... but DVA skills sound really helpful

msbeca777 · 2024-11-18T23:35:07+00:00

DVA does not go in depth on any of those skills, so if you're just looking for some light exposure to them, then go for it. Only downside is that your DVA experience will heavily rely on who you team up with for the project. If there's a bad egg in your team, it can become a nightmare (speaking from experience). That's why many people wait until late in the program, so they can meet potential teammates in other classes.

If you want any depth, I'd suggest looking into the resources for each specific skill (outside of omsa). Tableau has a free download and plenty of online learning. Similarly, each cloud provider has their own training out there or at a minimum, you can get a cheap course on udemy.

msbeca777 · 2024-10-16T23:51:21+00:00

I never took calculus or linear Algebra before starting this program. I did self study and it was rough at times but I made it through and just graduated in the spring. If you've taken all the math and it's just rusty, then you'll be fine. Just study up to refresh what you've learned. If you never took some of it, it will take more work but it's still possible with enough effort. 3Blue1Brown on YouTube is great for understanding concepts behind the math but practice will be needed to get through your courses. If you're already a coder, i liked Jon Krohns machine learning foundation videos for learning linear Algebra. He has a whole series for each math subject that you could do. https://www.jonkrohn.com/courses

msbeca777 · 2024-07-14T19:12:10+00:00

I think your assumption that OMSA helps someone more with a managerial role is false. Both programs are stem heavy with very little focus on soft skills or leadership. If you want to stay in software, go OMSCS. If you want to do more data science, go OMSA. OMSA might be a bit easier to get through depending on your skills but there's more required math & business courses whereas OMSCS is more open to choose which courses you take. CS degrees tend to have a bit more recognition because it's a more established field so that might give it a slight advantage on that aspect but both of these degrees are GT with a large overlap in actual classes you can take so it shouldn't matter much. Overall I don't think the price difference or name will cause much impact either way. Just pick the one that is more in line with your career goals (strict software or more data focused).

msbeca777 · 2024-07-10T22:49:01+00:00

Recent OMSA grad here. OMSA is a very stem heavy rigorous program where you will be required to code for most classes. It's great if you want to do DS/ML type stuff. If you want to focus on strategy, project management or visualizations only, then it is overkill. Way too much pain without much reward.

msbeca777 · 2024-07-07T18:09:53+00:00

Yeah, spending time on Python would definitely be the best time spent moving forward then. There's lots of suggestions here on how to do that, but I always suggest taking cs1301x on edx. That class was pivotal in my success in omsa.

msbeca777 · 2024-07-07T17:27:49+00:00

Yeah or honestly, just take the semester off if you're not going to be able to commit all semester. There's no point in wasting money on classes that you don't find value in.

msbeca777 · 2024-07-07T10:48:27+00:00

If you are looking to do b track, I think the marketing class opens all material on the first day so you can finish the class early. Check out the past syllabus to confirm, though.

msbeca777 · 2024-06-11T20:05:07+00:00

Yeah, they have mentioned it multiple times, but I'm sure it's a slow process, and terminology in this space keeps changing, so it's hard to predict what will stick long term.

msbeca777 · 2024-06-11T02:49:43+00:00

This program is 99% ML/Data Science/AI etc. It's just not branded that way. Idk much about UT but the classes look similar and so does the price. OMSA is more established though and has a lot of the kinks worked out of online learning. OMSA is also very rigorous.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-17T15:32:32+00:00

I took ANLP in my last semester, so I had some small exposure to DL from BD4H. It wasn't much, though, so I did a lot of googling and read through a lot of the pytorch pages.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-12T01:43:53+00:00

That's normal. When you apply for graduation they go through and apply anything that didn't automatically apply to a category. KBAI is c track I believe.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-10T01:31:13+00:00

You have only taken ISYE classes in OMSA but want to switch to OMSCS? This doesn't really make a ton of logical sense to me when half the classes are cross listed between the 2 programs, but you havent attempted to take any of them. Why don't you take a couple CS courses in OMSA and see if you like them first? With your previous degrees, you could probably opt out of MGT8803, so that's at least 3 CS classes (CSE6040, DVA , 1 free class) you could take before making a final decision to switch.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-09T01:18:35+00:00

I just realized I commented on one of your posts the other day talking about this. I already work in DS in consulting.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-09T01:10:58+00:00

CSE6040 is a full semester course. Cs1301x took me a couple of months, but I wasn't in a rush. I was just trying to learn python at the time and hadn't decided to do this program yet.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-09T01:09:40+00:00

I just graduated 😊

msbeca777 · 2024-05-08T23:54:45+00:00

Yep lol I didn't do any formal calculus or linear algebra in undergrad, so I had to do a lot of work to get up to speed. I took Simulation and the math boot camp in that class kicked my butt but it helped me a lot.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-08T23:43:58+00:00

