Hi, I’m Olga, a former lead data scientist at eBay. Now I am an industry mentor at Pathrise. I work with candidates who are looking to land great jobs in data science. Check out my review of 365 Data Science.
- What does 365 Data Science do?
- Who is 365 Data Science for?
- What does 365 Data Science cost?
- Ratings and reviews of 365 Data Science
- Alternatives to 365 Data Science
- How does 365 Data Science compare to Pathrise?
What does 365 Data Science do?
365 Data Science offers 34+ online courses that teach people the skills they need to launch a new career as a data scientist or data analyst. Students participate in recorded video lessons, hands-on assignments, and quizzes. The program is completely self-paced and self-guided, with no live instruction. However, students can ask questions on the instructor-led “Q&A Hub” forum.
Courses are self-paced and only include a few hours of material. While paying members can take any course they want, the platform organizes similar courses into 4 different “modules” that cover a specific data topic. Students can usually finish all the material on the platform in 1-2 months.
The first module contains 11 courses that cover data science fundamentals. While the curriculum includes 8 hours on math topics, most of Module 1’s courses focus on data analytics skills. Students learn to visualize data with Excel, Tableau, and Power Bi. Data strategy, Excel pivot tables for data analytics, and other advanced Excel skills are also covered in 7 hours of the curriculum.
Module 1
Module 1 also includes a 4-hour course designed to help students get a data science job after graduation. Students learn to write resumes, polish their portfolios, optimize their online profiles, and even network with other professionals. The curriculum also includes tips and tricks to help students ace job interviews. In addition to covering the behavioral and technical interview process in-depth, students watch example interviews to get a sense of what to do. Besides some downloadable resume templates and infographics, this job search course consists entirely of pre-recorded videos. Students who pay annually also get resume and portfolio reviews from data experts, although no live reviews or 1-on-1 sessions are included.
Modules 2-4
Next, the second module focuses on programming for data science. Students work hands-on with Python, Github, Jupyter, SQL, and R as they start coding projects. The curriculum also covers data processing with Numpy and data cleaning with Pandas.
The third module covers machine and deep learning. Students combine SQL, Tableau, and Python for preprocessing and agile real-time machine learning. The curriculum covers machine learning with Python, deep learning with TensorFlow, and even convolutional neural networks with TensorFlow in Python.
Students who make it to the 4th module learn advanced and specialized data skills they can use in a wide variety of roles. The bulk of the curriculum covers business skills like Python for finance, customer risk modeling, and customer analytics. Students also learn advanced technical Python skills like time series analysis, web scraping, and API fundamentals. General business analytics and fashion analytics using Tableau also squeeze into the curriculum. Students even take a 4-hour course on using AI & data science skills for product management.
The program gives out 33+ formal certificates to motivate students and help them get a data science job. When a student completes a short course, the platform automatically generates a course-specific certificate that proves mastery of a specific data topic. Students can get 32 of these course-specific certificates before completing the program. Upon finishing all 4 modules, grads get a final personalized certificate of completion. This verifiable certificate can be added to resumes, posted on LinkedIn, and even sent to employers.
Who is 365 Data Science for?
People with no prior experience who are looking to launch a new data science career could benefit from 365 Data Science. Their program is especially helpful for people seeking a flexible self-paced program that covers a wide variety of different data skills. People who want a self-guided yet hands-on course that offers formal certificates could also be a good fit. Busy professionals with full-time jobs might also be a good match for their self-paced and short courses. Students on a budget could take advantage of the free content to sharpen their data science skills.
What does 365 Data Science cost? How much work is involved?
Students get 32 hours of video lessons, 50+ hours, and downloadable content for free. However, students must pay $36 monthly to get access to all 34 short courses, 150 hours of video lessons, 640+ hands-on exercises, and certificates.
Only students who pay $348 annually get access to portfolio and resume reviews from industry experts. In addition to free personalized job search support, the yearly membership comes with a 20% discount as each month only costs $29.
Ratings and reviews
365 Data Science has mostly positive reviews. They hold a 4.89/5 star rating on Course Report where grads praised the flexible but still comprehensive curriculum. A recent grad commented that the instructors have “great teaching abilities” that ensure every new student “can learn even if they don’t have knowledge about Data Science.” Others agreed that the course’s relaxed and self-guided format was beginner friendly.
Another grad loved the hands-on assignments and practical videos, raving that “real-world scenarios were very good”, especially because they helped students understand the material beyond their computer screen. While many reviews were positive, the review page was full of spam comments advertising freelance tech services. It’s likely these job seekers were drawn to the course’s 900,000+ alumni network. However, if these freelancers thought the course was effective at job placement, they would likely take the free course instead of asking prospective students to hire them.
