A review of EmergingED as a data science resource

Hi, I’m Olga! I have years of experience in data science, most recently at eBay. Now I work as an industry mentor at Pathrise. I help data scientists land a great role through technical workshops and 1-on-1s. Check out my review of EmergingED.

Updated in 2021

What does EmergingED do?
Who is EmergingED for?
What does EmergingED cost?
Ratings and reviews of EmergingED
Alternatives to EmergingED
How does EmergingED compare to Pathrise?

What does EmergingED do?

EmergingED is an online bootcamp that teaches people the skills they need to launch a new career in data science, IT, healthcare, and blockchain. Although the program is completely self-paced and remote, students stay on a fairly strict schedule with mandatory weekly assignments. Students need a final grade of 80% or higher to pass.

Currently, the program hosts 3 data science courses that all emphasize machine learning skills. Each course lasts for 8 weeks and includes about 40 hours of material. Students get access to hands-on assignments, tests, discussion sessions with peers, and lectures from professors at top universities. Grads get a formal certificate as well as 6-month access to course materials to review during their job search.

Students in the “Machine Learning Foundations and Frameworks” course learn the core skills they need to get a data science job in machine learning. The curriculum covers fundamental statistics, data transformation, trustworthy model creation, regression models, and classification models. The final phases of the course focus on more advanced machine learning topics like unsupervised learning, deep learning, and machine intelligence. The “Machine Learning and Industry” course teaches students to apply data science skills to their current job. Students learn to develop life cycles for managing projects using machine learning, design machine learning architectures, and put machine learning to use for their company. Students work hands-on with algorithms, data structures, and databases in weekly assignments. The curriculum also covers batch, interactive, stream, and event processing styles. The final week focuses on the importance of data science in the professional world through encryption, blockchain, cybersecurity, and of course making informed decisions. Students in the “Machine Learning Cases” bootcamp focus on real-world cases as they apply machine learning to the corporate world. The curriculum teaches how to apply machine learning to finance, product design, search results, image processing, natural language processing, robotics, and more. While none of the 3 data courses include any formal job support, students get access to Professional Impact Now (PIN) resources they can apply to the job search and at their new job. However, students do not get any kind of formal career coaching or job hunt training.

Who is EmergingED for?

People with little to no prior experience who are looking to launch a new data science career could benefit from EmergingED. Their program is especially helpful for people seeking a flexible self-paced program that covers machine learning topics in depth without becoming too complex or requiring past experience. 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, short courses that only require 4-6 hours of work per week.

What does EmergingED cost? How much work is involved?

Tuition for any data course is $1,500. Students can pay upfront or in monthly installments.

Unlike many other bootcamps, EmergingED has no formal admissions process. Anyone can enroll in any course. However, students should have some experience before enrolling in a more advanced course like the “machine learning cases.” Prospective students can contact customer support to determine what courses match their skill level.

Ratings and reviews

Although EmergingED does not have too many online reviews, the reception so far has been positive. They hold a perfect 5 star rating on Course Report based on just 3 reviews. One grad felt the program was especially helpful for beginners, describing the course as “incredibly helpful in learning more about the foundation” for tech subjects like data science. Another grad liked that the program was accessible to “non-technical” people by providing a “fantastic overview of machine learning.” The gamified assignments and tests were also a big hit. The final grad was actually impressed by the professional development resources (PIN) included at the low price point, commenting that the “PIN resources are quality tools I use at work every day.” The certificates and “digital badge on social media” also went over well with students. News outlets like Yahoo Finance and Bezenga have had mostly positive things to say about EmergencyED’s recent university partnerships.

Alternatives to EmergingED

If you decide not to enroll in an EmergingED course, there are many alternative bootcamps and resources that can help you land a job as a data scientist or machine learning engineer.

Students seeking a flexible data science resource can check out DataCamp. They host 300+ courses on data science subjects that last about 4 hours each.
Another flexible self-paced online program is Data Science Dream Job. Their program includes portfolio building, career assistance, opportunities for mentoring, and lots of downloadable material just like EmergingED’s PIN resources.
The data program Metis offers both introductory and more advanced courses with onsite & remote options. Read more about Metis 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. Just like EmergencyED, their platform hosts courses from top universities like Northwestern, plus big tech companies like Microsoft. Students can choose to learn the fundamentals or dive deeper into specific topics, like machine learning. Read more about edX in our review
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 EmergingED, 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 EmergingED, they offer more live learning and even opportunities for 1-on-1 mentorship.
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 incredibly popular Codecademy offers free self-paced courses on data science, including machine learning. 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.

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 EmergingED compare to Pathrise?

EmergingED teaches the machine learning skills needed to land a job in data science. While students should have some experience before enrolling in a more advanced course, technically anyone can enroll in any course. Pathrise fellows should already have some background in their field of interest so they can fully benefit from our more advanced technical curriculum.

While EmergingED students get access to Professional Impact Now (PIN) resources that they might be able to apply to the job search, no formal job support is included. Pathrise mentors help fellows in our program with every phase 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 live sessions are recorded, so fellows can review them whenever they have time. Pathrise fellows also get access to an income share agreement ISA. Fellows pay 9% of their first year salary after they land a great tech job. We never require any upfront payments or deposits.

Pathrise is a career accelerator that optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentoring and personalized training. With our guidance, fellows see their interview scores double and their application responses triple, lending jobs in only 3-5 months on average. If you are interested in working with one of our mentors to land your dream job faster, join Pathrise.