native Application Architecture Nanodegree program. Applications for the SUSE Cloud Native Foundations Scholarship Program open April 6, 2021 and close May 25, 2021. Apply today !

300 Scholarships Up For Grabs at The School of Cloud Computing Courtesy Udacity and SUSE

As global organizations move toward digitization and digital transformation becomes the new norm, cyber-attacks have become more common and severe. In fact, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimates a 300% rise in reported cybercrimes. FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center Additionally, more than realize that they are at risk for cyber attacks. As the need for cybersecurity grows, so does the need for professionals to help corporations shield themselves from attacks. 68% of business leaders In an effort to train the world’s workforce in the careers of the future, including cybersecurity, we’re excited to introduce the to offer a complete career path through our specialized Nanodegree programs — Intro to Cybersecurity, Security Analyst, Security Engineer, and Ethical Hacker —  meant to provide the skills you need to become ready for a job in the cybersecurity field. School of Cybersecurity Prep for Future Jobs In Cybersecurity A called 2020 the “worst year on record” for cybersecurity — 36 billion records were exposed as the result of cyber attacks as of the end of September 2020. Despite this staggering number, it still takes for an organization to identify a cybercrime. recent report from RiskBased Security an average of 207 days Such gaps in cybersecurity create a lot of space for skilled cybersecurity professionals to prevent database breaches. To shore up protection against cybercrime, organizations will invest in more cybersecurity professionals. The (BLS) predicts that jobs in information security will grow by 31% between 2018 and 2028, which is significantly faster than the rate of growth for all jobs (4%) or computer jobs (11%). In fact, predicts that there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally by 2021, up from one million positions in 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Cybersecurity Ventures In short, cybersecurity is a high-demand and high-growth field that is possible to get into from a variety of backgrounds and is an ever-evolving, exciting field. offers a flexible online learning approach that equips students with the knowledge and problem-solving skills — from actual practitioners — that prepare them for the complex and dynamic field of cybersecurity. Udacity’s School of Cybersecurity The School of Cybersecurity offers the following Nanodegree programs: Intro to Cybersecurity This Nanodegree program is perfect for getting started in the high-growth field of Cybersecurity by building foundational skills like how to evaluate, maintain and monitor the security of computer systems. You’ll learn how to assess threats, respond to incidents and implement security controls to reduce risk and meet security compliance goals. offers the right combination of structured content and real-life projects to prepare you for the challenges faced by global organizations. The Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program Security Analyst Earlier this year we . The program is designed to help you learn the skills that will help you identify, correct, and respond quickly to security weaknesses and incidents. launched the Security Analyst Nanodegree program The Nanodegree program comes with an array of projects, requiring you to act as a security analyst and plan for security controls, identify threats, execute a vulnerability assessment, and develop an Intrusion Detection System. These projects provide hands-on experience to make you ready for jobs in cybersecurity. Security Engineer For those interested in cybersecurity engineering, the gives students the real-world experience they’ll need to be ready for the first day of their new job. Security Engineer Nanodegree program This program will help you master the foundational skills necessary to become a successful Security Engineer. The program focuses on how to protect a company’s computer systems, networks, applications, and infrastructure from security threats or attacks. Ethical Hacker The will equip students with the skills they need to advance their cybersecurity careers and become ethical hackers or penetration testers. Ethical Hacker Nanodegree program Through our industry-designed course structure and real-world projects, you will learn how to find and exploit vulnerabilities and weaknesses in various systems, build-out and execute a penetration testing plan and report on findings using evidence from the project. Begin Your Career in Cybersecurity Now According to , the average base salary of a cybersecurity engineer is $99,834 which can go up to $130,000. This means that there is a lot of opportunities to grow and earn in this field. Glassdoor If you want to begin your career in cybersecurity then check out our and enroll in your favorite Nanodegree program now. School of Cybersecurity

Become a Skilled Cybersecurity Professional with Udacity’s School of Cybersecurity

Security and data breaches are a growing concern globally. Believe it or not, in the 10 biggest data breaches in the first half of 2020. The data could be anything ranging from Social Security numbers to your credit card details to something as personal as a medical record. more than 3.2 million records were compromised That’s why cybersecurity is top of mind for every company around the world. With the increasing number of data breaches  — — the has become vital. In fact, the need for cybersecurity specialists has become so paramount, that according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation is projected to grow at a much faster rate — more than 30% between 2018 and 2028 —  than the average of all other occupations. up 54% in 2019 role of a cybersecurity professional As demand for cybersecurity specialists reaches a fever pitch, Udacity is excited to announce the release of the all-new — created in collaboration with SecurityScorecard — a great start for anyone interested in this critical field. Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program Prep for Future Jobs with our Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program This Nanodegree program prepares students with a strong foundation in cybersecurity skills and knowledge. The program is a great start in the Cybersecurity field or a great supplement for IT professionals looking to build stronger Cybersecurity skills. The Nanodegree program fills in the gap in hands-on skills-based training in the field of cybersecurity. Currently, there are many university or college-level programs focused on the theory of cybersecurity without addressing the practical application of that theory; boot camps could provide practical training, but it comes with a very high price tag. Udacity’s Nanodegree program fills that gap by offering the right balance of structured content and practitioner-level skills for existing cybersecurity professionals. Our project-based learning approach prepares students for the real-world problems faced by organizations globally. Data breaches and security threats are a growing concern and with this program, you will not only learn the fundamentals of cybersecurity but also get to implement and test them in a real-world context. Here’s what you’ll learn in the Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program: COURSE 1: Cybersecurity Foundations This foundations course explains security fundamentals including core principles, critical security controls, and the best practices. PROJECT 1: Securing a Business Network Investigate and fix security issues on a Windows 10 client system as a way of demonstrating fundamental cybersecurity knowledge, skills, and abilities. COURSE 2: Defending and Securing Systems Get exposed to a diverse group of technologies that will provide or enhance the skills needed to enter the field. : PROJECT 2 Monitoring and Securing Douglas Financials Inc. Analyze Windows and Linux servers and report recommendations on OS hardening, compliance issues, encryption, and network security for Douglas Financials Inc. COURSE 3: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Incident Response Learn how to identify security threats and gaps, fix issues, and respond to inevitable attacks. : PROJECT 3 Navigating a Cybersecurity Incident Apply the skills you have acquired to navigate a potential cyber incident threatening a hospital. : COURSE 4 Governance, Risk, and Compliance Learn about the functions of Governance, Risk, and Compliance and how each function operates alongside operational controls to strengthen an organization’s security. : PROJECT 4 Create the SwiftTech GRC Program As a brand new GRC analyst for SwiftTech, you’ll need to understand the business quickly and improve their GRC documentation to help support the organization’s goals. This program is great for IT professionals, risk analysts, and QA engineers who need to build foundational Cybersecurity knowledge, though any individual with basic familiarity of network connectivity and operating systems would also benefit from these critical skills. Partnering with Industry-leader SecurityScorecard Udacity has partnered with SecurityScorecard to bring industry-relevant cybersecurity skills training to students and businesses globally, starting with the Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program. “Our goal at Udacity is to train the world’s workforce in the in-demand careers of the future, and cybersecurity is a critical industry that’s experiencing a significant gap between demand for and supply of qualified professionals,” said Alper Tekin, Chief Product Officer at Udacity. “We’re excited and proud to partner with SecurityScorecard to bring practical cybersecurity skills training to students and companies across all industries, to answer the massive demand for cybersecurity professionals.” is the global leader in cybersecurity ratings and the only service with over a million companies continuously rated. Founded in 2013 by security and risk experts Dr.Aleksandr Yampolskiy and Sam Kassoumeh, SecurityScorecard’s patented rating technology is used by over 1,000 organizations for enterprise risk management, third-party risk management, board reporting, due diligence, and cyber insurance underwriting. SecurityScorecard “We are thrilled to partner with Udacity to bring easily accessible cybersecurity education to the public,” said Aleksandr Yampolskiy, CEO and co-founder of SecurityScorecard, the global leader in security ratings. “Our company mission is to make the world a safer place. By partnering with Udacity we are making additional progress on this journey and helping to facilitate the development of future and current cybersecurity professionals. The world needs skilled security practitioners and we’re happy to join Udacity in this endeavour.” Learn About Cybersecurity with the Best Instructors This program has been created in collaboration with some of the top professionals and academics in the industry. , CEO, Cyber-AAA Ron Woerner , Information Security Engineer, University of Alabama, Birmingham Jerry Smith , CEO, Cyber Pop-Up Christine Izuakor , Senior Director, Security and GRC, Business Wire Sean Pike Industry-wide Demand for Cybersecurity Specialists on the Rise According to Microsoft’s , there are upwards of 744,000 cybersecurity professionals today, but cybersecurity roles are expected to grow 750% in the next five years, amounting to almost 6.4 million jobs and not nearly enough qualified cybersecurity professionals to fill them. research of qualified applicants, that typically translates to big advantages for those job-seekers. For example, the median salary for cybersecurity professionals as of May 2019 is When demand for a role is over double the supply $99,730 per year and $47.95 per hour . Beyond compensation, cybersecurity professionals also benefit from job opportunities across the full spectrum of industries, given that every business needs to maintain adequate security practices and infrastructure to avoid data breaches. Particularly high Information Technology & Services, Defense & Space, Computer Network & Security, Management Consulting, and Financial Services. demand for cybersecurity professionals comes from sectors like Enroll Today! Excited to get your start in this in-demand field? Enroll today in Udacity’s new ! Introduction to Cybersecurity Nanodegree program

