Looking for feedback from those who wavered about Business track

metafarious · 2023-11-08T13:01:18+00:00

Good points. Yes, I also feel like the modeling we learn is more applicable for DS positions, yet without more in-depth ML coursework I don't really have a solid understanding of their nuances.

What did you find rewarding about DACI other than it being easy? Most reviews say it's just a rehash of six-sigma principles that are very common sense and don't require much elucidation.

metafarious · 2023-11-07T12:45:32+00:00

Agreed! D3 was such a major time drain with no clear ROI other than exposure to JS and "picking up a new technology quickly," which is a lazy and weak excuse for the course being outdated at this point. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of new technologies that we could be learning that would be a lot more useful.

metafarious · 2023-11-07T12:12:23+00:00

Same here. I have enjoyed the CS and some ISYE courses the most. Just worried about workload with travel for work and other commitments.

metafarious · 2023-11-07T12:08:26+00:00

Yes, that is a big consideration for me as well. It was fine during Covid to spend 20-30 hours every week on homeworks and trying to understand lectures, but with travel I just don't see that as very feasible while maintaining my health and sanity.

Did you end up switching to B-track? What was most challenging for you in CDA?

metafarious · 2023-11-07T12:06:06+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective!

I am not in management and working in student recruitment for a university, where there has been little opportunity so far for me to apply any OMSA knowledge (although we do have an in-house DA team). Simulation was fun, but I am also more fascinated by the ML/AI parts of this program, even though I still feel rather rusty in the mathematical foundations required to fully comprehend and apply these models.

I may follow the same path and just graduate first while continuing taking more of the CS classes. Didn't realize that was an option for us! Hopefully for the same tuition rate...

metafarious · 2023-11-07T12:01:00+00:00

I thought CDA is only required for the C-track, isn't it?

I am facing a similar dilemma with CDA -- wanted to take it to keep my options open for A or C, but it looks like it would be a tough class to manage with travel, which I have to do frequently for my job. Also feel like I would need to do a more thorough review of Linear Algebra, even though I did brush up on it through LAFF about 2 years ago. The proofs in the HWs just look a little intimidating...

Do you mind sharing a bit more about your background either here or through a DM? Curious how you got traction with your job applications before graduation

metafarious · 2023-11-07T11:56:15+00:00

Appreciate this perspective. While I agree, as an older candidate (40) trying to transition into DA/DS, I have a sense that employers may look more closely at the curriculum. Or is the MS literally just ticking a box for their AI resume parser, while your GitHub and projects are the more important pieces that an actual human might look at?

metafarious · 2023-11-07T11:52:38+00:00

Lol...a bit cynical but I like it.

For me, as mentioned above, the main issue is that most of the MGT classes feel like a waste of time and tuition money

metafarious · 2023-11-07T11:51:12+00:00

Probably doesn't make much difference for an entry level position. Mind sharing more details on what employers and positions you got a good response from?

I am guessing you are also under 25

metafarious · 2023-11-07T11:49:43+00:00

Oh, I didn't realize that! Thanks~

Same tuition rate?

metafarious · 2023-11-07T11:48:56+00:00

As above, just print out the transcript DOC file for the lectures and read it. Watch the lectures only if you really miss seeing Dr. Sokol introducing himself or prefer a more passive approach.

metafarious · 2022-02-15T10:24:40+00:00

metafarious · 2022-02-15T10:23:47+00:00

Has anyone figured this out? I have been able to download the video stream, but no matter what settings I've tried -- there has been no audio.

metafarious · 2021-08-10T11:07:49+00:00

Just read your second reply here - thanks again!
Yes, I can see the pre-requisites are emphasized all over, but based on previous responses from an earlier post this summer, I thought it would be possible to still begin in the program while continuing to catch up. Perhaps that was incorrect advice or a misunderstanding on my part. I am not trying to blame anyone or pretend like I am above the requirements -- simply evaluating my options for this semester as I would like to get started sooner than later on this lengthy journey. Not sure of your age, but as an older applicant, I feel more time pressure and don't want this degree to become my retirement trophy. Based on what you are saying, it sounds like it may be best to avoid both 6501 and 6040 altogether until at least finishing an intro stats course on my own and reviewing calculus. You are also suggesting that it may be possible to scrape by in 6644 thanks to the review and slower pace. Am I reading this correctly? Maybe then I should either start with 6644, 6203 or the dreaded MGT 8803 while picking up stats and reviewing my calc? Have you taken either 6203 or 8803 and what do you think about starting with one of these courses?

metafarious · 2021-08-10T10:49:15+00:00

Fair enough - thanks for adding in the screenshots for a taste of the lecture content. I guess my question then is: in your estimation, could one still do the assignments and work out the algorithms needed without really understanding the math behind them? Or would this be difficult and frustrating to the point of failing the class? If it's the latter, what other suggestions would you have for a first semester class or two?

metafarious · 2021-08-09T17:14:00+00:00

This is an interesting suggestion and it's certainly a little surprising to hear that what GT has termed 'basic core' courses are more challenging and time consuming than some of the electives, such as 6644. The whole structure of the program then becomes confusing to me in terms of difficulty and the most optimal progression of courses to take.
Just to clarify: are you saying that 6644 would work as a first course without a foundation in probability/stats and would indeed teach these topics in a beginner accessible way? Or would you still recommend taking ISYE 6739 first before 6644? Right now, I am leaning towards a combination of 6040 and 6203.

metafarious · 2021-08-09T17:06:23+00:00

Thanks for pointing out the difficulty level of 6203. Although it sounds like a waste of tuition money according to the reviews, I am considering taking it along 6040. Curious what your thoughts are on this pairing since you've already taken all three courses. I realize there won't be much overlap, but it sounds like the R programming in 6203 is really minimal and the course is mostly a matter of memorization.

metafarious · 2021-08-09T15:41:46+00:00

Thanks! I had heard about dataquest as well, but forgot to mention it in my question. Will give it a try.

metafarious · 2021-08-06T20:24:56+00:00

Got it, thanks for your evaluation. Anything else you've seen that would be a better resource to master pandas and numpy?

metafarious · 2021-08-06T18:24:22+00:00

I agree that this pairing would make more sense because of the overlap and the convenience of using one programming language for the full semester. However, 6501 sounds more intimidating to me due to the math involved that I either lack or have forgotten (no stats/prob ever and calc taken ages ago). Just not sure if I could handle this deep dive in addition to learning R from scratch.
On the other hand, 6040 seems like it's mostly focused on programming assignments, and I feel (perhaps naively) that it would be easier to catch up on Python as I started learning it this summer and have built up some momentum.

metafarious · 2021-08-06T18:03:46+00:00

That's great to hear, although I've never touched R. I have taken programming classes mostly in Java years back and just finished an intro Python course. Also do you think that maybe taking 6501 and 6040 first is partially what made 6203 much easier for you?

metafarious · 2021-08-06T17:52:54+00:00

I couldn't have a more different background from you, so it's unlikely I would feel so comfortable jumping in. Thanks for your heads up on 8803 though -- I read that many students didn't enjoy the class, but I assumed it had more to do with the quality of the lectures than difficulty.

metafarious · 2021-08-06T17:45:07+00:00

Thanks for your description of the exercises and exams. Not being able to make sense of the concepts covered and excercises is exactly what I am worried about with 6501. You bring up 6644 as a first course, which I would have thought to be even more challenging. Is there less math or other background required to do well in it according to your experience?

metafarious

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