Principal Analytics Prep

Congratulations to the founder of Principal Analytics Prep (PAP), Kaiser Fung, for an intensive well-organized curriculum. The program at PAP is very well-organized touching on so many fields to prepare participants for data analyses in the digital era. This brings out all the difference between PAP and so many other data science programs that I have had a chance of looking into their curriculum. The different courses are organized in such a way that they merge well into each other, i.e. a previous course will merge well into a future one in a way that participants can relate what’s new with previous material. You will learn courses like Machine Learning, Statistical Models, Text Mining, Data Quality and Data Visualization, Mobile Analytics to mention but a few. In this digital era, cloud computing has become an important aspect due to massive data in businesses; PAP prepares you for this by teaching and familiarizing you with computing using Amazon Web Services (AWS) which is a requirement in some companies.

All instructors are people who are already in the business industry and they share information from their experiences; they have many years of work experience.  It is such a good experience and thorough preparation into the world of big data. As far as data analyses is concerned, real world data is used; with many years of experience, the instructors have access to real data. This gives participants experience of what to expect when they enter into the job market. At PAP, you will have a chance to learn different types of statistical analytics software, like Python, R, SAS, and SQL. What a good preparation for any company that one may work for. Most companies have a culture of a particular software they use; therefore, PAP will prepare you with skills of the most common software you are likely to find in your job.  

What about career preparation? At PAP, you will find career guidance; how to prepare your resume to sell yourself into the job market; preparing elevation speeches; practicing for interviews by being an interviewee as well as an interviewer. This practice will make you gain confidence when you go for job interviews because you not only get to know what to do during an interview, but you also get to know what not to do. Besides real job interview preparation, there is also preparation for informational interview; how to present yourself and what information to give and to ask for. In addition, there are tips given on how to network with relevant people in the industry; getting to know what forums are taking place where you can meet such people. In career guidance, there is more than one would think; do you know how to sell yourself in the job market through LinkedIn? If you want to know, come to PAP and meet an expert in LinkedIn who will guide you on what to put on the page and what not to do, how to add relevant people into your network and how to communicate.

PAP invites guest speakers to come and share with the participants. These speakers are drawn from a wide variety of backgrounds; these are backgrounds where big data management and analyses are going on. For example, speakers in health care, web design and analytics, information technology, etc. Their visits also increase relevant people in your network.

PAP organizes visits to relevant places/institutions where you can get important information related to data and to the job market. During my study, we visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York and learnt how they collect and utilize their data. We also visited New York Public Library where information was provided to us on careers, how to do research on whatever information you need, etc. This visit also gave us a chance to get a New York library card which you get to keep and can always visit the library even after completing the program. The library is very rich with information.

Do you want to become an all-round data scientist/business analyst? If you want to, and you should be, then PAP is the place to be in.

I have completed the Summer 2019 cohort and recommend Principal Analytics Prep for a thorough immersion into the various competencies needed to be a data science professional. Big data is everywhere, growing and overgrowing the ability for normal business to analyze and predict.  We need to know how to step into the big data arena and offer our best services.  With Principal Analytics Prep, small class size, top-notch instructors and founder Kaiser Fung’s industry perspective provide the best way to gain the skills needed. There is no shortcut to fully understanding the concepts.  Its up to you to keep up with assignments and manage your accomplishments, but you will receive the information, tools and be able to develop a game plan for success.  I enjoyed my instructors, classmates and real-world guest speakers and actually maintained an ever-expanding database of my newly acquired skills.  If you have done your due diligence and this is where you want to be, you will not be disappointed.

I wanted to move from the public sector into something else after a masters degree and 10 years of experience fundraising. After research several options I was very impressed to find PAP. I was looking for a small student/teacher ratio and training on how to build on my former skills and spin them for a career in technology and data. 

PAP was AMAZING. I was even given a partial scholarship after negotiating it and presenting my case. After the bootcamp I accepted a job offer that nearly doubled my income. I now will be working in marketing analytics  

My only negative feedback would be that there was some issues with finding appropriate space to learn which I believe will be remedied as the program grows and stabilizes. 

