Data Science @Home with Philip

We had a chat with Philip regarding the adaptation of the new way of studying and his experience so far. Philip is a student of the first generation and currently, he is attending the Machine Learning module.

The admissions for the next batch of students on the Data Science Bootcamp are open. Save your spot now and begin our online prep program.

Brainster: Philip, the quarantine is right on time for Machine Learning — one of the most complex modules. How are things these days? How is studying from home at this point?

Philip: I don’t think that there’s such thing as “right time” for quarantine :). But right now I admit that we do have more free time which can be used for studying Machine Learning. Working and studying remotely is not something new to me because I’ve been a remote worker for the past 7 years. Before that, I went through a long-distance learning program for CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) certificate. However, the quarantine and the whole COVID-19 situation bring additional stress and require additional effort for a person to stay focused on studying a complex topic like ML. For now, everything is going well.

Brainster: The online classes started off right after the Python module. Your instructor, Andrej Naumovski, a senior front-end developer, says that the future of work is remote. What’s your opinion on this matter, having in mind that in the field of Data Science this type of work is very often?

Philip: I agree with Andrej, remote working will be a standard in the future for many industries. In the past 10 years, the statistics show a 100% increase in the number of remote workers in the USA, which is 10 times higher than the number of traditional workers in offices during that same period. In 2019 remote workers represented 5% of the workforce there according to the Bureau of Statistics.

If we consider the assumptions saying that in 10 years remote workers will make 30% of the workforce, that’s 500% growth. Many companies have combined teams of the in-house workforce (traditional ‘office’ workers) and remote workers or have the possibility of going remote. Right now I’m part of a company working fully online with a team from three different continents. There are no issues in completing tasks. We are offering services by completely covering the finance department to a level that even the CFO position in a company is replaced with a virtual CFO.

Brainster: The Bootcamp program got reinforced with a couple of optimizations in its online format. The duration of all classes and exercises is prolonged and each class is being recorded giving you the chance to rewatch it. Are these benefits important for you and do they help out to gain even more knowledge and value from the program?

Philip: Having the recording of the classes available is a huge benefit and it indeed increases the quality of the program. I believe that all steps that were undertaken while shifting the classes to the virtual classroom, in a situation that was never foreseen, contributed much towards an easier transition. The dedication of the whole Brainster Team for this process to be successful is really impressive.

Brainster: According to you, which are the key benefits of this format of studying?

Philip: As mentioned, the possibility to rewatch the recordings from the classes is a huge added value. There are times when you miss some very important information during the class or after some time you forget some parts. When you have the recording available, you can always go back and remind yourself. The recording also helps during the class itself since you do not have to focus on taking notes (in a notebook or on a laptop).

You can focus all of your attention on what the instructor is explaining. Another, also pretty interesting benefit is the possibility of sharing your screen. When you have issues with your code you can share your screen. The instructor helps you right on the spot while all other students follow through. This contributes directly to broadening the knowledge of all students. A process that is not happening in the classroom because the instructor goes to the student for help.

Brainster: Is your studying dynamic changed now compared to that in the regular classes and if yes, to what extent?

Philip: It is, but not much. The time needed to go over the materials and to do the projects as well as the time for the actual classes is the same. The communication on Slack with the instructors was on a high level from the very beginning of the Academy.

Brainster: Philip, not long ago you had a super-interesting online presentation in front of your class. It was based on the manipulation and visualization of data from FIFA in Python. Tell us a bit more about that. Where did the idea come from and what are your learnings from the whole project?

Philip: All projects in Python were themed and very interesting. They gave us a perspective on what programming and analysis are. They’re not just profit, expenses, employee turnover, and similar topics typical for the work of a company. In the FIFA project, we had the chance to apply all previously gained knowledge in Python and the different libraries that we learned. The most interesting aspect was that apart from our knowledge in Python, we applied our previous knowledge from SQL and data structuring for graphic representation in PowerBi.

Brainster: While still on topic, the quarantine days can not only be focused on work. Do you have any hobbies? Is the project an indicator that you are a FIFA fan? 🙂

Philip: I have a flexible working schedule. Thanks to that I can fully use the hours when we are allowed to go outside. These past few days the great weather inspired me to hike and ride a bike in the mountains around Berovo. I don’t know how to play FIFA. But I’m looking forward to when we’ll be allowed to team up and play outside.