If you’re looking to broaden your knowledge of data science or change jobs to become a data scientist, then you may be considering taking some online courses. Learning data languages such as Python, SQL, and R is just as simple to do online as it is in a classroom but learning online can be more convenient.
Two of the biggest data science platforms are Dataquest and DataCamp. But which one is best? What features do they offer? In this article, we will take a closer look at both course providers and know which is better. Dataquest Vs Datacamp are both great platforms!
What Is Dataquest?
Dataquest has more than 70 courses, 14 skill paths, and 5 career path courses. The career paths are in-depth and take a varying amount of time to complete. At the rate of 10 hours per week, they can take anything from five months to nine months to complete.
There is a free membership available for Dataquest but this only gives members access to the introductory lessons. To access all that Dataquest has to offer, a paid subscription is required.
What Is DataCamp?
Datacamp offers 14 career-track certificate programs and hundreds of different courses. The length of time it takes to complete a career track differs depending on the track and the amount of information it contains. They can range from 32 hours to 88 hours.
Datacamp offers a free membership but this is limited to only six introductory courses and their accompanying assessments. A paid membership is needed to access the certifications and all of the courses like data science courses, data visualization, and data science skills.
Pros Of Dataquest
Now that we know a little more about Dataquest, let’s look at its strengths and weaknesses.
Self-Guided
Datacamp takes a self-guided approach. Learners are given a chunk of text that explains the core concepts of the section they’re working through. This works very well for learners that like to tackle things their own way and are independent learners.
Solve The Problems Yourself
It also doesn’t spoon-feed you the answers when it comes to more difficult problems. Instead, it asks you to resolve the problem yourself or look for answers in other areas or tools, such as Stack Overflow.
This means that every problem a learner solves has been genuinely solved by the learner and sets them in good stead for a career in data science. After all, there are no answers to refer to when this is your dream data science job!
Projects Are Integrated Well
Most online learning platforms that are similar to Dataquest have projects as part of their courses. However, Dataquest has made these integral to its learning model, and the projects are expertly integrated into the courses and exercise themselves.
On many rival online platforms, projects seem almost tacked on as an afterthought or as something that is expected to be there. Some courses like data analytics or data analyst engineer can sometimes be completed with only the bare minimum of effort, or no effort at all applied to the projects.
This isn’t the case on Dataquest. Dataquest projects are essential and need to have the hours sunk into them if the learner hopes to pass the course. This may seem like an annoyance, but projects are the best way to test your data skills. They’ll let you try out what you’ve learned and prepare you for a career in data science.
Free Membership
Although you do need a paid membership to truly get the most out of Dataquest, the free membership will give you plenty to do. You’ll also be able to get a feel for the site and its materials and decide if it’s the right platform for you.
The free membership gives you access to around a third of the material on the site. You will have limited access to the main features such as lessons, practice problems, and even the community features. If you just want to try Dataquest or see if life as a data professional is for you, this free membership will give you plenty to work through.
Cons Of Dataquest
After assessing the strengths of the online learning platform, it’s only fair to look at the weaknesses!
Some Content Could Be Better
Dataquest’s learning content for Python is widely considered to be excellent and as this is arguably the best and most important language for any data scientist or data analysis engineer to know due to its versatility, this is a great selling point for Dataquest.
However, some other languages such as SQL and R aren’t as well-represented on Dataquest. Most professional data professionals use Python the most, but that doesn’t mean that R and SQL aren’t used at all. To be a fully rounded data scientist, you need a solid grounding in not only Python but also R and SQL.
Pricing
To get full access to the site, you need to be a paid member. This will give you all of the lessons, practice problems, and community features, as well as let you access Dataquest’s wonderful projects section. The prices for Dataquest change frequently, but it is generally more expensive annually than Datacamp is.
Dataquest does offer more membership options, however, as you can pay monthly or annually or even take out a lifetime membership. Dataquest frequently offers discounts where you can subscribe with as much as a 50 percent discount so keep an eye out for those.
Pros Of DataCamp
Now let’s look at the strengths of DataCamp.
More Comprehensive
Like Dataquest, DataCamp offers several courses that concentrate on Python. However, it also has a larger range of courses and career tracks that focus on R and SQL as well. If you want to become skilled in all three languages, then DataCamp will give you more options.
Fun Functionality
DataCamp has a fun interface that turns learning into a game. You gain experience points after you complete an exercise or complete daily challenges. The experience points don’t lead to additional courses or features, but they are an easy representation of your progress and how much you have learned on the platform.
It also has a mobile app. This is especially useful for daily challenges as they only take five to ten minutes to complete and are ideal for the app.
Cons Of DataCamp
As we did with Dataquest, let’s now look at the weaknesses of DataCamp.
Exercises Are Too Easy
The exercises on DataCamp are very straightforward. Instead of having to work through complex problems as you do on Dataquest, the DataCamp exercises merely ask you to fill in the gaps.
In the real world, similar scenarios have to be completed from scratch and DataCamp does not try to mimic this. The projects offered by the platform are better than the exercises, but they’re mandatory.
No Monthly Memberships
DataCamp is cheaper on an annual basis than Dataquest. However, it only offers annual memberships and there are no monthly subscription options. The free membership is more limited than Dataquest as well, so you need to be certain before you subscribe.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we took a closer look at Dataquest and DataCamp. Dataquest has tougher problems and will make you more prepared for life as a data scientist but is lacking in SQL and R courses compared to DataCamp.