I attended this boot camp back in 2016 when it was called rSQUAREedge. I am extremely glad I did because it was the crucial turning point that launched me into my dream career as a data scientist. 

Before I joined the program, I started studying some Python programming and machine learning topics on my own, but found I needed a broader set of skills and deeper network to actually land a data science job. This program absolutely delivered what I needed, because it was designed and taught by actual working data scientists who know what they are looking for in candidates. 

All of the classes teach you something valuable that you can't get from studying on your own. Kaiser, the program's founder, teaches a fantastic class on statistical reasoning that until this day causes me to question assumptions behind analyses and models I see. The other instructors were also a joy to learn from, and teach you not just the technical material but also how it is applied in their various industries. Our machine learning instructor, Adam, went way beyond the basic topics you get in a typical ML course and discussed interesting problems he was tackling at his company.

Because of the sheer number of data analytics professionals that we were introduced to and the quality of the career guidance, I felt that anyone who studies hard and makes an effort to get to know the guest speakers is bound to find a great job from this program. Kaiser personally set me up for meetings with his friends at companies that he thought I'd be a good match for. And indeed, I ended up with multiple job offers, just from the connections I formed in this program. I simply can't recommend this program highly enough. 

Principal Analytics Prep(PAP) is the Harvard of Data Science/Business Analytics boot camps! Not only are a large proportion of its faculty members ivy-league educated, but also they are thought leaders in their respective fields.  The PAP curriculum is very comprehensive, providing a rich mix of quantitative and qualitative training – Advanced Analytics combined with a Mini-MBA. Having studied finance, economics, business analytics and information systems as well as actuarial science at an advanced level, I didn’t expect to benefit much from the boot-camps technical training. However, PAP has exceeded my wildest expectations and have proven to be a tremendous value-added. I got an MBA degree 14 years ago; yet I am glad I chose PAP for my Business Analytics training because the business instructors, who are senior executives in major corporation across the U.S., bring practical and innovative insights to the classes that I did not experience in my MBA program. Students in the program are empowered with analytics tools and are trained to think in ways that equip them to deliver immediate and impactful results in data-centric organizations.

In addition, PAP provides the most comprehensive coaching and career development program I have ever seen! Indeed, every week, we have at least one class geared toward career development and coaching. What I think sets the PAP program apart from other Data Science boot camps is that the career classes are facilitated by an actual recruiter, Susan, who is a former Data Scientist with a Ph.D. in Mathematics. She worked for a number of years in the Financial Services Industry and has a solid track record of placing job candidates in Analytics and Data Science roles.  Having easy access to someone who knows the industry well and has a connection with hiring managers bodes well for PAP students in terms of finding employment when they graduate.

Of note, the PAP 12 Week Data Analytics Boot Camp is more than just rigorous academics; outside the classroom, career development and social activities have allowed me to forge wonderful friendships with my fellow classmates. Indeed every one of my classmates is exceedingly generous with their time and expertise both inside and outside the classroom as we help each other with projects and assignments. Since every one of us brings a unique and interesting set of talents, experiences, and expertise to the cohort we are and will be a great resource for each other.

One of the principals of PAP, Kaiser, is a luminary in the Data Science space. I had the good fortune to meet Kaiser at Columbia University, where he was the founding director of the Master of Applied Analytics program. I attended his graduate course in Applied Analytics Frameworks & Methods – one of my most enjoyable experiences in my entire academic career.He held senior analytics positions in major corporations and holds advanced degrees in engineering, statistics, and business from the most prestigious institutions. He also has authored best-selling books and influential blogs about statistics and analytics. Truth be told, I chose Principal Analytics Prep because of Kaiser. I want to learn from someone with hands-on experience at the highest levels. My main motivation is to benefit from his “celebrity” and tap his deep professional network. The instructors in the program are also “stars.” But I have received that and so much more from the PAP program.

Whether you are a programmer looking to take your career to the next level as a business analytics professional or you are non-technical and looking to transition to the hot data science/business analytics field, the PAP boot camp is the program of choice. I give my highest recommendation to Kaiser and his blue-ribbon team at Principal Analytics Prep.

