This is a guide to all the most relevant Data Science certificates out there, and to the most frequently asked questions – including how worthwhile these certificates really are.
There is an important difference between Data Science certificates for professionals and for beginners, which for this reason will be treated separately.
CONTENTS
Data Science certificates for professionals
Data Science certificates for beginners
Data Science certificates: are they worth it?
FAQ
What exactly is a certificate?
Is there a difference between a certificate and a certification?
Data Science certificate vs Data Science bootcamp: what are the differences?
Data Science certificates for professionals
Certificates for professionals are designed for people who already have professional proficiency in Data Science at a minimum. They come in two varieties: generalist Data Science certificates validate broad, general skills in Data Science as a whole, while specialist Data Science certificates validate skills in specific subdomains, most often cloud computing (a skill in high demand), but also other things like Machine Learning and AI.
The following is a compact list of all the major Data Science certificates for professionals, along with their providers and their prices. Click on each certificate to be taken to a full description (as well as to alternative certificates offered by the same provider).
i. Generalist Data Science certificates
ii. Specialist Data Science certificates
Data Science certificates for beginners
The following are self-learning programs in Data Science which offer a certificate on completion. They are apt for the complete beginner who wishes to introduce themselves to the world of Data Science and find out if it is something they will like. Click on each certificate to be taken to a full description (as well as to alternative certificates offered by the same provider).
Data Science certificates: are they worth it?
Data Science Certificates for professionals and for beginners are two qualitatively different things, and they have a very different worth.
Data Science certificates for professionals can be powerful tools to boost your career. They exist for university postgraduates or established professionals who already worked or studied in this field, allowing them to demonstrate updated skills and/or aptitude with a particular tool or specialization.
On the other hand, Data Science certificates for beginners will be worthless on your CV. These ‘certificates’ exist primarily as tools for beginners and self-learners. What you get out of them is not the certificate itself, but the knowledge that you acquired when preparing yourself to get it.
In conclusion, are Data Science certificates worth it? The most advanced and prestigious certificates will be useful to boost the CV of someone who already has a background in the business. The basic certificates, on the other hand, won’t do very much.
FAQ
What exactly is a certificate?
A certificate is any document from a recognized authority stating that you possess a certain set of skills or experience in a given field.
Is there a difference between a certificate and a certification?
Semantically, the word ‘certification’ refers to something a bit more advanced and difficult to attain than a ‘certificate’. In practice, though, the two terms are interchangeable synonyms, and nobody will care which of these two words you have in your CV.
Data Science certificate vs Data Science bootcamp: what are the differences?
Yet another category that should not be confused with professional certificates is that of modern coding bootcamps in Data Science, even though these offer completion certificates of their own.
The main difference is that coding bootcamps are about learning new skills, while certificates are about validating skills one already has. A bootcamp will provide a taught program with an instructor and often a cohort of staff (career services, community managers) to attend to you. It will also be a high-intensity affair, in which you’ll be pushed to your limit in terms of how much and how quickly you can learn. Certificates have little support and can be taken at your own pace.
A completed bootcamp is a much superior career option for those looking to break into (or redeploy within) the world of Data Science, while a certificate is preferable for advanced professionals who wish to demonstrate proficiency with specific tools. Understand which group you belong to before committing to either option.