RMOTR

***RMOTR has merged with another online education company as of Sep 2019, so the course curriculum may have changed.***

I completed the Python Data Science course summer 2019. Personally I think a lot of self discipline and commitment to apply what you learn on some passion projects are required in order to make this worth while, but the same can be applied to any other online remote bootcamps. That's why it is 1/10 of the cost of an onsite fulltime bootcamp. The first two months were python fundamentals (those were great intro with awesome teachers) and the last month was data science libraries. Towards the last month, the subjects get more challenging with less time to go through in details during the weekly 2 hour (twice) online live sessions. The mentoring session availability was very limited to specific time and day during the week. 

The downside here is that they decided to make the "final project" as optional and promised that we could schedule and/or request for feedback on the final project if students decided to pursue it, but that was not the case. In the end,  they issued certificates without reviewing the project. I assume it is most likely because RMOTR was busy merging with another online education company. I am happy for their success, but I would appreciate more if they actually finish their commitment with students to review final projects as part of the course. It felt very unstructured at the end. 

Did I learn how to write basic Python functions? Yes

Did I learn how to explore and apply basic data science libraries? Yes (a lot of self discipline to learn and google on your own is required here)

Is this a hands-on course? Yes (in the beginning for Python fundamentals, they have test driven examples for you to practice with) and No (towards the end especially when creating your final projects, I felt I was left in the dark)

I am not sure what will happen after the merger as they are changing their learning platform, but I hope they will learn to be more transparent and accountable with their students to follow through the completion of the course. If this becomes purely an online course with self-paced materials, I believe there are other resources at a much cheaper price (ie. Udemy Jose Portilla data science and machine learning course for $13), but otherwise (if it still has live sessions), it is worth exploring. 

I'm very happy I chose RMOTR as a first online introduction to Data Science. 

The main reason is how the course is structured. Most online courses will have you start working on data science libraries right away. This is a mistake in my opinion. 

It is important to understand and know the basics of Python before using these libraries. Otherwise, you're going to miss the fundamentals which will hinder your development if you want to take things further. 

RMOTR starts with 2 months of Python before teaching you data science libraries which I thought was very helpful. 

Something else that is very important: teachers are great and knowledgable. They are always available to answer questions of all types, whether about an exercice you are stuck on, or even career development. 

Joining RMOTR means you are part of a community which helps staying on top of news, interesting articles & projects. You can also post your problem to the community and get help from other students. 

Obvisouly not everything is perfect. Here is what I think they could do better:

 - Sometimes the exercices they give are pretty difficult compared to the material we learned in class. I would have loved it if there were hints in some of the exercices to help solve the problem. 

 - During Christmas holidays, it wasn't 100% clear what the schedule was. The agenda switched a bit during that period, and communication could have been better. 

Overall, I recommend this program if you are looking to get into data science, and especially if you prefer taking an option where you have an actual class and community with a teacher going over the material. This is what I was looking for in contrast with the self paced options. I wanted to have classes every week to stay motivated.

I could not have asked for a more engaging experience!

Not even at my University level did I meet any instructors who were as engaging and commited as those who guided me through the program at RMOTR. Amazing value for price.

Instructors/Curriculum

From the instructors, at every level, I found the most understanding patience of the learning process. This level of understanding is also reflected through RMOTR's UX, the website navigates through the curriculm, which I found to give a great in-depth lesson into Python, Django and Data Science(using Python). 

Commitment

This program does run quite a commitment, though there is a bit more freedom than in-person bootcamps. What I loved most about the program was that the classes were recorded and posted to review within hours, this was phenomenal with revisiting and graping a better hold to lessons.

Final Project

The final project is a fun and intense dash of work. Working collaboratively(if you so chose to work in a group) is a great lesson in taking refining project scopes, identifying goals, working toward these goals, adjusting, and presenting. 

Conclusion

I would highly reccomend RMOTR to any individual who is interested in learning Python and interested in either Django and/or Data Science. It was absoluetely a blast learning and feeling the trenches of a lesson and emerging with a better understanding. Much like a good workout, it's going to work you to a better inidividual. 

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I attended the Intro to Python rmotr's course in November, and had a great experience. I loved the way how lectures were organised, with a clear path to go from point A to B, know what to do and when to do it.
I guess that's one of the hardest part of learning. Knowing how to avoid wasting time reading or looking for resources that are not good enough.
Mentors were also really helpful and kind.
I had a few issues with the class time, and I couldn't attend to a few of them. I hope they could support more timezones for people out of US.

Really great instructors and mentors. The online classes were a friendly environment with a wide range of competences amongst students. I didn't feel any anxiety asking for clarifications. Santiago, our instructor, was very responsive and made all of our questions were answered.   For the most part, it was excellent. Personally, for me, I learn more when I see programmers solve and write code, as they explain. If I had a wish, I would ask that some time, maybe at the beginning of the class is spent going over exercises from last class. 

I loved the fact that I could do this at home, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to graduate from any other school because I work everyday and arrive home late at night.

I don't have much to say about RMOTR, it's just a good place to learn Python, period.
There was a stumble the first day with software related issues, but everything else was great. 

Sadly they don't offer much variety in terms of technology. All courses are about Python and related stuff. I will keep an eye to their website, hopping they are more courses soon.