I am a graduate of the Summer 2018 cohort.

The quality of the instructors for this program is second to none and you will not find any program that comes close to matching this quality level.  All the instructors were practicing & seasoned experts in their respective industries and brought a wealth of current knowledge & experiences they shared freely with students.  Highlights include statistics taught by the founder himself, Kaiser Fung, and natural language processing using TensorFlow, Keras, spaCy, Gensim on AWS.

Another characteristic of this program is the breadth of topics covered.  Being in the data science field is not just about statistics and programming.  Professionals have to navigate very real world issues such as internal politics, all forms of communications, financial considerations and project schedules.  These subjects are covered from a practical perspective, preparing students to be a well-rounded practitioner of data science.  We learned from over 20 different instructors at the quality level stated above.

I cannot say enough about the career counseling & coaching aspect of this program, which runs in parallel to the program’s curriculum.  The program starts preparing you from day one on how to go about finding employment in this competitive industry.  For someone like me transitioning from another industry and not familiar with the modern recruiting landscape, activities like comprehensive resume reviews, intense mock interviews, repetitive self-pitches were invaluable.  And all this took place under the watchful tutelage of Kaiser Fung who brought his perceptive, deep insights based on his extensive experience as a hiring manager.

As a founder & architect of this program, Kaiser Fung has brought innovative ideas after having experienced building a high-profile program for a prominent institution and observing & learning from what he sees was lacking in other programs.  In this way, Principal Analytics Prep is a one-of-a-kind program whose founder continues to be personally and deeply involved in making sure he delivers value.  Since I graduated form the program, I have kept in touch with Kaiser.  He is constantly having discussions with practitioners in the field and monitoring the needs of businesses to fine tune the contents of the program.

I took this program in Fall 2016. It was the first quantitative course I have taken since high school. I have worked in the Bay Area on Machine Learning and Data Science jobs since then.

The instruction team was solid, and I felt that the courses were curated timely and appropriately. Besides solid classes in statistics, programming, and other essential data skills, what I find unique is the career perspective it offered. The tech industry tends to overwhelm its participants and spectators with glory initiatives, trends, and breakthroughs, which makes it hard to identify the directions that truly matter for a personal career. Through engaging with instructors, guest lectures, guided career sessions, and practical courses, I was able to focus on a sustainable long-term path in the data industry.

I highly recommend any individual who aspires to be a data professional but has a difficult time breaking into the industry to apply for this program.

The Principal Analytics Prep Summer Accelerator Program was a life-changing experience. The program's holistic approach to data science taught me both the hard and soft skills required to launch a career path in the world of data analytics. Each class taught me valuable insights that I would not have been able to obtain on my own. All the instructors implemented a very hands-on approach to learning the technical skills needed for data analysis. Not only did the instructors provide excellent explanations of complex technical concepts, they also shared their knowledge of how these skills were applied in various industries. As a college student who was used to huge lecture halls, the small, but engaging classroom environment drastically improved my learning experience. Kaiser, the founder of the program, teaches the class on statistical reasoning which provides critical insights and valuable analysis that cannot be taught anywhere else. Overall, I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to transition into the world of data science

Kaiser is bright and lively. His teaching is hands-on, and the instructors he finds are respectable, very smart, and diverse.

This course gave me real business world insights, especially compared to college courses.

Furthermore, the students, both young and old, are a valuable resource in itself- providing a diversity of connections and thought. 

The classes are small and engaging, which offers personal assistance. So, regarding programming, I did learn a lot, and it took me this class to realize mastery must be done in class and on your own time; questions are for class, regardless of what Analytics course you take.

Overall, I enjoyed attending class and found this class as very helpful.