The Lowdown on Udacity's Intro to Cybersecurity Nanodegree 

I created my own . Within it are two Udacity Nanodegrees, among other courses. Artificial Intelligence Masters Degree Udacity Deep Learning Nanodegree Udacity Artificial Nanodegree Udacity’s classes are of the highest quality I’ve ever taken. I’ve never done an actual Masters Degree but let’s compare anyway. Cost I went to an open day at my university to look at postgraduate studies. The computer science program I looked into was $42,000 per year over two years. And you needed to pay 50% up front. I didn’t have $42,000 to spare. So I looked elsewhere. Creating my own learning path, I’ve spent a total of $3500. On various courses, books and tools. $3500 isn’t free but it’s far less than $84,000. Paying for everything up front means I don’t have any debt either. Time If I signed up to the computer science program, it would take a minimum of 2-years to complete. I’m a year into my own curriculum and nearly finished. However, learning these technologies is never-ending. Every week there’s a new state of the art benchmark to get acquainted with. Every week! It’s great fun. Learning I looked into studying computer science because I wanted to learn about artificial intelligence. That’s what sparked my interest more than anything. But the curriculum offered by the university seemed to teach everything but what I was after. Going online, I could study anything I wanted. I went straight to the source of what I wanted to learn. It was hard. But learning new things is always hard. You might as well dedicate the effort to something you want to learn. Feedback During my undergraduate degree, I’d hand in assignments and sometimes not get feedback on them for 3-months. By that time, it no longer mattered to me. The same went for exams. Udacity reviewers get back to you with feedback and advice on your projects within 24-hours of submission, sometimes within the hour. Not to mention the Udacity forums and Slack channels. These have been invaluable to my learning. Rather than being stuck on a problem for weeks at a time, help is available (almost) instantly. Quality I’m a visual learner. I have to see things happening for me to understand them. Reading dozens of lecture notes isn’t the best way for me to learn. Udacity’s animations team does a great job crafting visualisations to go along with their lectures. I often find myself rewatching the visualisation a dozen times to have the concept wired in my mind. Udacity also partner with industry experts. In the Nanodegrees I’ve taken, there have been people from IBM and Google offering their insights. Content Does my own Master’s Degree stack up to a real one? I don’t know the answer but look at it this way. University Master’s Degree’s have stood the test of time. They’re set up in a way to prepare you for further study and research. And many companies still recognise them as valuable or even required credentials. Sure, there will be some holes in my Master’s Degree and the Nanodegrees won’t cover everything you need to know, hence the name. But what’s more important is I created my own path consisting of exactly what I wanted to learn. This has made learning far more enjoyable. The best courses are ones which spark your interest in furthering your knowledge. Udacity courses have done this for me. Opportunities Two months ago, I started as a Machine Learning Engineer. Since then, I’ve worked on a bunch of projects requiring the skills I learned in the Nanodegrees. However, I’ve also had to learn more depending on what the project required. Would I be able to apply for more opportunities with a Master’s Degree? Possibly. But I don’t have one. Instead, I knew the skills I’m learning are valuable and made sure to build an online portfolio to use as my proof of work. Udacity also partners with technology companies and offer career services to help you find a role, however, I’m yet to take advantage of these. Further Learning I remember about 1% of what I learn. It’s why my catchphrase is . keep learning Most of the data in the real world aren’t as neatly packaged as what you’ll find in some courses, including the Nanodegrees. You’ll have to continually think of new ways to get data in a format you can use artificial intelligence techniques on. Graduating from a Nanodegree or from a Master’s Degree is not the end of your learning journey but the starting point for a new one. You’ll never be fully prepared for the challenges you take on but with the foundation skills you gain, you’ll be able to learn what you need. Summary Am I the best artificial intelligence engineer after completing the AI Nanodegree? No. Would I have been better off doing a traditional Master’s in AI? Maybe but I don’t plan on doing one. Can I learn new techniques as required and apply them to new problems? Yes. Do the courses I’ve been doing excite me? Yes. Are there some pitfalls to my knowledge? Yes, but I can surround myself with people who are better than me in those areas and learn from them. Or, I can figure out where I’m weak and fix it. If you want to save on cost and time and dive straight into the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, I’d recommend courses such as the Artificial Intelligence Nanodegree. If you’re after a more traditional and rounded education with the prospect of going into further studies, PhD programs and the like, go an Artificial Intelligence Master’s Degree. There is no shortage of problems you can use these skills for. There’s a reason they’re in big demand. Keep learning. This post began as to the question on Quora. my answer What is the difference between a Udacity Nanodegree and a master’s degree with artificial intelligence? Connect with me on . LinkedIn Watch me on . YouTube

Should you do a Udacity AI Nanodegree or an AI Masters Degree?

Full Stack Web Developer Nanodegree, iOS Developer Nanodegree, Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree, and More This article was initially published in my blog There are so many things that we can learn, and so many resources that we can choose to learn from that it makes it really challenging to choose the right resources that can help us get better jobs, or improve our careers in general. Udacity offers many nano-degrees that we can use to level up our careers with courses that are organized and prepared to help us progress from a beginner level to a more advanced one with quality content. Students who manage to finish the projects get the degree and are guaranteed to get a job related to the degree. If you cannot afford paying for these nanodegrees, fortunately, you can still attend many of the courses that belong to these nanodegrees, without having to pay anything. The following list has been initially posted at this , and at the time of this writing, it includes links to courses that belong to the following nanodegrees: Github repository Front-End Web Developer Nanodegree Senior Web Developer Nanodegree Full Stack Web Developer Nanodegree Data Analyst Nanodegree Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree Tech Entrepreneur Nanodegree Android Basics Nanodegree Android Developer Nanodegree iOS Developer Nanodegree Mobile Game Developer Nanodegree Predictive Analytics for Business Nanodegree Front-End Web Developer Nanodegree Master the skills required to become a Front-End Web Developer, and start building beautiful, responsive websites optimized for mobile and desktop performance. Learn the fundamentals of how the web works and gain a working knowledge of the three foundational languages that power each and every website: HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Intro to HTML and CSS Responsive Web Design Fundamentals Responsive Images JavaScript Basics Intro to jQuery Object-Oriented JavaScript HTML5 Canvas Website Performance Optimization Browser Rendering Optimization Intro to AJAX JavaScript Design Patterns JavaScript Testing Senior Web Developer Nanodegree (n_o longer listed on Udacity)_ This program begins where our Front-End Web Developer Nanodegree program ends, and is designed to give intermediate developers the chance to build on existing front-end skills and master the newest technologies available. This program ensures you’re supremely well-prepared to succeed in a Senior Web Developer role. Building High Conversion Web Forms Web Tooling & Automation JavaScript Promises Offline Web Applications Web Accessibility Front-End Frameworks Client-Server Communications Full Stack Web Developer Nanodegree This program will prepare you for a job as a Full Stack Web Developer, and teach you to build complex server-side web applications that use powerful relational databases to persistently store data. You’ll learn to build applications that can support any front-end, and scale to support hundreds of thousands of users. Programming Foundations with Python Intro to HTML and CSS Responsive Web Design Fundamentals Responsive Images Intro to Backend Intro to Relational Databases Full Stack Foundations Authentication & Authorization: OAuth Intro to AJAX JavaScript Design Patterns Developing Scalable Apps in Python Linux Command Line Basics Configuring Linux Web Servers Version Control with Git GitHub and Collaboration Shell Workshop HTTP & Web Servers Designing RESTful APIs Data Analyst Nanodegree We built this program with expert analysts and scientists at leading technology companies to ensure you master the exact skills necessary to build a career in data science. Learn to clean up messy data, uncover patterns and insights, make predictions using machine learning, and clearly communicate critical findings. Intro to Descriptive Statistics Intro to Inferential Statistics Intro to Data Analysis Data Wrangling with MongoDB Data Analysis with R Intro to Machine Learning Data Visualization and D3.js Intro to HTML and CSS JavaScript Basics A/B Testing Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree Machine learning represents a key evolution in the fields of computer science, data analysis, software engineering, and artificial intelligence. This program will teach you how to become a machine learning engineer, and apply predictive models to massive data sets in fields like finance, healthcare, education, and more. Intro to Descriptive Statistics Intro to Data Science Intro to Artificial Intelligence Reinforcement Learning Deep Learning Artificial Intelligence for Robotics Machine Learning for Trading Tech Entrepreneur Nanodegree No longer listed on Udacity Our Tech Entrepreneur Nanodegree program teaches you the skills you need to create your own revenue-generating app, and build a successful business around it. You’ll learn to succeed the Silicon Valley way! Built in partnership with Google, this program mixes theory and practice to show students how to transform ideas into market-ready products. Product Design App Monetization Rapid Prototyping App Marketing Get Your Startup Started Android Basics Nanodegree Android apps are everywhere, and learning to build them can be a fantastic career move. No programming experience? No problem! The skills you learn in this beginning Nanodegree program will accelerate your journey to becoming a working Android Developer. Android Basics: User Interface Android Basics: User Input Android Basics: Multi-screen Apps Android Basics: Networking Android Basics: Data Storage Android Developer Nanodegree For intermediate Java developers pursuing Android specialization, this program teaches the tools, principles, and patterns that underlie all Android development. The skills you learn in this Nanodegree program will help you master the existing platform, and prepare you for the exciting opportunities in Android’s future. Developing Android Apps Advanced Android App Development Gradle for Android and Java Material Design for Android Developers Android Wear Development iOS Developer Nanodegree Being an iOS Developer is a remarkable occupation, and we’ve designed this Nanodegree program to teach you the skills required to launch your career. For those with previous object-oriented programming experience, you’ll learn Swift and build a multitude of portfolio-worthy iOS apps to demonstrate your expertise as an iOS Developer. Intro to iOS App Development with Swift UIKit Fundamentals iOS Networking with Swift iOS Persistence and Core Data How to Make an iOS App Objective-C for Swift Developers Mobile Game Developer Nanodegree No longer listed on Udacity If you want the skills to turn your game ideas into reality, or get ready to jump into professional game development, this is the program for you! The core of this Nanodegree program is libGDX, a powerful cross platform game development framework that allows you to release your game on a variety of devices and operating systems. 2D Game Development with libGDX How to Make a Platformer Using libGDX Engagement & Monetization | Mobile Games Predictive Analytics for Business Nanodegree As more and more companies incorporate predictive analytics into their data strategies, demand for business analysts with these skills is growing rapidly, and salaries are rising. This Nanodegree program will equip you with these very in-demand skills, and no programming experience is required to enroll! You’ll master the most important predictive techniques, work with leading tools in the space, and learn to deliver high-value solutions to important business problems. Problem Solving with Advanced Analytics Creating an Analytical Dataset Classification Models Data Visualization in Tableau A/B Testing for Business Analysts Time Series Forecasting Segmentation and Clustering Udacity has other nanodegrees as well, but this list includes only the ones that have their courses free of charge. Students who go through the actual nanodegree have the opportunity to benefit from protect reviews, additional student and career guidance, and a job guarantee. Still, you have some great content available to learn from. Happy learning!

