Welcome to Tech Moms' Data Analytics Course! This course is designed to provide you with the foundational skills and knowledge needed to analyze data effectively. Throughout this course, we will cover a variety of topics, tools, and techniques essential for any aspiring data analyst.
The course is structured to combine in-class instruction with hands-on practice. Here’s how we’ll approach learning:
Each week, we will have interactive lectures and live demonstrations covering key concepts and techniques in data analytics. These sessions will provide you with a thorough understanding of the topics and the opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussions. The main areas we will focus on include:
- Excel & Google Sheets: Basic functions and formulas, data import and cleaning, exploratory data analysis, pivot tables, and chart & dashboard creation.
- SQL: Querying databases, data manipulation, and advanced SQL techniques.
- BI Tools: Creating dashboards and reports using tools like Looker Data Studio, Tableau, and Power BI.
Learning doesn’t stop at the classroom. Each week, you will be given assignments and projects to work on independently. These activities are designed to reinforce what you’ve learned in class and help you apply these concepts to real-world data problems.
To enhance your learning experience, we will leverage ChatGPT as your personal study buddy and data tutor. ChatGPT can assist you with understanding complex concepts, providing instant feedback on your queries, and offering guidance on your assignments and projects. This unique tool will help you navigate the course content and ensure you have support whenever you need it.
We will use this GitHub repository to manage our course materials and assignments. Each student will fork (make a copy of) the main course repository to their personal GitHub profile and use that fork to track their weekly assignments. Each week, you will edit the Module README (e.g., Module_1/README.md) in your forked repository and add a checkmark when you have completed each task. Occasionally, you will need to pull in changes from the main course repository to keep your fork updated.
To do this, you will:
- Click "sync fork" at the top of your forked repository.
- Then "update branch" to pull in the changes from this repo.
This approach will help you build familiarity with GitHub, an essential tool in the developer and data analytics community. Additionally, using GitHub will allow you to showcase your work and track your progress. By regularly updating your repository, you will add daily squares to your GitHub contribution graph, providing a visual representation of your learning streak and progress throughout the course.
Towards the end of the course, you will embark on a capstone project. This will involve working with a local businesses or non-profit to identify their data needs, analyzing their data, and producing a report / dashboard for them. This project will be a culmination of all the skills you’ve acquired and will be a significant addition to your portfolio.
To provide you with real-world insights and a broader understanding of the data industry, we will occasionally host guest speakers. These speakers will come from various roles such as Business Analysts, Data Analysts, Data Engineers, and Data Team Managers. They will share their experiences and insights, discussing a day in the life of their jobs, the challenges they face, and the skills they use daily. This will give you a clearer picture of the potential career paths in the data field.
To support your learning, we provide a variety of resources:
- Lecture Slides and Notes: Available after each class.
- Video Tutorials: Recorded sessions and additional tutorials to help you with complex topics.
- Class Slack: A place to ask questions, share insights, and collaborate with peers.
- GitHub Repository: All course materials, assignments, and projects will be available on our GitHub repository.
- Data Analytics Resource Repo: Additional resources are tracked here & you will create your own resource repo
To optimize your learning experience, it will be helpful to have a second monitor. This will allow you to follow along with instructions on one screen while practicing and applying concepts on the other, making the process more efficient and manageable.
We expect you to engage actively in both in-class and hands-on activities. Consistent practice and application of the concepts learned are crucial for your success in this course.
If you encounter any difficulties or have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to support you every step of the way. Office hours, one-on-one sessions, and peer study groups are available to ensure you have the help you need.
- Fork this Repo: Click on the fork button at the top of this repository to make a copy of this repo to your personal github profile.
- Join Slack Channel: Join the #2024-fall-data Tech Moms slack channel
- Review the syllabus: Familiarize yourself with the course schedule, topics, and important dates.
We are excited to have you on your data analyst journey. Let's do this! 💪 ⚡️