Thanks for your interest! Some responses below.
Do you require applicants to have a graduate degree?
No degree is required. We're selecting on ability rather than on credentials.
Zipfian Academy, App Academy, and other bootcamps are 12 weeks long, and (the first instance of) this one is only 6 weeks long. Why is this, and what are you cutting out relative to other data science bootcamps to make it this short? (This is my most pressing question).
Based on the preliminary interest that people have expressed anticipate that the students in our first cohort will be significantly stronger than is typical of data science bootcamps, and will correspondingly be able to cover the material at an accelerated pace. We expect at least some of our cohorts to run a full 12 weeks.
Regarding the comparison with coding bootcamps, there are reasons to believe that the amount that somebody needs to know to be in the top x% of industry data scientists is less than the amount that's needed to be in the top x% of programmers. (I can elaborate.)
We're cutting out some of the more advanced machine learning algorithms, which industry data scientists use infrequently enough so that they can be a distraction from getting started.
As a tie-in to my last question, is there a hiring event which employers will be invited to around the end of the program?
Very few bootcamp students who I know got their jobs through this route, so we may or may not do this depend on how efficient it is relative to other routes. Like other bootcamps that offer the "pay later" model, we have a large stake in ensuring that our students find jobs.
Do you know which language(s) you'll be using?
We'll be working primarily in R, and teaching SQL as well.
Thanks for the response! I'm impressed that you expect that your first cohort will be so strong, since I presume that you're competing with already-established data science bootcamps for students. Again, good luck.
Note: We now have a website with up to date information here: http://signaldatascience.com/.
(This post is coauthored with Robert Cordwell.)
We’re writing to announce the inaugural run of Signal Data Science’s intensive training program.
The program will train students in the core skills needed to work as a professional data scientist:
By the end of the course, you’ll will be able to start with raw data and produce analyses like the one in Bayesian Adjustment of Yelp Ratings. More to the point, you’ll understand why Jonah structured the analysis the way he did and be able to do the same yourself.
You’ll also be able to produce cool visualizations like this automatic grouping of Slate Star Codex posts by topic, as shown below.
Why data science?
Making inferences from data is fundamental to understanding the world, and there’s a growing unmet need in industry for people with the relevant skills. With good instruction and peer group, smart, motivated people can quickly develop enough proficiency to get jobs in the tech sector (starting compensation ~$115k in the San Francisco Bay Area).
Why us?
The Program
We offer inquiry-based learning (no boring lecturers or unmotivating problem sets!) and an unusually intellectually curious peer group. Far from what’s typical of college classes, our model has more in common with the Math Olympiad Summer Program, where daily lectures are interspersed with on-the-spot problems and followed by long-form problems designed to build on the lesson.
Robert Cordwell is an IMO gold medalist and educational startup veteran who’s working a Facebook data science job despite his limited, self-taught experience. He’s going to be teaching math problem solving, overall presentation skills, and how to break interviews.
Jonah Sinick is a data scientist with 13 years of experience making advanced math accessible to beginners, a PhD in math from University of Illinois, and an extensive body of published work. He’ll be teaching a comprehensive technical curriculum.
Who is this for?
If you:
our program will be a good fit for you.
Where / When
The first cohort will run in Berkeley for 6 weeks, from Feburary 1st – March 18th. This will be a compressed version of the standard course that we’ll be offering in the future, and is targeted at students who have a high degree of comfort with math.
In the future we’ll be offering longer courses that cover the mathematical / statistical material at a gentler pace.
Cost
For students in our first 6 week cohort, we offer two options:
This is roughly 50% of the standard price for coding /data science bootcamps.
Next steps
If you’re interested in exploring participating in our first cohort, or keeping posted, please be in touch with us at signaldatascience@gmail.com.