85 Free Udacity Nanodegree Courses

Deep has taken the world by storm and the juggernaut has kept rolling since early 2017. Learning As far as the core methodology goes, neural have been around since decades and convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural networks have been around since 15 odd years. networks What has changed suddenly you ask? GPUs and breakthroughs in automated systems like self driving cars. As Andrew Ng himself says, “I think the other reasons the term deep learning has taken off is just branding. These things are just neural networks with more hidden layers, but the phrase deep learning is just a great brand, it’s just so deep.” Developers all around the globe are heavily motivated seeing the innovation DL is driving in each and every sector. Every company is either pitching themselves as providing Artificial Intelligent solutions or a blockchain company. Quite frankly, these 2 things have become the Guitars and DSLRs which college going students use to impress people but very few take it to the next level. So how do we get our skin in the game? I will try to analyse some of the most popular and widely accepted online courses for deep learning as I have almost completed them (I am yet to finish Udacity’s NanoDegree’s RL part, which itself is a discourse on its own) and break them down in terms of the value they add versus the cost it takes out of you — time and money. all We will discuss about 4 courses in totality: Deeplearning.ai Specialisation — Coursera Deep Learning A-Z — Hands On Experimentation — (SuperDataScience) Udemy Applied AI with Deep Learning — IBM ( ) Coursera Deep Learning NanoDegree — Udacity Lets begin with a short intro to all the courses: Deeplearning.ai, Andrew Ng’s boat which leads us towards autonomous salvation is split over 5 courses covering NN, CNN, RNN and dedicated courses to hyperparameter tuning and ml project structuring. The courses contains 3–4 weeks respectively(except course 2 and 3) which contain as many quizzes and programming assignments in python hosted on coursera’s jupyter hub. DeepLearning A-Z on Udemy provided by folks at superdatascience.com is a 23 hour rigorous course which splits the course into 3 parts : Supervised learning(ANN,CNN,RNN), Unsupervised Learning( SOM, Boltzmann Machines, Autoencoders) and some basic ML referesher and data preprocssing techniques and templates. Applied AI with Deep Learning by IBM is focused more towards the IoT/ production level design of deep learning systems with introduction to various frameworks like deeplearning4j, systemml and tools like Apache Spark and IBM Bluemix platform which makes exploring deep learning on real time data. Its a 4 week course which covers a lot in lost less time. Udacity’s Deep Learning Nanodegree covers everything from NN to GANS and previously was marketed as a foundations course but they added Reinforcement Learning and dropped the former name. Contains rich video content and hands on mini segments which are presented in the form of self paced jupyter notebooks. Assignments are reviewed and mentors are also assigned for a personalised touch. So, after a brief introduction to all the nominees for the Best Course on Deep Learning, the Oscar goes too… Hold on, lets take this to the jury room. From a learner’s perspective, I came up with an evaluate-tionary framework of auto M.A.T.I.C.S ( oney ssignments ime ntuition ontent upport) M A T I C S - Registered in the state of Beliefotopia. All hail our saviour Geoff Hinton and his scribe Yann Lecun. Good things come to those who wait and the metric goes in the increasing order of relevance as well, so stick around! You are not the only one with fancy acronyms, Marvel! Lets discuss all these points with the perspective of students(S) and working professionals(P) oney 1) M S: — Coursera is known for the it has in place to help students not only get its content but also get certified for the course for full or partial payments. Udemy’s courses are comparatively very cheap (Less than $20) and the content might be available on the internet if you look . Udacity is probably the only one which provides free alternative to its nanodegree course content but then it charges $300–$500 dollars for its nanodegrees for the personalized code reviews and mentors. financial aid system closely P: — If your company is paying for your courses as part of L&D policy, I’d say do them all! If its your own pocket through which you are looking to pay then I’d suggest having Coursera’s $49 per month full access to their catalogue. Udemy is just a day’s salary for you and Udacity probably worth 2–3 weeks. Here’s a free certificate for your resume courtesy John Oliver Verdict:- If you don’t want but only knowledge then audit coursera courses, skip udacity nanodegree and be a pirate, harry! Else, shell out some bucks for the course creators’s hardwork and be a responsible student. certificates ssignments 2) A Udacity beats everyone in terms of assignment quality and code reviews. Andrew Ng has provided some cool Ipython notebooks but I must say, the assignments are not at all intuitive. Udemy course provides some very hands on intuitive level assignments/explanation where the tutor explains each and every line of the code which does help if your theory is on point. IBM’s course provides weird yet interesting assignments as they try to bring IBM Watson platform and big data aspect into real time production level assignments but are poorly explained/structured with weird UX around IBM platform. Verdict:- If you like someone explaining all the code, Udemy assignments are very good. You want your code to be reviewed/mentorship — Udacity is bang on. For everything else, there is Coursera. ime 3) T S — Students are at an advantage for they can easily pace out the courses over time. Coursera 4 week courses if done properly hardly take a week if you are clear with your math fundamentals. Udacity has much more to offer in terms of mini assignments and longer syllabus which justifies its ask of 8–10 hours per week. IBM course is very swift but it covers very less things. Udemy course is around 23 hours runtime which clearly takes atleast 2 weeks to finish. P — All the courses are also kept keeping professionals in mind. Udacity has some deadline based projects so you kinda have to keep up. But burning the midnight oil everyday is better than chugging through the whole content over the weekend for you will forget it the next week. Verdict:- Coursera is value for time, Udemy is self paced but might be frightening at times. Udacity is not for the faint-hearted if you are not well versed with its prerequisites of math and python ntuition 4) I Andrew Ng covers the underlying math in a much much better way than all of the tutors but at times it proves to be counter intuitive if you like coding and hacking your way through it. Udemy course covers both code logic and tech intuition in a nice and precise way but visually is unappealing.They also provide links to research papers to read which can be used as supplementary material to strengthen your knowledge on a particular topic. Udacity content is very intuitive though they provide some write ups and math below their videos, some math intensive sessions (RNN) surely are snoozeworthy.( Important, yet snoozyy) IBM course gives you an idea about IoT and production level deep learning with its very basic and intuitive videos which are good if you are looking to quickly try and build something without going into the grittiness of deep learning. That’s not what she said… Verdict:- I personally found Udacity content to have cleared a lot of mydoubts, but then Udemy clears your coding intuition and Andrew Ng’s lectures though less intuitive but are necessary if you re looking to understand how everything works. You can choose to go for Udemy if your aim is to prototype rapidly and learn intuitively only. ontent 5) C Andrew Ng’s content is very standard and it feels as if you are sitting in a classroom and your professor is breaking down each and every difficult concept into simpler terms. Udacity’s content is graphically attractive and doesn’t make you sleep( RL and RNN will) coupled with special content by Andrew Trask, Ian Goodfellow and Sebastian Thrun keeps things interesting from time to time. SuperDataScience team has come up with their hit A-Z series in many verticals of AI/ML/DL and though their slides are not a visual treat, their content is precise and inclined more towards the practical aspect. They provide some very cool templates which are heavily reusable if you plan to experiment. IBM content is a bit hasty I would say, the varied pace at which different instructors go and the accent of the main tutor is sometimes very difficult to comprehend without subtitles. Verdict:- Udacity — Yayyyy, Udemy — Yayyy, DeepLearning.ai — Yayy, IBM — Yay upport 6) S I’d say Udacity’s 60% fees might be justified for the support they provide. Slack channels, weekly office hours, live webinars with top scholars, mentors to help you out with code and logical errors and portfolio building skills make taking a mooc a very wholesome experience. Coursera and Udemy have support forums where you can discuss with your fellow classmates or reach out to TAs but then it depends on how much grasping power you have. Better the support, Better the understanding.I personally got frustrated with the IBM course as the assignments are so rigid I almost gave it up at one point just because I was copy pasting wrong json file. Verdict:- Udacity takes the cake and justifies its price in this segment FINAL VERDICT Its one thing to download tutorial videos and other thing to take an actual course. I have had like 30–40 gb worth of tutorials ranging from Game Theory to How To Make Delicious Pastas and I still eat instant pasta packets. The point being if you are commiting yourself to a course and are serious about entering this field or are just wanting to have an overview of the fuss in the market, I have some yoda wisdom to pass on. Chronological Order : Deeplearning.ai, Udemy, IBM, Udacity Machete Order: Udemy, IBM and then watch the world burn The Chosen One: Udacity DLND Original Trilogy — Andrew Ng’s Machine Learning-> Khan Academy Math ->DeepLearning.ai

