Tools & Technologies
Students will learn VBA in the Data Analytics bootcamp? (True/False)
True
What is a Python package/library?
It is an additional set of coding tools that extends the Python programming language.
What is a database?
A database is an organized collection of structured information, or data, typically stored electronically in a computer system.
What does a student in the Data Analytics boot camp need to complete and submit in order to be marked as employer-ready?
Resume, GitHub profile
What are some key soft skills that interviewers are typically looking for from data analytics students?
Communication, accountability, patience, among others.
Other than Python, name at least one other programming language we teach in the Data Analytics boot camp.
SQL, JavaScript, R
What do we use the BeautifulSoup package for?
Scraping web pages for data.
What are the two types of databases we teach in the Data Analytics boot camp?
SQL (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
and
NoSQL (MongoDB)
What is something that students can do in order to become more employer-competitive?
Professional LinkedIn.
Attend employer events / meet ups.
Meet with a Career Director, attend tech interview sessions, and TA office hours.
Apply for at least 10 jobs per week.
Plus any other valid response.
Identify at least one item that employers are looking for when they review a students GitHub profile?
Regular commits and contributions.
Clean code.
Clear and concise README files explaining what the project is and how to use it.
Other acceptable answers are okay too!
Why do we still teach Excel and VBA in the Data Analytics boot camp even though this are somewhat outdated technologies?
They form the foundation for Python programming and are still commonly used.
What are the JavaScript technologies we teach that allow students to visualize data in web applications?
D3.js, Plotly.js and Leaflet.js.
What is the language used to communicate with a relational database?
SQL.
Identify at least one type of technical interview that students may encounter when interviewing for a role in data.
In-person whiteboard challenge
LOL via Zoom etc.
Online technical assessment via HackerRank or alternative platform
Explain the key differences between Data IN and Data OUT.
Data in is both raw data and instructions on what to do with it, data out is the result.
Sort of like a calculator, you might give it both data (the numbers 5 and 7, as well as an instruction, like sum), and the data out therefore would be 12.
What does ETL stand for and what is it used for?
Extract, Transform, Load.
Essentially collecting a bunch of data from different sources, massaging it in a way that makes sense for your use case, and placing it in the final format you want. I.e. collect data from Gov website, private healthcare facilities, and international sources, collating it together, and presenting one concise COVID dashboard.
What is the Flask package used for?
Flask is a web framework—it allows students to use Python to build web applications.
MongoDB is a non-relational database. Instead of using tables, it stores data in which format?
Key-value pairs.
For example:
{
name: "Alec",
location: "Nashville",
hasKids: true
}
Identify the key differences between these roles: Data Analyst, Business Analyst, Data Scientist.
Data Analyst—focus on analyzing numeric data (SQL heavy)
Business Analyst—focus on making business decisions based on the data, whereas a Data Analyst will gather and analyze the data, draw conclusions, and hand off for business decisions
Data Scientist—focus on analysis of data using programming languages such as Python and R, tends to be more advanced than Analyst roles.
What is the difference between "git" and "GitHub"?
GitHub is an online cloud service used to store and display code.
git is the transfer protocol and version management system that students use to put code into GitHub, or another storage provider like GitLab or BitBucket.
Name at least one other object-oriented programming language that students would be able to learn once they graduate from the Data Analytics boot camp.
Java, C#, Go, C++, Ruby, PHP, among others.
What is a package students might use if they are developing an application using Machine Learning?
SciKit-Learn or SciPy.
When working with databases using Python, can you identify at least one package/library students will use to bridge the gap between their Python code and their database?
SQLAlchemy when using a SQL database such as PostgreSQL or MySQL
PyMongo when using a MongoDB database.
Provide links for the following resources for students:
1. Somewhere they can sign up for online CS events.
2. Somewhere they can practice technical interviewing.
3. Somewhere they can find more information about Demo Day.
1. https://careerservicesonlineevents.splashthat.com/
2. Any online technical interviewing platform.
Double question...
What is machine learning?
What is big data?
The study of computer algorithms that improve automatically through experience, think Spotify Radio or Pandora Music.
Big data is just a large volume of data.