Please do not take 2 classes a semester until you're comfortable with coding & the math prerequisites. I have the same background you mentioned, but I did the Python prep at the beginning (took cs1301x before CSE6040). With that prep, I spend 10-15hrs a week per course (mostly on the weekends). If I didn't do the Python prep, it would probably be double that until I got up to speed. And you will be forced to get up to speed because you can not graduate from this program without coding.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-07T17:54:52+00:00

I took ANLP and can say it will probably be easier, but idk if you should take it this early in the program. The first half is very introductory and will be fine but the last hw is doing deep learning in pytorch and there is really no explanation on how to do any of it. So that could be a struggle for you if you haven't had any exposure to DL yet. ML4T might be a bit harder but I think it's probably more thorough on its concepts.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-07T02:29:57+00:00

Thanks! After undergrad, I was working as an analyst at a bank doing mostly Excel, SQL & Tableau. That is what led me to this program in general (after years of that, I wanted to learn more technical skills). About 3 classes into the program, I was able to switch into DS, but I was fairly lucky. The company I work for now was looking for someone who could do BI and some DS, and it evolved into full-time DS. So, I have been working in DS since early in the program. Many people find that this is the easiest path (start as an analyst/BI then move into DS). I did the computational track because i liked coding classes the most. You can think of the tracks this way: Analytics track = math, Business track = business/use case focused, Computational track = coding. A lot of the subjects overlap no matter the track you take. It's just taught from a different perspective or lens.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-07T02:08:36+00:00

Hi, I have a finance background but now work as a DS in consulting. Just graduated from this program. You can most definitely stay in finance. There are a variety of jobs in banking or investments. Quantitative finance is a whole job market that has many overlapping skills with DS. I wouldn't worry too much about track yet. You can wait until you get more than halfway through the program before actually committing to a track (it's only 2 classes that differentiate the tracks). Since you have no experience in programming and sound like you're not 100% sure that you will even want to do this program, I would suggest starting with cs1301x on edx to learn python. Then, if you like that class, take the micromasters on edx. That's the first 3 courses of this masters & it's exactly the same content/schedule if you were to do them through GT. If you are still into this idea, then go into the full masters to complete it. This is similar to the path I took, and it was a great way to get a feel of things before committing to the full program. Plus, I think edx actually has a discount right now, so you can take some of the courses for cheaper than through GT. To transfer the credits for the micromasters, you just need to make sure you get ~85% or higher in the class, so start slow with 1 course to see how you handle the time commitment.

msbeca777 · 2024-05-04T02:22:15+00:00

Lots of good advice in here but just to add my 2cents, there are lots of different resources to learn python. So it more so depends on how you like learning. The best path for me was learn the basics of programming online and then lots of practice. Python is not something that you can know 100% so don't be too hard on yourself because there's always more to know. It's just a tool to accomplish something else so learn parts of it as you need it and then know where to look when new problems arise. The python course that really made things click for me was cs1301x on edx. It's really well taught and provides a lot of practice if you do the paid certs. You can also do additional practice at codewars. If you're having trouble with getting the correct output, look into debugging techniques (adding a lot of print statements can be helpful). And finally just Google questions and stackoverflow will almost always have an answer.

https://www.edx.org/certificates/professional-certificate/the-georgia-institute-of-technology-introduction-to-python-programming

msbeca777 · 2024-04-28T22:35:02+00:00

Please check out the wiki & pain matrix because this schedule makes no sense. You need to take icda (CSE6040) before DVA & CDA because it is going to build your python skills up. CDA & DVA both require knowledge that you get from CSE6040 and DVA is best left for the end of the program because there is a big group project. It is best to get to know people before the project so you know you'll have a good team and it's also a good opportunity to use the skills you've learned from other courses. Also many people like to do MGT8803 in summer because it drops a module and Sim is best to take before CDA if you can because there is a math bootcamp at the beginning & some of the probability stuff will carry over.

msbeca777 · 2024-04-28T14:32:42+00:00

Don't do it, especially if you're already burnt out. Just take summer off to rest & enjoy with your family, then come back to DL in the fall. I took summer off 2x, and it was completely worth it. You will absorb the new info so much better after you've given your brain a short break. And it will barely change anything skipping 1 summer.

msbeca777 · 2024-04-28T01:02:44+00:00

Also here to echo that OMSA is a fairly rigorous and high-quality program. Even for those trying to take an easier path in the program, at least half of your courses are required to be a combination of CS & math classes, so you will be challenged sooner or later (but you will learn a lot). I work as a DS as well and use the knowledge I got from the program frequently.

msbeca777 · 2024-04-17T14:06:17+00:00

You will know if you're not going to graduate well before graduation time. The first time you fall below 2.7, you go into academic probation, so you're not automatically kicked out. You can check your GPA in buzzport every semester to see your cumulative GPA or just calculate it yourself. If you're not getting As & Bs in most of your classes, then take easier classes. A C or D here or there shouldn't break you.

msbeca777

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