DeepLearning 101: Coursera Vs Udemy Vs Udacity

2018 is an exciting time for students of machine learning. There is a wealth of readily available educational materials, and the industry’s importance only continues to grow. That said, with so many easily accessible resources, choosing the right fit for your interests can be difficult. To help those considering entering the machine learning world, I’d like to share my experience from two courses I took in 2017: and . I found both courses to be very instructive and worthwhile, but very different in nature. If you don’t have time to take both then hopefully this post can help you decide which one is best for you. Coursera’s Machine Learning course Udacity’s Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program Coursera Coursera’s Machine Learning course is the “OG” machine learning course. Led by famed Stanford Professor Andrew Ng, this course feels like a college course with a syllabus, weekly schedule, and standard lectures. The college feel extends to the curriculum as well. Here is an example slide: Courtesy of Coursera If that scared you, you aren’t alone. I usually shy away from courses heavy in math, but I actually appreciated the approach in this course. The course begins with a linear algebra refresher and explains machine learning concepts like gradient descent, cost function, regularization, etc. along the way. It is structured better than any in person college course I ever attended. The material isn’t easy, but that’s a good thing. You come away from the course with the satisfaction of genuinely understanding machine learning, enough so that you could even build your own machine learning framework from scratch. Udacity Courtesy of Udacity Udacity’s Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program is the trade school alternative to Coursera’s academia. From basic statistics to full-fledged deep learning, Udacity teaches you a plethora of industry standard techniques to complete the program’s well-crafted projects. The projects are so good, in fact, that I forked their repos on Github and left my solutions up as portfolio items. The final step of the program is to complete a capstone project of your own choosing. While you could theoretically do a similar project on your own, I found the desire to complete my Nanodegree to be a strong motivator; I ended up putting in much more time and effort than I normally would have put into an independent side project. Ultimately, I ended up creating something of which I am truly proud. Udacity’s program doesn’t so much teach as it does provide a framework and motivation for you to teach yourself. Comparison Now that I’ve introduced the two programs, I’ll highlight the strengths and weakness of each across a number of categories. Programming Environment As I mentioned, Coursera is the “OG” machine learning course; so, it should come as no surprise that the it’s taught in the “OG” 3D math language and programming environment: Matlab. Due to Matlab’s cost and licensing issues, the machine learning world has mostly moved to Python. This move severely limits the utility of the programming assignments because you’ll have to relearn a lot of that work in Python. If you are a seasoned programmer who knows many languages, that might not be a big deal. However, if you are relatively new to programming then this detour may cost you a lot of time. The Udacity course is taught in a modern Python environment with popular frameworks like Sklearn, Tensorflow, and Keras. The course even teaches students how to use AWS to deploy machine learning software to the cloud. The course also simplifies the process of installing machine learning dependencies with a Docker image and AMI (Amazon Machine Image) for local and AWS development respectively. In fact, the entire Udacity environment is in line with industry best practices and students who learn it will be well equipped in the job market. Winner = Udacity Lectures Coursera’s Machine Learning course was created and taught by the AI godfather himself: Andrew Ng. And this course has contributed in no small part to his reputation within the industry. The lectures follow a single uniform format and each one builds upon the last in a methodical way. Not to mention, he leads every one himself. Lastly, Professor Ng is also very encouraging in his videos, which I thought was a nice touch. Udacity’s lectures, by contrast, featured a rotating cast of characters, which can create very jarring transitions between sections. I counted at least seven different people lecturing throughout the program. While Udacity attempts to provide multiple content sources for its students, the lack of homogeneity definitely dented my enthusiasm for the lectures. By the end of the program I just skipped right to the projects and watched the lectures, or even searched Youtube, as needed. Winner = Coursera Projects Coursera’s course has programming assignments in which student’s submit code to be tested against automated unit tests. While this model helps the class scale, it leaves you hunting through the forums when things go wrong. That said, I never hit any major roadblocks. The assignments themselves were directly related to the course material and reinforced the lectures. Sometimes it felt like I was actually creating my own machine learning framework; at other times, however, it felt like I was just implementing methods until the unit tests passed. Udacity’s projects were extremely well designed. In fact, they constituted some of the best educational materials I’ve ever encountered. Each project covered a subject, such as unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, linear regression, in which you solve a multi-step machine learning problem and write about your approach and understanding. When you feel that you have completed a project, you submit it to be graded by a HUMAN. The quality of the feedback that I got was incredible. The final project is a capstone that you get to pick yourself, but it is still reviewed by Udacity’s staff. The proposal and ended up being one of the best portfolio items I have ever created and one of the things I am most proud of in my programming career. final report Winner = Udacity Cost Coursera’s price is hard to beat because it’s free. To get the certification its $80. If you are machine learning on a budget then Coursera is a great choice. Udacity has recently changed its pricing model for the Machine Learning Nanodegree. When I entered the program, it was $200 a month. Now it is a $999 flat fee. The per month pricing model incentivized me to finish the program quickly in only three months. Though I must admit, given the quality of instructor feedback, even with the price hike tuition still seems reasonable. The highly-skilled labor that is meticulously reviewing projects can’t pay for itself. With such a high dollar amount, however, signing up for the Nanodegree program is obviously a much bigger consideration. Winner = Coursera Conclusion While the courses tied on the number categories won, I am going to pick a winner. It is… Udacity. It may come as no surprise that a paid course beats out a free one, but the Udacity Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program gave me the confidence to professional pursue machine learning positions and opportunities; and for that, its entry fee was a very small price to pay. That said, I would still recommend you do both courses. Start with Coursera, so that when you use “batteries included” high level frameworks, you understand the low level details and have a better appreciation of what you’re actually coding. After you’ve built a strong conceptual foundation, further refine your skills by learning practical, industry standard practices at Udacity. Overall, I am so glad I took concrete steps to enter the machine learning world in 2017, and I would encourage you to do the same in 2018. Coursera’s Machine Learning Certificate Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree Certificate

Coursera vs Udacity for Machine Learning

Yesterday, I finished my 2nd Nano Degree. As a typical Millennial, I have been having a quarter life crisis every two years starting in my 20s. This led me down the path of my first career change from a (wannabe) Actuary to a Data Analyst in 2015, and my first foray into online education which was, you guessed it, the Data Analyst Nano Degree. I had a great experience and built a solid set of skills through the Data Analyst certification and I was even able to land job half way through it as a Data Analyst! However, I can’t attribute it all to the certification as I had 4 years of experience as an Actuarial Analyst and a solid base of Math and Statistics. So, when I starting feeling that I was hitting a plateau in my current role, and, through some projects at work, realized that I was more interested in developing software products rather than producing data reports, I naturally turned to Udacity again. This time, I picked the React Nano Degree. React, for those that don’t know, is a Javascript Library that was released by Facebook in 2013. It has quickly become one of the standards of front-end development alongside with Angular 2 and other Javascript frameworks. The big game changer that React brings to the front-end is it’s concept of a Virtual DOM and changing the state via that virtual DOM versus making direct changes to your web page. Without getting into detail, let’s just say that React made things way faster because of this. Another really (like really) cool part of the React ecosystem is React Native. React Native is an altogether different project in Facebook but uses a lot of the same syntax and philosophy of React. What React Native allows you to do is to write plain old Javascript code to build Mobile apps. What this means is you can have one code base that can be used to make an iOS and an Android application. Think about it...before if you wanted to make an app, you had to hire a developer who knew SWIFT to make an iOS app and then a developer who knew Java to make an Android app. Now, you can do it with just React! Note: in practice, it’s not usually just one code for more complex apps as iOS and Android are truly two different platforms and you have to account for that. You can still expect to share a large amount of the code though which is still better than having two separate teams/projects. I had heard about React and was interested in learning more, and I also felt that the Front End Development Nano Degree was too basic for me at the level I was at (I had been getting into developing on and off for about a year). Plus: I love getting value for my time and money, and I would in theory come out of this program knowing how to build both web and mobile apps! So, when Udacity launched the React Nano Degree, I felt this was the right time to dive deep into this subject. Enough background, let’s get into the review! Udacity focuses on project-based learning. You typically take a course that walks you through building a project, and then you do a project on your own using what you have learned. I really like this approach as this cements a lot of the knowledge and you end up with actual projects you can put on your resume/portfolio. As an information junkie, I love going through endless videos about different technologies, and giving myself a pat on the back for being ‘productive’, but if I have to be brutally honest with myself, I only truly learn by actually sitting down and doing the stuff. The React Nano Degree program is broken into 3 projects: Build an app using React
Build an app using React and Redux
Build a mobile (iOS and Android ) app using React Native. The first project is building a Bookshelf app using React (duh). You have 3 different sections on your bookshelf page (currently reading, want to read, read). This is a good introductory project using React that allows you to use its powerful state change feature to build a dynamic app that lets you switch books from one bookshelf (state) to another. You also learn about React-Router which let’s you navigate to different urls on a React application (www.website.com/first-page, www.website.com/second-page etc.). The second project is really the heart of the whole Nano Degree. It is a monster! Took me almost a month to complete (although others blazed through it…the challenge is understanding the Redux way of doing things). Building applications using React is great, but if you are going to be building any large scale applications, you will probably be using Redux with React. Redux is a predictable state container for JavaScript apps. What that means in layman terms is that it gives a certain structure to managing your React applications (specifically your state) that allow applications to scale without the code becoming chaotic. The project specifically is about making an anonymous reddit style app where anyone can add/edit/delete posts and comments as well as up vote/down vote those posts and comments. The reason this project is such a beast is that it involves understanding how to perform all the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations using React and Redux. If you think about it, most major applications have these (display information, add/update/delete content/ forms etc). Consequently, even though this was by far the most challenging and painful part of the program, I came out of it learning the most. Project 2: My React and Redux App The final project is based on React Native. As I mentioned earlier, React Native is it’s own thing and, depending on what you are interested in, this might seem not that relevant to you, but I am glad Udacity included it! I was really looking forward to this part because I have always wanted to understand how development on mobile works and it did not disappoint. The project involves building a Flashcards app where you can create Decks of cards which you can quiz yourself on (so, for example, you can make cards for a subject you have a test on). For the project, we just had to have buttons for correct/incorrect in the quiz but I ended up building a Tinder style swiping feature because…it’s such a cool animation ;). My thanks to Stephen Grider for this: https://www.udemy.com/react-native-advanced/ Project 3: The Swiping Feature :) I had no professional development experience coming into the course but I had built applications on my own before and was familiar with ES6 and Github. If you are just starting out, getting comfortable with ES6 syntax before diving into React would make this a much smoother ride. Although, honestly you should not even touch React or any other library if you have no basic Javascript experience. It’s important to have a solid base built before getting into the ‘cooler’ stuff. Check out the Front End Development Nano Degree (you can even take the courses for free unlike those for the React program). It took me about 6 weeks to finish the program, although this varies from student to student and how much time they can devote to the projects. The official timeline is 4 months and, unlike earlier programs, it is not a complete do it at your own pace kind of program as you have to stick to deadlines to keep pace with your cohort (the group you start the program with). I spent about a week on the first and third project each, and a month on the massive Project 2 as mentioned previously. Overall, it was a very good program that gives you an opportunity to build actual applications using a wide variety of tools in the React Universe: React, React-Router, Redux, React-Native and so on. They are also supplemental courses on ES6 (the latest version of Javascript), Github, AJAX Requests (sending data from the backend to the frontend) as well as a course focusing on the career/networking side of things (you can get your Resume/LinkedIn profile reviewed and work on your interview skills). Udacity also has a great support network (aka Slack Channels) where you can discuss the project and ask questions. The review process is also pretty seamless and they generally get back to you within 24 hours (though sometimes they go over this depending on how busy they are). I did not find a lot of cons but the content of the course is pretty densely packed, and, especially for project 2, could have been a lot more comprehensive. I saw a lot of students going to other resources to supplement their theoretical knowledge. Stephen Grider’s courses on Udemy were a popular option because they are cheap and packed with a lot of value. Even though the content could have been filled out more, in the end it forced me to go and look at documentation and figure things out on my own so I guess, intentionally or not, it helped me. (And frankly, it’s not a big deal if you have to spend 10 extra dollars on a Udemy course to get you through). In the end, Udacity focuses on getting you to build real world applications to learn the concepts and, on this front, the program largely succeeds. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in getting into React and taking their front end game to the next level. And hopefully, I will get to use the skills I picked up in this program in future projects. Cheers! :) Yesterday, I finished my 2nd Nano Degree. As a typical Millennial, I have been having a quarter life crisis every two years starting in my 20s. This led me down the path of my first career change from a (wannabe) Actuary to a Data Analyst in 2015, and my first foray into online education which was, you guessed it, the Data Analyst Nano Degree. I had a great experience and built a solid set of skills through the Data Analyst certification and I was even able to land job half way through it as a Data Analyst! However, I can’t attribute it all to the certification as I had 4 years of experience as an Actuarial Analyst and a solid base of Math and Statistics. So, when I starting feeling that I was hitting a plateau in my current role, and, through some projects at work, realized that I was more interested in developing software products rather than producing data reports, I naturally turned to Udacity again. This time, I picked the React Nano Degree. React, for those that don’t know, is a Javascript Library that was released by Facebook in 2013. It has quickly become one of the standards of front-end development alongside with Angular 2 and other Javascript frameworks. The big game changer that React brings to the front-end is it’s concept of a Virtual DOM and changing the state via that virtual DOM versus making direct changes to your web page. Without getting into detail, let’s just say that React made things way faster because of this. Another really (like really) cool part of the React ecosystem is React Native. React Native is an altogether different project in Facebook but uses a lot of the same syntax and philosophy of React. What React Native allows you to do is to write plain old Javascript code to build Mobile apps. What this means is you can have one code base that can be used to make an iOS and an Android application. Think about it...before if you wanted to make an app, you had to hire a developer who knew SWIFT to make an iOS app and then a developer who knew Java to make an Android app. Now, you can do it with just React! Note: in practice, it’s not usually just one code for more complex apps as iOS and Android are truly two different platforms and you have to account for that. You can still expect to share a large amount of the code though which is still better than having two separate teams/projects. I had heard about React and was interested in learning more, and I also felt that the Front End Development Nano Degree was too basic for me at the level I was at (I had been getting into developing on and off for about a year). Plus: I love getting value for my time and money, and I would in theory come out of this program knowing how to build both web and mobile apps! So, when Udacity launched the React Nano Degree, I felt this was the right time to dive deep into this subject. Enough background, let’s get into the review! Udacity focuses on project-based learning. You typically take a course that walks you through building a project, and then you do a project on your own using what you have learned. I really like this approach as this cements a lot of the knowledge and you end up with actual projects you can put on your resume/portfolio. As an information junkie, I love going through endless videos about different technologies, and giving myself a pat on the back for being ‘productive’, but if I have to be brutally honest with myself, I only truly learn by actually sitting down and doing the stuff. The React Nano Degree program is broken into 3 projects: Build an app using React Build an app using React and Redux Build a mobile (iOS and Android ) app using React Native. Build an app using React Build an app using React and Redux Build a mobile (iOS and Android ) app using React Native. The first project is building a Bookshelf app using React (duh). You have 3 different sections on your bookshelf page (currently reading, want to read, read). This is a good introductory project using React that allows you to use its powerful state change feature to build a dynamic app that lets you switch books from one bookshelf (state) to another. You also learn about React-Router which let’s you navigate to different urls on a React application (www.website.com/first-page, www.website.com/second-page etc.). The second project is really the heart of the whole Nano Degree. It is a monster! Took me almost a month to complete (although others blazed through it…the challenge is understanding the Redux way of doing things). Building applications using React is great, but if you are going to be building any large scale applications, you will probably be using Redux with React. Redux is a predictable state container for JavaScript apps. What that means in layman terms is that it gives a certain structure to managing your React applications (specifically your state) that allow applications to scale without the code becoming chaotic. The project specifically is about making an anonymous reddit style app where anyone can add/edit/delete posts and comments as well as up vote/down vote those posts and comments. The reason this project is such a beast is that it involves understanding how to perform all the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations using React and Redux. If you think about it, most major applications have these (display information, add/update/delete content/ forms etc). Consequently, even though this was by far the most challenging and painful part of the program , I came out of it learning the most . most challenging and painful part of the program learning the most Project 2: My React and Redux App The final project is based on React Native. As I mentioned earlier, React Native is it’s own thing and, depending on what you are interested in, this might seem not that relevant to you, but I am glad Udacity included it! I was really looking forward to this part because I have always wanted to understand how development on mobile works and it did not disappoint. The project involves building a Flashcards app where you can create Decks of cards which you can quiz yourself on (so, for example, you can make cards for a subject you have a test on). For the project, we just had to have buttons for correct/incorrect in the quiz but I ended up building a Tinder style swiping feature because…it’s such a cool animation ;). My thanks to Stephen Grider for this: https://www.udemy.com/react-native-advanced/ https://www.udemy.com/react-native-advanced/ Project 3: The Swiping Feature :) I had no professional development experience coming into the course but I had built applications on my own before and was familiar with ES6 and Github. If you are just starting out, getting comfortable with ES6 syntax before diving into React would make this a much smoother ride. Although, honestly you should not even touch React or any other library if you have no basic Javascript experience. It’s important to have a solid base built before getting into the ‘cooler’ stuff. Check out the Front End Development Nano Degree (you can even take the courses for free unlike those for the React program). It took me about 6 weeks to finish the program, although this varies from student to student and how much time they can devote to the projects. The official timeline is 4 months and, unlike earlier programs, it is not a complete do it at your own pace kind of program as you have to stick to deadlines to keep pace with your cohort (the group you start the program with). I spent about a week on the first and third project each, and a month on the massive Project 2 as mentioned previously. Overall, it was a very good program that gives you an opportunity to build actual applications using a wide variety of tools in the React Universe: React, React-Router, Redux, React-Native and so on. They are also supplemental courses on ES6 (the latest version of Javascript), Github, AJAX Requests (sending data from the backend to the frontend) as well as a course focusing on the career/networking side of things (you can get your Resume/LinkedIn profile reviewed and work on your interview skills). Udacity also has a great support network (aka Slack Channels) where you can discuss the project and ask questions. The review process is also pretty seamless and they generally get back to you within 24 hours (though sometimes they go over this depending on how busy they are). I did not find a lot of cons but the content of the course is pretty densely packed, and, especially for project 2, could have been a lot more comprehensive. I saw a lot of students going to other resources to supplement their theoretical knowledge. Stephen Grider’s courses on Udemy were a popular option because they are cheap and packed with a lot of value. Even though the content could have been filled out more, in the end it forced me to go and look at documentation and figure things out on my own so I guess, intentionally or not, it helped me. (And frankly, it’s not a big deal if you have to spend 10 extra dollars on a Udemy course to get you through). In the end, Udacity focuses on getting you to build real world applications to learn the concepts and, on this front, the program largely succeeds. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in getting into React and taking their front end game to the next level. And hopefully, I will get to use the skills I picked up in this program in future projects. Cheers! :)