Reviews on Site Jabber were more promising. The program is rated a perfect 5 stars and listed 4th among all job training sites. One student described the platform as “well suited for beginners” since their affordable courses were engaging but never dumbed down. He liked the platform’s simplicity, commenting that there are “no prerequisites required to start this program and anyone who follows this course can successfully leave the ‘beginner’ tag behind them.”
Another grad loved that the materials were “easy to understand” but still “very comprehensive.” She was also impressed by both the forum’s support and the certificates, raving that the “learning community is very supportive and quick to respond. If you need a certificate, they provide you with a Certificate of Completion after you finish the course.”
Alternatives to 365 Data Science
If you decide not to enroll in a 365 Data Science course, there are many alternative bootcamps and resources that can help you land a job as a data analyst or data scientist.
- The data program Metis offers both introductory and more advanced courses with onsite & remote options. Read more about Metis in our review.
- Another flexible data science resource is DataCamp. They host 300+ courses on data science subjects that last about 4 hours each. Like 365 Data Science, DataCamp also has an active community forum for networking and Q&A.
- Students seeking a flexible self-paced online program can look into Data Science Dream Job. Their program includes portfolio building, career assistance, opportunities for mentoring, and lots of downloadable material just like 365 Data Science.
- The incredibly popular Codecademy offers free self-paced courses on data science and many programming languages, including Python. Like 365 Data Science, they also have membership options ranging from $20 to $40 per month for greater course options and extra support. Learn more about Codecademy in our review.
- For those looking for a data science community focused on project-learning, Kaggle can be a good choice. They host 19,000+ public datasets and 200,000+ public notebooks for people who are looking to get started or join a data science project to build up their skills and their portfolios.
- Another affordable platform with lots of video courses on data science is Udemy. Individual classes only cost around $10 each.
- Students seeking university courses on a budget can check out edX. Their platform hosts thousands of courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT, plus big tech companies like Microsoft. Students can choose to learn the fundamentals or dive deeper into specific topics, like Python for data science. Learn more about edX in our review.
More alternatives
- Another affordable online program with hands-on data courses is Udacity. Students in their nanodegree program build polished projects for their portfolios and work closely with technical and career mentors. Find out if Udacity is right for your goals in our review.
- Coding Dojo offers data science courses that cover fundamental skills students need to land an entry level job. Like 365 Data Science, their program is beginner friendly and aims to be accessible despite the complex technical subjects.
- People looking for another self-paced data course can check out Divergence Academy. They offer full-time and part-time courses. While their program is flexible like 365 Data Science, they also offer live learning and even opportunities for 1-on-1 mentorship.
- In the same vein, FourthBrain has part-time, online machine learning courses.
- Students seeking a hands-on program with an income share agreement (ISA) can check out General Assembly. They teach full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of topics like data science and analytics. The program features 19,000+ hiring partners, mentoring, and a job placement rate above 91.4%. Learn more about General Assembly in our review.
- Another popular online tech resource with an income share agreement (ISA) is Thinkful. They teach courses in data science, as well as software engineering and UX/UI design.
- The Menon Labs fellowship helps people learn the skills to get a job in web dev, data, and product management.
- The bootcamp BrainStation offers courses in data science and other tech topics, with both remote and in-person NYC learning options.
- Aspiring data scientists looking for a hands-on curriculum with lots of personalized support can check out Springboard. In addition to building projects and meeting with mentors, students get a 6-month job guarantee so they only pay if they land a job. Read more about Springboard in our review.
How does 365 Data Science compare to Pathrise?
365 Data Science teaches the skills needed to land a job in data science or analytics. While the curriculum may creep into advanced terrority, the program is designed for complete beginners. Pathrise fellows should already have some background in their field of interest so they can fully benefit from our more advanced technical curriculum.
While 365 Data Science teaches students job search strategies and reviews their job search materials, they do not actually help grads through their job search. Pathrise mentors help fellows in our program with all phases of the job search for as long as needed. Our experienced mentors have already helped 1,000+ people land their dream by working with fellows on their resumes & portfolios, reverse recruiting and cold emails, behavioral and technical interview preparation, salary negotiation, and more.
The Pathrise program is flexible and tailored to the needs of each fellow. Fellows only have 2-4 hours of group sessions per week and can schedule 1-on-1 sessions as needed. All of our sessions are live, as well as recorded, so fellows can interact with mentors and ask questions when they come up. With our guidance, fellows see their interview scores double and their application responses triple, lending jobs in only 3-5 months on average. The Pathrise income share agreement (ISA) means that fellows don’t pay anything until they land a job they love and start working. We never require upfront payments or deposits.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentoring and personalized training. If you are interested in working with one of our mentors to land your dream job, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