1. Program mastermind Kaiser Fung is a brilliant educator -- his depth of understanding paired with his ability to elicit active and engaged learning is wonderful to experience.  His instincts and ability for amassing a terrific assortment of data science instructors reflects this.
2. The career counseling sessions include super helpful exercises like: mock interviews, understanding job descriptions from the hiring manager's perspective, resume/linkedin overalls, developing your elevator pitch.
3. Hard skills like processing data sets using R, Python, SAS
4. A actual, grounded understanding of "Big Data" from processing data using the AWS platform
5. The assortment of classes and experiences builds together so you feel transformed into a data scientist by the end of it.  Other classes round out coding ones include: finance, business strategy, digital marketing, and statistical modeling.

I am excited to provide an update to my previous review of the amazing data science program of Principal Analytics Prep (PAP). The big news is that I found a dream job after finishing the program at PAP. My main goal when I joined the program was to equip myself with the state of the art skills in data analytics so that I could transition out of academia into the business industry, and I can say now I am one of the few who succeeded.

PAP program does not only care about teaching and graduating students but goes further to follow students and guide them in their job search. The founder, Kaiser Fung and his assistant Michele Page came in very hardy in helping me land my current job; I am the statistician of South Mill Mushrooms, one of the highest producers and supplier of mushrooms in North America. Kaiser and Michele organized conference calls every week where I and other graduates of the program would report our job search experiences of that week in terms of the interviews we had done, responses received from interviews, etc.; we would discuss how to prepare for interviews that were forthcoming, how to contact relevant people in the companies that we were interested in working for, how to seek for informational interviews, etc. Concerning my interview preparation for my current job, PAP helped me in coming up with ideas that the hiring manager would likely have about me by relating the job description with my resume; coming up with relevant questions that I would expect from the hiring manager, preparing questions I would ask the hiring manager; all these really helped me to build my confidence before the actual interview and of course in going through  the interview successfully. PAP’s assistance did not stop after I did my interview; the hiring manager asked me to prepare a 30-, 60- and 90- days action plan to show what I would do within these periods if I would get the job; I did this with a lot of PAP’s help who reviewed and advised me on the plan before I submitted it to the hiring manager. That was not all; I got a lot of advice on how to negotiate salary if an offer was placed on the table.

The knowledge I acquired from PAP program is actively in use in my new job; am currently using data quality skills in cleaning data to prepare it for analysis; advanced Excel comes in hardy in manipulating data; I plan to have graphics to show trends of measures over time, and in doing this, data visualization comes in; in the long run, I intend to build a production prediction model; in doing so, my machine learning skills will be at work. Programming languages will definitely be in great use; therefore, I highly appreciate having acquired skills in R, Python and SAS.

PAP program is well organized to accommodate people from any field who want to transition to another in data analytics; I am one of them; through the learning that I covered in the program, I have been able to transition out of academia to the business industry. In addition to the courses that I have already mentioned above, the program covers business strategy, marketing, etc. which are core courses in preparing somebody for the business industry.

If you are a candidate looking for a data science/ business analytics program that will not only graduate you but will walk with you in your job search, then PAP is the program to be in. Search no more, go for PAP.

The Principal Analytics Prep intensive is a superb learning experience that has exceeded my expectations. The instructors, who are top working professionals in their respective fields, are fantastic. Kaiser Fung has done a great job thoughtfully designing the intensive, so the data analytics, data science, statistics, business and communications all fit and flow together, allowing the concepts and actual programming skills development fall into place in a comprehesive way. The supporting materials and recommended resources are very helpful, too. As the intensive is held in person in a small group in a formal classroom setting, the learning environment with top instructors is extraordinary. Its great to cut to the chase and learn hands on skills.  I had researched many other programs, both online and formal programs, and without a doubt this is the finest data analytics and data science program. If you are serious about learning and dedicated to walking out of a program with a strong, marketable skill set, the PAP 12 week intensive boot camp is STELLAR and worth it! 

I am a student in PAP of the August-November 2017 Cohort.  I have a liberal arts background and some law school under my belt, with experience working in a number of capacities in the legal, healthcare, logistics, and nonprofit spaces.  I heard of PAP through a comment posted by Kaiser in one of the switchup discussion boards.