A Review of Udacity’s React Nano Degree

Online learning is a great option to keep you occupied while feeling more productive and purposeful. It helps you polish your skills and add more qualifications to your resume. You just need an excellent online learning platform to find the courses of your choices and develop your skills. Online learning platforms are integrated online services that offer various learners, trainers, and students educational support. These platforms help people with information and other resources improve education delivery and management. Whether you want to master programming, sharpen your math skills, or develop your artistic prowess, the listed online learning platforms come with a plethora of courses from various experts, professionals, and subject matter experts. Many e-learning companies offer learning platforms with courses on different subjects and in different fields. Individuals can easily subscribe to these platforms, go through the courses offered, and get certifications. Online learning platforms are filled with different types of educational content including, training videos, lectures from experts, personal experiences of successful people, and much more. Best Online Learning Platforms Here is the list of a few best online learning platforms that you can use to gain more knowledge and learn more skills. Appy Pie Academy Udemy LinkedIn Learning Coursera Codeacademy EDX SkillShare Pluralsight MasterClass Udacity FutureLearn 1. Appy Pie Academy Appy Pie Academy is one of the best free online learning platforms. The platform comes with a huge variety of online learning courses on designing, technology, marketing, website and app development, search engine optimization, office productivity management, app monetization, and much more. These courses help learners to gain knowledge and add more skills to their resume. Pros All courses are free Well-defined course modules Best for both beginners and advanced learners Highly interactive and simplified video tutorials Cons Courses certifications don’t have any approved validity professionally Some courses not in the detailed form Few courses are for the basic levels 2. Udemy This is one of the most flexible online learning platforms for students, professionals, kids, etc. The platform allows everyone to create online courses and has thousands of subject matter experts, instructors, and students creating online courses. This course creation helps people acquire more skills. The platform offers a variety of online learning material including documents, text, PDF, video content, and much more. Pros Offers self-paced video courses for better learning No highly technical skills required The platform app is compatible with both Android and iOS No set-up cost for instructors Cons Limited interaction for both instructors and students High competition for instructors when it comes to course creation No personal branding for instructors Need to market on your own to make your courses visible Control over prices Control over branding 3. LinkedIn Learning This is one of the best online educational platforms that you can choose if looking for professional courses. The platform comes with multiple useful courses based on technology, business, web development, software programming, and other creative fields. It offers specific premium service for LinkedIn users. The best part about this platform is that it offers over 16000 courses in 7 different languages. It helps candidates invest in their professional development. Pros Offers a one-month free trial Gives offline learning access Recognizable in B2B community Provides certification upon courses completion Allows the candidates to evaluate their progress using quizzes Cons Ambiguous course quality Registering as an instructor can be challenging 4. Coursera This is one of the most popular free online learning platforms for schools, kids, students, etc. It comes with 23 million users worldwide. The platform provides high-quality online learning courses and allows the students to get certifications from renowned institutions. The platform offers various specialized courses, individual courses, on-demand video lectures, community discussion forums, homework exercises, peer-reviewed assignments, and much more. The platform offers various attractive subscription packages for all of its paid courses. Pros A wide range of learning activities and options Provides the students with different types of degrees and certificates in the form of rewards Offers instructors interactions Comes with high-quality educational tools Cons In partner institutions, instructors are limited to educators Course creation options are not very much flexible for instructors 5. Codeacademy This is a great platform for people who want to learn how to code. The platform helps you master various coding languages in just a few days. With various useful courses available on this learning platform, you can gain a good knowledge of Python, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and much more. Moreover, you can also learn to create your apps and websites with the advanced programming learned from these courses. You can either go for its 180 hours of free content or try its free Pro membership for one week. The Pro membership of this platform allows you to access real-world practice and the special members-only content. Pros Offers various free plans where you can enjoy free courses The courses are interactive and beginners-friendly Offers useful courses in 14 different programming languages Provides a supportive community with advisors, graduates, coaches, etc. to help students clear their doubts. Cons Provides no detailed information for the instructor No accredited courses or paths. Just your certificate is proof that you have completed a specific course. 6. EDX The platform comes with multiple courses from various recognized universities. The major partners of the platform include MIT, Berkley, Harvard, IBM, and many other organizations that provide micro degrees and professional certificates. The courses on this platform are majorly based on science, business, technology, and other academic fields. Pros Offers self-paced courses Provides accredited certificates after the course completion 14-days refund policy Access to all courses except graded assignments at one time The majority of courses are self-paced that you can begin at anytime Cons Limited topics for courses No specific structure for courses 7. SkillShare This is a great learning platform online that has 4 million students and offers more than 24000 courses all in four different categories. These categories include technology, business, creative arts, and lifestyle. Most lessons of these courses last from 20 to 60 minutes and include educational videos, class projects, etc. to help students learn better. The platform is free to join. After a 14-days trial, it starts charging monthly fees for all the courses. Pros Encourages student by providing multiple community and forums for discussions Offers many courses for the same price Allows students to share feedback on supportive discussion forums Cons Content is limited to four categories Provides no certifications of completion, rewards, or any formal recognition 8. Pluralsight The platform offers a wide range of technology-focused courses for business teams, individuals, educators, and students. These courses are based on subjects like IT, software development, data security, and much more. The best part about this educational platform is that it supports you in the preparation of your certification exams in different fields by offering practice exams. Pros Rich training material Offline access to courses Mobile download options available Courses in different languages Allows you to start a discussion forum Courses are added daily Cons More focused on the IT sector Courses are difficult to understand for beginners A few courses are outdated 9. MasterClass This is an excellent online learning platform that provides talk-style classes. The courses on this platform are video-based and include workbooks, lectures, and class discussions. As the platform comes with a monthly subscription plan, you can take as many classes as you want depending on your requirement. Although the plan offers monthly plans, students need to sign up for a year at a time. Pros Provides amazing video quality Offers affordable plans Unlimited sessions available on monthly subscription Cons One-year subscription is necessary for students 10. Udacity This is another online learning platform that offers courses in almost all in-demand fields. The platform comes with a variety of courses on cloud computing, programming, web development, and data science. It is one of the best online learning platforms for students who want to be technically skilled. Each course on the platform comes with hands-on practice, career coaches, real instructors, and individual code reviews to address your needs. Pros Offers one-on-one technical monitoring by experts Allows to post and access personalized reviews Provides top-quality content Easy-to-use platform Offers more than 200 free courses Cons Expensive learning platform Solitary learning approach Courses for limited topics Not all courses are available in multiple languages 11. FutureLearn This is one of the best online learning platforms that provide online classes on various subjects including history, medical, healthcare, business, art, media, and much more. The basic plan of the platform gives you free access to your preferred course for 14 days. However, a yearly subscription allows you to take any course, tests, or certifications at your pace. Pros Mentions the weeks and hours spent learning Offers 14-days free plan Allows to upgrade the course anytime Cons Allows to appear for the test only after upgrading the course Conclusion Quality is a critical parameter to keep in mind when choosing an online learning platform. Some platforms tend to keep their prices high, but quality seems to be an issue with them. Make sure the platform you choose is engaging, branded, and most importantly an interactive piece of media. Find the features that suit your needs and go for the course you want to learn. Good Luck!

