There are many ways to learn more about education and careers in big data, including many hands-on activities. First, learn the basics of big data by reading books such as Data Science For Dummies, by Lillian Pierson and viewing glossaries of big data terms online. Additionally, the data science firm SAS offers a primer about the field on its Web site, www.sas.com/en_us/insights/big-data/what-is-big-data.html. Next, consider taking a class about data science, data analytics, programming, artificial intelligence, or a related field at your high school, local community college, or via an online learning platform such as Coursera, edX, Udacity, or Udemy. Some classes are even free. For example, Coursera offers Introduction to Data Science, a free online class that takes about one month to complete.
Consider participating in computer science–related summer camps that are offered by colleges and universities, high schools, park districts, museums, private tech organizations, and other groups. The National Student Leadership Conference offers a nine-day summer data science program each summer. Learn more at https://www.nslcleaders.org/dates-locations. The Michigan Institute for Data Science at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor offers a five-day Introduction to Data Science and AI summer camp for upper-level high school students who are interested in mathematics, generative artificial intelligence, and who ideally have completed coursework in trigonometry. You can learn more at https://midas.umich.edu.
Participate in open data science, programming, and related competitions for high school, students, college students, and professionals. Here are a few competitions to check out:
- Kaggle: https://www.kaggle.com
- WiDS Datathon: https://www.widsworldwide.org/learn/datathon
- American Statistical Association DataFest: http://ww2.amstat.org/education/datafest
Participating in information interviews with and/or job shadowing a big data professional is another great way to learn the ins and outs of this career.
Get involved in Data Science Central (https://www.datasciencecentral.com), a community for big data professionals. Articles, podcasts, videos, discussion groups, and other resources are available.
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