Principal Analytics Prep (PAP) is a 12 week intensive bootcamp geared for those with either technical and non-technical backgrounds with a nuanced focus on the business side.  As someone with a non-technical background, I jumped at the opportunity to break into the analytics industry in Kaiser Fung's program.

Bootcamps are understandably a major investment of time and money, and so I wanted to do enough research and soul-searching to make sure PAP was where I wanted to go.  Ultimately, 3 things sold me on the PAP brand: 1) its program focus, 2) its faculty pedigree, and 3) the tightknit class size coupled with a 4:1 teacher:student ratio.

1) Program focus.  PAP sets itself apart from other similar programs by envisioning data science / data analytics as the intersection of business, statistics, and computer science.  This focus is manifested in the classes I have taken / am taking: Statistics, NoSQL, Web Tech, Data Quality, Business Strategy, Python, AB Testing, Data Quality, Machine Learning, SQL, R, Excel, Mobile Tech, Statistical Models, Text Mining, SAS, Data Visualization, Optimization, Communication, Finance.  These sessions are broken up into 3-4 2.5 hour sessions.  Included in the schedule is a 2-3 hour session each week focused on career development where a dedicated careers person works individually and through group collaboration with the cohort to prepare for the employment journey from end to end.  This career assistance is further buttressed by a fluid interactions with Kaiser, Michele and other faculty to aid in the career journey.

Many data analytics / data science MOOCS offer either a business centered analyst program or a coding centered data science program.  Kaiser's program is holistic in that it touches business, statistics and computer science.  A look through job postings confirms just why he built his program to be multi-faceted.  This was one major aspect that differentiated his program from the others out there, in addition to accepting someone like me with a non-technical background.

I asked him why he decided to not be coding-intensive like the other programs out there.  Kaiser's approach to his program makes a lot of sense to me.  He said: 1) his program is built to provide a basis for those getting into data analytics roles not roles for software programmers; 2) roles that are heavy in programming are going to be naturally more of a fit for those with computer science / technical-heavy backgrounds, so implicitly, someone with that experience will certainly have a leg up on someone whose only experience in the technical side of things is a 12 week MOOC. Analyst roles on the other hand are much more broad in scope.  Some analyst roles fall more on a particular side over another, but the role utilizes aspects of computer science, statistics, and business.  An eye on breadth with the program with the implicit approach to depth to individually fit the goals of the individual applicant, is one way to look at it.

2) Faculty pedigree.  This was a major pull factor for me.  Kaiser, Michele, and their hand picked faculty are a vast pool of knowledge in the given concepts they teach in the program, but are well-seasoned in supervisory, managerial roles as well, including in the realm of hiring.  So I have come to respect their insights, input, and constructive critiques at leveraging our individual skillsets, including the skills we learned in PAP, to our future employers.  In addition to writing two statistics-themed books and starting the data analytics program at Columbia, Kaiser held lead roles with his past employers.  I pick his brain all the time with strategies on interviewing, resume prepping, and general knowledge.  The faculty are all well-informed, seasoned with years on years on years of experience.  It's a diverse group, and so the wealth of information we are able to pick out of our instructors is super available to us. 

3.) Amazing teacher to student ratio.  I listed about 20 courses, with 20 different people.  That's not including the guest speakers who came for a 2-3 hour session.  20+ instructors. 5 students = lots of questions answered / lots of networking possibilities / lost of learning done.  At a cohort of just 5 people, the amount of time the teachers spent on each of us, and us as a group can't even be calculated.  Prior to entering the program, I wondered what the negatives would be with a small class.  I still have yet to figure that one out coz really there aren't any.  We're able to still learn how to work as a team, and enjoy skillbuilding collaborating with each other on various projects.  But that major bonus is being able to address individualized concerns without the fear of monopolizing the time at the expense of 30+ other students.

With 3 weeks left, I feel like I have grown so much.  I am so glad I left law school for this.  I went from asking "will I get a job" to "where will I get a job."  I am ultra-confident that with my PAP family's support system, there's no where to go but up for me.

If data analytics is going to be your thing, give PAP the green light.  Hope to connect with you.