11 Great Online Learning Platforms to Build New Skills: 2022 Edition

Cloud computing used to be considered a buzzword a few years ago, but as of this year, over 88% of organizations that responded to the reported using some kind of cloud computing services — from databases, analytics, servers, and even software that is delivered via the Internet. By 2025, 80% of businesses are projected to fully move to the cloud. O’Reilly Cloud Adoption survey (AWS) is one of the most popular cloud providers and has over applications, from simple S3 storage to complex autonomous vehicles. Amazon Web Services 175 cloud computing While AI applications served over the cloud are fascinating, the majority of companies that use cloud applications use it for networking and storage. It’s a fantastic time to explore a career in cloud development. Cloud Developers are a hot commodity, and as more and more companies adopt cloud computing services cloud computing skills will become even more invaluable. A Day in the Life of a Cloud Developer Cloud Developers create applications that are served on the cloud. is very similar to software engineers or web engineers, except that the programs Cloud Developers make run on virtual systems. This adds an extra layer of complication (especially in architecting the systems) for matters like security and efficiency. The work they do The day-to-day work of a Cloud Developer is similar to that of any software engineer. They will spend time analyzing customer needs, designing systems and solutions, coding, and debugging. Since cloud applications generally need high availability, most Cloud Developers also have an on-call rotation where they monitor and fix problems with the cloud applications so their customers experience minimal downtime. Cloud Developer Skills: What do You Need Today? Cloud Developers are essentially software engineers with a specialization in cloud computing. That means on top of development experience, Cloud Developers must have a solid understanding of cloud systems — not only how they operate, but how to deploy them securely, efficiently, and with little-to-no downtime. Development skills: Programming API Design Java, Scala, Python Object-oriented programming Databases Scripting Cloud-specific skills: Systems architecture and design Networking DevOps Scaling Security Microservices How Much Does a Cloud Developer Make? According to , Cloud Developers make over $120,000 a year on average, with top earners bringing in almost $185,000 a year. and both have more conservative estimates, with the average salary for a Cloud Developer closer to the $90,000 a year range. ZipRecruiter Glassdoor Paysa Should You Become a Cloud Developer? The time has never been better to break into cloud computing. By 2023, the public service cloud market is projected to reach over . $600 billion For these projections to come true, a lot of new tools will need to be built and companies will be desperate to hire people with the right expertise to help them. You can start adding cloud development skills — like deploying microservices and understanding WebSockets — by enrolling in Udacity’s program today! Cloud Developer Nanodegree

How to Become a Cloud Developer: Requirements, Salary, and Courses

Companies across every industry rely on big data to make strategic decisions about their business, which is why data analyst roles are constantly in demand. Even as we transition to more automated data collection systems, data analysts remain a crucial piece in the data puzzle. Not only do they build the systems that extract and organize data, but they also make sense of it –– identifying patterns, trends, and formulating actionable insights. If you think that an , you might be wondering what to focus on in the first 90 days on the job. What skills should you have going in and what should you focus on developing in order to advance in this career path? entry-level data analyst role might be right for you Let’s take a look at the most important things you need to know. 1. Develop the Most Important Hard Skill: SQL is a free, open-source programming language and arguably the most important language for data analysts to learn. Luckily, it’s also the easiest to grasp, especially if you’re new to programming since it utilizes English words. SQL SQL is crucial for assessing and manipulating data and will give you a solid understanding of relational databases. Not only will SQL help you interpret data, but it will also prepare you for learning more complex programming languages down the line. SQL also integrates with many database management systems like MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Oracle Database, to name a few. Check out to make sure you’re familiar with this language before your first day on the job. Udacity’s free SQL for Data Analysis course 2. Question Everything More than any technical requirement, having an inquisitive nature is vital to succeeding as an entry-level data analyst and beyond. A significant component of data analysis is noticing when things seem out of the ordinary or need further investigation. Asking questions, wondering why, and digging deeper is how you find incredibly valuable insights. “You have to be curious and inquisitive, and enjoy not knowing how to solve a problem, not knowing the answer, and working through that to get to a usable solution or usable actionable answer,” says , a lead data scientist at URSA Inc., a data analytics and visualization company. Matthew May Demonstrating this skill in your first 90 days of the job will help you stand out and make your value abundantly clear. Always be on the lookout for data that doesn’t make sense or seems off. Identifying any problems with data before presenting reports to stakeholders will ensure that you build trust with the company and solidify your skills. “Data science is constantly evolving and there will be new concepts and new algorithms to learn every year. A curious attitude is what I need. I need somebody who isn’t afraid of saying, ‘I don’t know. I’ll research it.’ says , the principal data scientist at . Dr. Rosaria Silipo KNIME 3. Be a Storyteller Producing reports is a big part of the day-to-day as an entry-level data analyst, but writing an effective report involves much more than just putting numbers on a page. Drawing meaningful conclusions and telling a story with data is where your value as a data analyst really comes to life. Questions like, “Why’s this trending up? What’s the reason for this anomaly? What can we do to mitigate a future incident?” will help direct you to valuable conclusions, according to , an online SQL editor for data analysts. Solita Creating a compelling narrative around these questions and answers makes data analysts better equipped to predict future outcomes. A well-constructed analysis also makes it easier to motivate people to get on board with certain business changes that you might suggest. 4. Have a Solid Understanding of Statistics & Math The role of a data analyst can be narrowed down to two main components: statistics and translating those statistics into digestible stories. However, you don’t need to be a master-level statistician or mathematician to excel. Understanding the basics of statistics and probability will help you tell a compelling story with the data. Statistical metrics, probability distributions, and statistical plots will all come in handy in your first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job. “Everything else — algorithms, more programming languages — you can learn,” says . “And since programming languages dedicated to AI change every few years, you’ll need to learn new ones throughout your career. However, the math skills you must have from the beginning, and they are the basis to understand and learn everything else.” Dr. Silipo If an entry-level data analyst role sounds exciting to you, and you’re ready to learn practical statistics, data wrangling, and data visualization, could be the perfect fit. In this program, you’ll refine your ability to work with complex data sets and learn the skills to tell a compelling story with data. Udacity’s Data Analyst Nanodegree program Then, you’ll have the knowledge, experience, and skills to succeed as an entry-level data analyst. When you’re ready to get hired, check out our post about the best ways to . get noticed and hired as a data analyst START LEARNING

4 Tips To Become A Successful Entry-Level Data Analyst

It’s nearly impossible to have a conversation about technology without mentioning (AI) or (ML). artificial intelligence machine learning These terms are cropping up everywhere in conversations about how tech is changing the world and streamlining our lives. However, AI and ML are often used interchangeably, making the difference between the two even less clear. In this post that explores AI vs machine learning, we’ll take a step back and examine what sets these disciplines apart and exactly how they’re shaping the future of tech. What is Artificial Intelligence? By definition, artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science focused on building computers and machines that can imitate intelligent human behavior. In 1956, coined the term “artificial intelligence” and defined it as John McCarthy “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.” What makes AI so enthralling is that it can mimic human-decision making and perform various tasks that require intelligence. In other words, these systems can solve problems; they can classify images on Pinterest, intelligently trade stocks, and accurately maneuver autonomous vehicles. While the majority of AI involves a computer carrying out “if-then” statements that are programmed by human engineers, machine learning is a system that’s capable of learning on its own. How is Machine Learning Different? When thinking about AI vs machine learning, consider that Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of AI. While ML shares many similarities with AI, it differs because its systems can modify itself when exposed to more data. In other words, it can teach itself. In practice, ML is a way of training algorithms to make decisions. , one of the pioneers of machine learning, defined it as a “ .” Arthur Samuel field of study that gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed Samuel and other engineers realized that teaching computers how to think –– and giving them access to mass amounts of data –– would be much more efficient than programming them how to do everything. Access to all of this information allows algorithms to learn more about the processed information and make decisions through statistically significant patterns. Machine Learning Today Today, ML algorithms are widely used in applications that make recommendations based on an individual’s behavior, such as suggesting a song you might like on Spotify. These algorithms can tell whether that song is uplifting or melancholic, and find others that have a similar quality, increasing the likelihood that the listener will enjoy it. Machine learning is also helping computers understand the vast nuances of human language and teaching them how to respond in ways that people naturally speak. This is part of natural language processing, which relies heavily on ML, and has led to many exciting innovations. Undoubtedly, AI is driving and defining the technological advancements of tomorrow, which has already resulted in over 2.3 million new jobs. AI vs Machine Learning: Developing Skills Skills in AI and ML will continue to be at the forefront of new developments that push the capabilities of what machines can do. Udacity offers 11 courses in , spanning everything from and to and . artificial intelligence programming product management deep learning natural language processing Udacity’s Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program allows students to learn advanced machine learning techniques while gaining practical experience in deploying trained models. If you’re intrigued by AI vs machine learning and the possibilities of these technologies, we encourage you to explore the courses offered in the . School of Artificial Intelligence START LEARNING

What’s the Difference Between AI And Machine Learning?

