Should i skip these courses?

Hey everybody!
I wanna learn data related courses (python , data analysis, ml,…) but freecodecamp suggests that i take courses in order meaning i should go first for html css javascript, back and front end libraries…
Isnt that a waste of time for me if im not gonna use those in any data position ?!
Thanks for helping

And hey i have learned some programming at khanacademy , fairly basic
And I’ve learned the Scientific computation with python course up to 70% for now.

I’d make sure you have strong statistical credentials if you want to get a job doing data analysis, ML, or AI. Those jobs are just a fancy way to say ‘applied statistician with computing’.

If you aren’t interested in WebDev, you can skip HTML and CSS, but you still will need an introductory course in programming if you have never coded before. The Javascript course covers the basic ideas and switching to a new language isn’t bad once you understand basic control flow and programmatic problem solving.

Thanks for replying Jeremy
Well I have some basic understanding of programming. I have just checked the javascript course here and i already know most of it , like more than 90% I’d say.
I still would like to get more advanced in programming, i just dont want to waste time on irrelevant courses and libraries .
And yes i understand that the world of data is very much about mathematics especially statistics and that makes me interested. Im not very good at that right now but i like spending time learning math on khanacademy as im doing right now.
But beside these what other things should i learn?
Do i need to learn about APIs ?
Do i need to learn D3 ? Its interesting but is it necessary for me right now ?

The big thing that using programming does for statisticians is makes their work repeatable. And that means writing clear code and writing or using libraries. So yeah, you’ll be using APIs. I don’t know much about D3, but you will definitely also learn about presenting data, analysis, and visualizations in clear and statistically valid ways. It’s really easy to violate core statistical principles, accidentally or maliciously, which is why good knowledge of foundational statistics is important.

So I’d focus on

  1. learning statistics
  2. writing clear code
  3. writing modular code where it’s easy to change out data and analysis
  4. practice on tons of datasets

Thanks again , it was very helpful.
I have another question!
Imagine web development, if someone first learns front end it is easier for them to both learn it and also get into a job and then they can continue to learn things like back end and… to advance their knowledge while working and earning money and gradually become a full stack or maybe switch to a position mostly about back end in the end . But everything they have learned is relevant to their job somehow .

Now my question is , if wanna go dow the road of data which is gonna be long before i will be be good at its math and algorithms, what things can i learn first that will help me get a job faster while not bein irrelevant in the end when i get to be on a data related position ?!

If you don’t have good math and statistics skills, it’s going to be really hard to get a data analysis related job. That’s really more of a math/stats field than a programming field that happens to use math/stats.

Yes I understand that and im willing to spend however amount of time it needs to get good at math . I enjoy learning math

It means that you are sort of stuck without a job until you have those skills though, which is the tricky part.

Context: my first job after undergrad was a statistical analyst. I moved to programming several years later.

Sounds like you are already past the basic level and since you dont plan on using web design, it should be alright to skip those parts, but keep in mind they are not that hard, wont take much time and they are all arround us and its likely, at some point such knowledge can be of niche use to you. D3 is a frontend library which is used to display data(on the web, not sure if it has use in other fields), it is fairly simple. If you are going to work in the data field, it might be again of use, to have an idea how data can be correctly arranged and displayed. Iirc the data analysis do also delve in ways to display data and does list D3 as one of many options to do so, altho its focused on other tools innate to python. But yeah, you might just dive directly to what you aim for and eventually go back to respective side topics, in case they come handy to you. Keep in mind, up to the sections that explicitly state python as dependency, you need JS. PS, the Quality Assurance is again, aimed at backend and related to server tests and features, so maybe not your cup of tea.

Im just afraid it will take like two years maybe to get good at data and i need to have a job and earn money , but at the same time doimg something that eventually is helpful for the data world !

Getting into any field of programming isn’t fast. It takes time. Data can pontially take a bit more time since you need math + programming.

If you have a portfolio of work then you can certainly try applying for jobs at a junior level. You could even come on as an internship.

Every company is going to have a different tech stack, but as long as you fundamentally learn programming and the concepts of data science/viz/backend programming then you’ll be able to apply those concepts everywhere.

You can also look for small jobs on upwork/fiverr/craigslist/etc and just build up a reputation slowly. That’s how I got started. I did tiny jobs on upwork (like $20 jobs) just to build a reputation.

But of all the things, I would recommend you have a portfolio of work for people to see. I wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for the FCC front end certificate and the portfolio projects it made me do. Focus on creating things that people can see and interact with.

Good luck

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