What’s Taught in A Data Science Bootcamp? TDI vs Insights

Why are data scientists helpful in the jungle? They can take care of Python problems! 

Joking aside, there’s a lot more to data science than just coding and using programming languages. Data scientists are problem solvers who use data to understand the world around them. These professionals can make big money solving complex data-related issues for an organization, and the demand for them has never been greater! 

So you want to become a data scientist? Congratulations! The easiest way to kick-start your career is to enroll in a data science bootcamp—a short course that teaches you everything you need to know about this lucrative job field.

The Data Incubator’s Data Science Bootcamp and Insights’ Data Science Fellows Program are two of the most popular and comprehensive boot camps for budding data scientists like you. But how do these programs compare?

The Data Incubator’s Data Science Bootcamp

TDI’s Data Science Bootcamp is an immersive part-time or full-time program that lets you work with live code, real data sets and some of the most experienced instructors in the world. You can master the skills to start your data science career in as little as eight weeks full-time.

TDI’s Bootcamp doesn’t just teach you the fundamentals of data science but also prepares you for a paid position at a real organization doing what you love. Eighty-two percent of TDI’s students get a job within six months of finishing this program, and 97% of alums are employed outside academia. Additionally, graduates are earning between $128-170k after the program, which is 24%+ more than industry standard. You can check out TDI’s alumni outcomes and read student stories here.

TDI’s Bootcamp differs from other programs because each section focuses on real-world data rather than academic theory. That means you leave the course with the skills required to solve business problems in various contexts. If you want a job in the data science field, this boot camp can help you achieve your goals. 

What you learn

TDI’s Bootcamp has eight modules:

1. Data Wrangling
2. Introduction to Machine Learning
3. SQL and Production Topics
4. Visualizations
5. Advanced Machine Learning
6. Thinking Outside the Data
7. Distributed Computing With Spark
8. Deep Learning in TensorFlow

As you can see, there’s a focus on the skills real employers look for when hiring data scientists. You’ll also learn about Spark and TensorFlow—two popular tools many employers use. You can always request information, including the syllabus, for the program here.

What you don’t see in the above module list is the additional behind the scenes career support offered with the bootcamp. Within the program, career counselors will help students refresh their resume, offer career guidance, support students with mock interviews, host open houses with hiring partners and offer showcases so students can present on their capstone portfolios and help them standout to potential employers. Alumni are also offered a robust network of peers that often offer mentorship, job opportunities and knowledge sharing. 

Insights’ Data Science Fellows Program

Insights’ Data Science Fellows Program is a full-time data science boot camp at the postdoctoral level. (Unlike The Data Incubator, you can’t study the program part-time.) You’ll learn real-world data science skills from top industry leaders and Insight’s alumni before interviewing with companies about a paid position.

Although Insights advertises its boot camp as a seven-week course—a week shorter than Data Science Bootcamp—that timeframe doesn’t include the interview stage with potential employers, which can add 5-8 weeks to the program. 

What you learn

Insights’ Fellows Program has three sections:

• Week 1 is an intro week, where you’ll learn the fundamentals of data science and meet heads of data science teams from various companies. 
• Weeks 2-4 involve a data project where you will showcase data science skills such as software engineering best practices, statistical analysis, machine learning, and storing and retrieving data. 
• In weeks 5-7 of the data science boot camp, you will visit different companies and present your data project. These aren’t formal interviews, so it’s unlikely you will land a job at one of these companies at this stage. However, you can learn which organizations you would like to work for in the future.

Although there’s no guarantee you will be asked for an interview, many students in this program have secured paid roles during the interview stage, which takes place 5-8 weeks after the culmination of the data science boot camp. 

The Data Incubator vs. Insights

As you can see from above, Insights’ Fellows Program places more emphasis on a data project rather than on practical skills. (You will only learn about data science topics in the program’s first week.) That means you will likely need an advanced data science skillset before you enroll in the course. 

On the other hand, TDI’s Bootcamp teaches you the fundamentals of data science throughout its program, providing you with the skills necessary to kick-start your career. You will still complete data projects with The Data Incubator, but there’s much more focus on hands-on training. They also offer prep materials to see how prepared you are for day one.

In other words, Insights is best for students who are already well on their way to becoming data scientists. TDI is best for students who have an intermediate or advanced knowledge of data science and want to learn the skills required for a paid job when they graduate. 

Another difference between TDI’s Bootcamp and the Insights’ Fellows Program is pricing. The Data Incubator’s program costs $11,000, while Insights’ program costs $24,000. 

Final Word

The Data Incubator’s Data Science Bootcamp and Insights’ Data Science Fellows Program are two data science courses that can help you achieve your career goals. Aside from pricing, the biggest difference between these programs is what you learn. TDI’s Bootcamp focuses on training and practical mini projects, while Insights’ Fellows Program requires the completion of a data project that spans several weeks.