If a career as a full stack developer caught your eye, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most sought-after jobs in the world and many people interested in tech are considering it as a possible career path. But what does the job actually entail? Here’s a review of a full stack developer job description to help you decide if it’s right for you. Full Stack Developer Overview Full stack development is where and back-end expertise come together, essentially covering the full stack of technology for a website. While many developers specialize in either server-side or client-side programming, full stack developers have ample experience with both, which is partly why they’re in such demand. front-end Full stack developers aren’t just well-versed in , they also know how to effectively create website foundations using back-end applications and database structures. Typically, they’ve worked in a variety of different roles, allowing them to develop a diverse set of skills. CSS, JavaScript, and HTML A Job of Constant Growth and Development One of the most exciting parts about being a full stack developer is that your day-to-day is constantly changing. That’s because full stack developers are essentially a jack of all trades, as they consistently jump between front-end and back-end coding. This role is perfectly suited for people that love to learn because it requires you to continuously update your skillset and technical abilities. Staying up to date on new development tools, programming techniques, and industry trends is also part of the job. If you’re someone who loves logic and problem solving, you should fit right in. What You’ll Typically See in a Full Stack Developer Job Description While every role varies to some degree, the majority of full stack developer job descriptions focus on these core responsibilities: Develop visually appealing front end website architecture, including translating designer mock-ups and wireframes into front-end code Design user interactions on web pages Develop functional databases, applications, and servers to support websites on the back end Ensure cross-platform optimization for mobile Develop and design RESTful services and APIs Stay abreast of developments in web applications and programming languages Strategize organizational direction on emerging technology platforms and communicate the effectiveness to executive stakeholders Stay current and provide insight on cutting edge software approaches, architectures, and vendors Ensure that non-functional requirements such as security, performance, maintainability, scalability, usability, and reliability are being considered when architecting solutions. Keep job knowledge up-to-date by studying new development tools, programming techniques, and computing equipment; participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal and professional networks; participating in professional organizations. In order to perform these responsibilities effectively, there’s a list of skills developers should have that are included in most full stack developer job descriptions. Average Full Stack Developer Job Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. Fluent in CSS (Foundation or Bootstrap), JavaScript and HTML, with an understanding of CSS preprocessors including Sass and LESS. Strong knowledge of Linux, PHP and MySQL, with working understanding of MongoDB, PostgreSQL, AngularJS, Express.js, Oracle, React, Ember and Node.js. Proficient in JS-based tools including Bower, Grunt and Gulp. Experience working with languages such as , .Net, Python, PHP or Ruby. Java Working experience as a . full stack developer Experience working with server technologies including Apache, ISS, Node.js, Nginx and J2EE. Experience in API design and development. Understanding of libraries including Backbone.js and jQuery. Experience with AJAX. Strong knowledge of data structures, system design, and algorithms Full Stack Developer Salary If it seems like full stack developers are responsible for a lot, it’s because they are. However, this extra responsibility comes with a higher salary. According to an salary report, full-stack developers in San Francisco make an average salary of $149,017. If the full stack developer job description has sparked your interest, and you’d like to develop the skills needed to excel in this role, check out . Indeed Udacity’s Full Stack Developer Nanodegree program START LEARNING

Here's What You'd Typically See In A Full Stack Developer Job Description

Out of 13 million new jobs that have been created in the United States in the last 10 years, have required skills in technology. And as the future of work moves forward, the tech skills necessary to succeed in these new roles will only become more advanced. Skilled workers need to be able to work with technology beyond an internet browser or word processing application. over 8.5 million Jobs like Human Resources (HR), that never seemed to need technology before, are now specifically looking for applicants with skills in . In a survey done by , over half of survey responders data analysis when hiring for their HR department. data analysis SHRM require Data — when collected, stored and analyzed — can be useful for making decisions in almost every department of a business. But how is the data collected, stored, and analyzed? That’s where SQL comes in. What is SQL? SQL is a query language specifically for managing data in relational databases, where data is stored in tables with clear relationships between data points. SQL can be used to clean and normalize data, read values, analyze data from multiple sources, and even manipulate data. Mal Sridhar, a Product Manager (PM) at Waymo (and also an instructor for Udacity’s ), says that are used for the self-driving cars at her company. Every autonomous vehicle at Waymo collects extremely large amounts of data, from miles driven to drive-time anomalies. SQL Nanodegree program SQL databases This data is stored in the database and analyzed on a large scale, which helps Mal and her team make informed decisions. “Being able to query that large database and join datasets to be able to tell that story is very critical to my role,” says Mal. Without the ability to use SQL for reading and analyzing the data, Mal would miss out on important insights that are easy to overlook when just seeing data stored in a database. Who Uses SQL? Many of the different jobs across departments at tech companies use SQL. According to Mal, “[It is] critical for every single person on my team to know SQL.” She reports using it with other PMs, engineers, DevOps, and even the infrastructure team. According to Zippia, the top jobs that use SQL include: Business Analyst Software Engineer Database Administrator QA Tester Project/Product Manager Over 60% of developers use SQL databases for managing data, making the language a good place to start for people trying to add data analytics to their resume. surveyed Learning SQL Having SQL skills can lift you into a better, more strategic role in your company. To get started, take the that offers technical mentorship, coursework designed by industry leaders, and real-world projects to solidify your learning. SQL Nanodegree Course One: Introduction to SQL In the first course, you will learn about the basics of SQL, including: , like SELECT and FROM Commands Using for combining data sources JOINs , like COUNT and SUM Data aggregations Writing for running multiple queries together subqueries Cleaning data , like RANK and NTILE Window functions of query performance Optimization The final project includes acting as a data analyst for an organization seeking to raise awareness about deforestation. You will take a large dataset, clean it, then create and execute SQL queries from disparate datasets to identify places with shrinking forests. Course Two: Management of Relational and Non-Relational Databases In the second course, you will learn about database management, including: of data Normalization (DDL), including CREATE TABLE Data Definition Language (DML), including INSERT, UPDATE, and       DELETE Data Manipulation Language and Constraints foreign keys Indexes , including MongoDB and Redis Non-relational databases The final project includes creating a supporting data structure for a social media news aggregator website. You will first analyze the provided data model, looking for problems with normalization, consistency, and indexing. Then, you will use DDL to create a new, normalized database and DML queries to migrate the data from the old database to your new one. Learning Outcomes Ziad Saab, an instructor for Udacity’s SQL Nanodegree program and a software developer at DecodeMTL, said it best: “In terms of career, if you are looking at becoming a data analyst, or if you are a developer who’s just been through boot camp and is looking to move into the world of back-end or full stack development, you are going to get a lot out of this course.” front-end Beyond the technical know-how of working with SQL, you will also learn how to reason about data. Through real-world datasets and challenging final projects, you will understand how to look at data in an entirely new way. to get started! Enroll now Previously published at https://blog.udacity.com/2020/06/why-you-should-learn-sql-to-boost-your-career.html

Why You Should Learn SQL to Boost Your Career

As mobile apps connect more of the planet and enable users around the globe to engage in more interesting and innovative ways than ever imagined, the job of the mobile app developer has become ever more enriching, fulfilling, and necessary to the modern global economy. The mobile apps we use every day have changed the way we conduct business, the way we communicate and consume entertainment, the way we learn things about the world. You wouldn’t be wrong if you thought mobile app development sounded like one of the coolest job industries of the moment. So how do you become a mobile developer? Here’s the bare-bones version: you pick a platform—like Android, iOS, or Windows Mobile—learn the technical skills, bone up on your soft skills, and have at it. But let’s get into a little more detail. Here, we’re going to tackle the prospect of becoming an Android developer specifically. Why Android? Android is the indisputable leader of the global smartphone market share. In fact, the Android Operating System (OS) is found on worldwide as of January 2020. nearly 75% of all smartphones That market leadership translates to serious job security for Android developers. Moreover, the Android platform is open source (the entire Android source code is , albeit with some proprietary software such as Google Play), making the developer ecosystem dynamic and collectively enriching. Android developers share tips, tricks, and tutorials across the Android community, and since Google helps developers by building tools like for common app tasks like sign-in, authentication, location, and storage, Android developers can focus on building their apps’ core functionality. browsable Google Play Services Basically, it’s a particularly exciting time to launch a career in Android development. There’s a healthy supply of jobs, demand for Android apps promises to soar into the future, and the technology—including wearable apps and apps for TV—is intriguingly advancing. The Hard Skills: What to Learn First things first: the technical skills. Android development can be done on a Mac, Windows PC, or Linux computer. You’ll also need an Android device (there are multiple you can use for development, but eventually you’ll want to test on a real device). Here’s the shortlist of the must-know tools to become an Android developer. emulators Java The most basic building block of Android development is the programming language Java. To be a successful Android developer, you’ll need to be comfortable with Java concepts like loops, lists, variables, and control structures. is one of the most popular programming languages used by software developers today, so learning its ins and outs will stand you in good stead for work (back-end development anyone?) even beyond the Android platform. Java SQL You’ll also need to learn the basics of SQL in order to organize the databases within Android apps. SQL is a language for expressing queries to retrieve information from to databases. Once you can write it, there won’t be any questions you can’t ask of your data. Android Software Development Kit (SDK) and Android Studio One of the best parts about developing for Android is that the necessary tools are free and easy to obtain. The is available via free-of-charge download, as is , the official integrated development environment (IDE) for Android app development. Android Studio is the main program with which developers write code and assemble their apps from various packages and libraries. The Android SDK includes sample code, software libraries, handy coding tools, and much more to help you build, test, and debug Android applications. Android SDK Android Studio Another highlight of developing for Android is the ease of the process of submitting apps. Once you’re ready to submit your app to the Google Play store, register for a Google Play publisher account (which includes paying a $25 fee via Google Wallet), follow , submit through the Google Play Developer Console, wait for Google to approve, and see it appear. Simple and satisfying. Android’s launch checklist XML Programmers use XML to describe data. The basics of the XML syntax will be helpful in your journey to a full-fledged Android developer in doing tasks like designing user interface (UI) layouts and parsing data feeds from the internet. Much of what you’ll need XML for can be done through Android Studio, but it’s constructive to be grounded in the basics of the markup language. The Soft Skills As with any job, it’s not enough to have the technical stuff down pat. You’ve got to sharpen your interpersonal skills as much as your coding chops. Perseverance Practice really does make perfect when it comes to app development. Inevitably, you’re going to hit a roadblock in the development process, especially when you first start out. You’ll need a deep store of perseverance to power you through the frustrating times. Luckily, since Android is open-source, Android developers can take advantage of crowd-created libraries and frameworks posted on sites like . GitHub Collaboration Collaboration is of vital importance to most developer jobs. Even if you’re working by yourself on a project, you’ll inevitably have to put heads together with others—like designers, marketers, or upper management—in the company or organization. Start getting comfortable with accepting feedback on your work, compromising with coworkers, and teaming up with other players to create exceptional products. Thirst for Knowledge All good developers, mobile or otherwise, are committed to lifelong learning. Especially in the rapidly developing landscape of mobile apps: with the advent of wearables, TV apps, auto apps, and more, mobile developers must keep their eyes and ears open to new technology and changing best practices. No matter how advanced you get, don’t stop investigating, exploring, playing around, and asking questions. The Bottom Line Mobile apps are in higher demand than ever, which makes right now an incredible time to launch your career as an Android developer. As Android expands beyond the consumer space to and and continues to push the bounds of rich cross-device user experiences with the new , it’s a particularly exciting time to dive into Android development. So go ahead, feet first. The water’s warm. work education Material design language Many thanks to Google Developer Experts Enrique López-Mañas ( @eenriquelopez ) and Etienne Caron , and Udacity developer Eric Gonzalez for their contributions and technical reviews of this article. START LEARNING

Launch Your Career As An Android Developer

Why Learn Python? More than ever, today’s world is driven by software. will remain an essential skill to learn in the future, regardless of the chosen industry. Of all the programming languages in circulation today, Python stands out as one of the most versatile and easy to use, as we explain below. Programming Python Is Beginner-Friendly The Python programming language is readable and its syntax forgiving, making it friendly to developers of all skill levels. Its cross-platform nature means it can run on any machine. Furthermore, Python is built with modern design paradigms like object-oriented programming in mind. Its compatibility with software architectural best practices means beginners will save time and effort starting off with a language ready for modern development. By building these design constructs into the language, using Python avoids training bad habits and practices early in your development career and onward. Python Has a Strong Ecosystem In addition to the benefits of the language’s design, Python has a massive ecosystem. Its vast community has created packages and open-source libraries for nearly every imaginable use case. No matter the project you’re working on, chances are that at least some parts of that project already exist in Python’s ecosystem of libraries. This ecosystem includes libraries that specialize in modern, active disciplines like automation, research and data science. Libraries such as , and can provide vital assistance in a data scientist’s workflow. They can add powerful mathematical capabilities, data visualization tools and data preparation operations to Python, making data science research and development a breeze. NumPy pandas Matplotlib Python Is a Popular Choice for AI The same applies to the development of artificial intelligence, without a doubt a hot topic these days. Check out our article dedicated to for more information. Python now provides native support for numerous applications from machine learning to expert systems and natural language processing, so AI developers need look no further than Python to find the resources they need for their projects. Popular Python AI Libraries Use Python for General Automation Alongside Python’s tremendous research capabilities, it can also add value to commercial endeavors with its robust automation. You can automate almost anything using Python, from sending emails to creating invoices and scripts to automatically scraping data from websites (check out for more use cases). Automate the Boring Stuff with Python With most of the automation legwork completed for you in the form of libraries available in the Python ecosystem, a simple package installation is all it takes for automation to start making your business more profitable and easier to run. All that’s left for you to do is to dive in and learn Python online. Best Ways to Learn Python Online 1. Contribute to Open-Source Projects Learning by building projects is one of the best ways to absorb knowledge that can’t be explicitly taught. If you’re not ready to develop your own projects, open-source projects allow you to contribute to real-world applications without having to come up with the original concept yourself. Participation and a penchant for learning are all that’s required to learn Python online this way. There’s a multitude of resources that can help developers discover new open-source projects open to contributors. Sites like provide comprehensive, multi-step guides that help new developers find not only projects that accept contributions but also healthy projects to contribute to — for example, ones with published codes of conduct. also offers a search engine for projects actively seeking new contributors. First Timers Only Up For Grabs Perhaps the most comprehensive solution for connecting developers with open-source projects is . The site works by picking a set of issues affecting some open-source projects, then notifying and assigning developers to them based on repositories they selected. It saves developers time hunting for projects and gives them the ability to effect meaningful change. CodeTriage 2. Go Through an Online Python Tutorial For those still working up the confidence to get building straight away, taking an online Python tutorial can provide the right learning environment to bootstrap your development skills. A guided online tutorial saves you having to hunt for the right resources and content that can teach you what you need to know. The end result is a deeper and more durable comprehension of Python, as opposed to the shallow understanding that will inevitably result from quick Google searches and browsing Stack Overflow. Typical curricula involve first learning the basics of Python and its syntax and then going over specific features of the language, for use cases in data science or web development. You can expect to learn about native Python data types (like lists and dictionaries) and some popular Python libraries applicable to your specific use case. All of this takes place in a controlled environment focused on absorbing concepts rather than the potentially overwhelming nature of a real-world project. 3. Earn the Full Stack Web Development Nanodegree Clearly, the ideal solution to learning Python is a combination of learning in an academic environment and building projects. Combining learning and application in one setting is crucial for learning the ins and outs of Python as well as for getting yourself job-ready. Udacity’s does exactly this. Over the course of four months, students participate in real-world projects from top-tier companies and gain access to personal career coaching and mentorship services. Under the umbrella of the introduction to programming, students get practical experience with HTML, Javascript, and Python. Introduction to Programming Nanodegree Unlike doing Python tutorials and open-source projects separately, Udacity instructors and mentors direct students through practical projects, creating a link between academic practice and the real world. This is undoubtedly the best way to learn Python online. Summary Learning a programming language is one of the best ways to boost your career prospects and get ready for the modern job market. Among all programming languages, it’s clear that Python ranks as one of the most friendly for new students. To learn Python online, developers can delve into the world of open-source projects to learn by application or take one of the widely available Python tutorials that direct them step-by-step through the nuances of learning this programming language. Udacity’s offers the best of both worlds, combining real-world applications for developers to work on with an academic setting that provides students with the guidance they need to learn Python in the most efficient way. Introduction to Programming Nanodegree If you find yourself wanting to learn Python online without needing to search for the best tutorials or the most developer-friendly open-source projects, sign up for Udacity’s . Introduction to Programming Nanodegree START LEARNING

3 Ways to Learn Python Online 

Back in 2016, Glassdoor declared that Four years later, the world of big data has evolved rapidly, and the role of is still a top job. It’s currently ranked as the , and it’s only surpassed by and . What is it about being a that makes it so appealing, and what skills does someone looking to get into this field need to have? being a Data Scientist was the best job in America. Data Scientist number three job for 2020 by Glassdoor Java Developer Front End Engineer Data Scientist Let’s take a look. What’s a Data Scientist? A for compiling and analyzing large data sets — both structured and unstructured. These roles combine math, statistics, and computer science skills to make sense of big data and then use the information to . Data Scientist is responsible create business solutions Data Scientists gather, process, model, and then interpret data using everything from technology to industry trends in order to develop actionable plans. Plus, they ensure the data is properly cleaned and validated, and that it is accurate and complete. 8 Must-Have Skills for Data Scientists Like most careers, the more advanced your position, the greater suite of skills you’ll need to be successful. However, when looking at becoming a Data Scientist, there are certain skills you’ll need to be proficient in regardless of your role. #1. Math and Statistics Any good Data Scientist is going to have a strong foundation built on both math and statistics. Any business, especially those that are data-driven, will expect a Data Scientist to understand the different approaches to statistics — including maximum likelihood estimators, distributors, and statistical tests — in order to help make recommendations and decisions. Calculus and linear algebra are both keys as they’re both tied to algorithms. machine learning #2. Analytics and Modeling Data is only as good as the people performing the analytics and modelling on it, so a skilled Data Scientist is expected to have high proficiency in this area. Based on a foundation of both critical thinking and communication, a Data Scientist should be able to analyze data, run tests, and create models to gather new insights and predict possible outcomes. #3. Machine Learning Methods While having expert level knowledge in this area isn’t always necessary, a level of familiarity will be expected. Decision trees, logistic regression, and more are key elements that enables and potential employers will be looking for these skills. machine learning #4. Programming To move from the theoretical into creating practical applications, a Data Scientist needs strong programming skills. Most businesses will expect you to know both and R, as well as other languages. Object-oriented programming, basic syntax, and functions flow control statements as well as libraries and documentation all fall under this umbrella. Python programming #5. Data Visualization is a key component of being a Data Scientist as you need to be able to effectively communicate key messaging and get buy-in for proposed solutions. Understanding how to break down complex data into smaller, digestible pieces as well as using a variety of visual aids (charts, graphs, and more) is one skill any Data Scientist will need to be proficient in order to advance career-wise. Check out our post to learn more about Tableau and why data visualization is so important. Data visualization Creating Data Visualizations with Tableau #6. Intellectual Curiosity At the heart of the data science, the role is a deep curiosity to solve problems and find solutions — especially ones that require some out of the box thinking. Data on its own doesn’t mean a whole lot, so a great Data Scientist is fuelled by a desire to understand more about what the data is telling them, and how that information can be used on a broader scale. #7. Communication Data doesn’t communicate without someone manipulating it to be able to do so, which means an effective Data Scientist needs to have strong communication skills. Whether it’s disseminating to your team what steps you want to follow to get from A to B with the data, or giving a presentation to leadership, communication can make all the difference in the outcome of a project. business #8. Business Acumen For a Data Scientist to effectively use data in a way that’s meaningful to their employer, there’s a level of business acumen that’s required. You need to fully understand the key objectives and goals of the business and how it impacts the work you’re doing. Also, you also have to be able to create solutions that meet those goals in a way that’s cost-effective, easy-to-implement, and ensures broad adoption. Enroll in the Data Science Nanodegree Program Data Scientists are responsible for sharing their findings with key stakeholders, so these roles require someone who is not only adept at handling the data but who can also translate and communicate findings across the organization. Looking to start a career as a Data Scientist? The Udacity Data Scientist Nanodegree program allows students to gain real-world data science experience with projects designed by industry experts. Build your portfolio and master the skills necessary to become a successful Data Scientist. START LEARNING

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