The 2021 SDS 

Data Scientist 
Learning Path

Your 99-Day Study Plan

#SDS99
A cheatsheet with week-by-week
instructions to get you started
as a Data Scientist

Thank you for downloading the Study Plan for our brand new Data Scientist
Learning Path.
We put together our best courses, projects, and resources in order to provide
you with a complete blueprint for your first job in data science. Working as a
Data Scientist, you’ll empower people in your organization to make smarter
decisions through your analyses, visualizations, reports, and experiments.

What to expect?
➡ A weekly plan of courses, projects, readings
on a complete range of data science topics
(including your choice of specialization!)

➡ A checklist of actions to advance your job search

and empower your career development
(beyond technical skills)

➡ A part-time effort of 13 weeks and 10-15 hours

per week (Too much? Double the time, take it slower!)

! Use this Plan together with your SuperDataScience monthly or annual

subscription to get started as a Data Scientist in less than 100 days!

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Plan Overview
Completing the Learning Path should take 9 weeks of part-time work (10-15 hours per week)
for the core curriculum, and 3 more weeks for your specialization. There are also two weeks
designed for you to catch up and take a little breather!

Week Days Topic

1 1-7 Intro to Data Science
2 8-14 Basics of
3 15-21 Data Visualization
4 22-28 Coding for
5 29-35 Data Analysis
Core

6 36-42
SQL & Databases
7 43-49
8 50-56 Applied Business Analytics
9 57-63 Intro to Machine Learning
10 64-70 Catch-up week
Specialization

11 71-77
Machine Data Data
12 78-84
Learning Visualization Wrangling
13 85-91
14 92-98 Catch-up week
15 99 Celebration Day

You can also take this journey at a slower pace, skip modules if you have the

! skills, or take more time and complete more than one specialization – how you
implement our Study Plan is up to you! As long as you have an active SDS
membership, you will be able to freely access all of the content in the path.

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How to tackle
your work
Try to set aside and schedule 10-15 hours of work during your week (early mornings,
late evenings, or weekends – as you prefer!) for the following activities:

SuperDataScience Courses
These are are the most important part of your learning.
You should complete all practical assignments included in the
courses, and take whole courses or only suggested modules.

Portfolio Projects
Every topic in the Learning Path features a hands-on workshop
to complete after finishing your courses on SuperDataScience.
Use these to fill up your portfolio!

Extra Resources
These are optional articles, books, and resources to expand
your learning. Most of them are freely available, but we suggest
investing $30-50 to buy some of the books if you’re interested!

Career Prep Checklist

Starting from Week 1, we’ll recommend a series of actions that
will set up for success later in your job search. If you need
guidance on these actions, you’ll find it in our Career Toolkit.
✔

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Your Career Prep
✔
checklist
In order to enter the field of data science successfully, you’ll need to treat your career preparation
as rigorously and methodically as you approach your SQL or Python skills.

Some of the activities we suggest are repeated more or less frequently along your 99-day plan,
since they are a matter of habit rather than one-off actions. We hope you’ll consider these, and all
of your checklist actions, as part of your regular weekly practice towards a career in data.

Many actions have links to useful online resources to support you – you can find more on our
Career Toolkit page.

" Practice your skills "

These actions usually involve finding extra opportunities
for practicing and showcasing your skills in real-life scenarios.

Projects, competitions, datasets are a great opportunity to shape your portfolio in a unique way
that suits your interests and makes you stand out.

# Connect with the community #

These actions help you put your name out there, reach out to potential mentors in the field,
and get valuable and direct feedback on your work.

Most jobs in any industry are found through referrals, so nailing this part will maximize
your chances.

$ Apply for jobs $

These actions usually involve identifying the right job offers, preparing effective applications, and
rehearsing your interviews.

While applying, don’t be picky and cast a wide net in terms of job titles you are applying for:
whether your first job in data is as a Junior Data Scientist, Data Analyst, BI Specialist, or something
else, there will be plenty to learn and valuable experience to carry into your next career moves.

% Keep up with data science %

These actions help you keep in the loop of constantly evolving data science knowledge
and practices.

Follow online sources, build a healthy diet of data science sources, and make sure you
know where the industry is going.

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Let’s get
started
Week 1
Intro to Data Science
You will get an overview of the data science world and different careers (including Data
Scientist), the key skills to build, and best resources to learn.

Our instructors, Kirill Eremenko and Hadelin de Ponteves, walk you through the key questions and
doubts of any beginner in the field (How much math should I know? Do I need a degree?),
empowering your future choices in this path.

SuperDataScience Courses
Careers in Data Science A-Z (3.5 hours of lectures)

Portfolio Projects
Your first project will be… Setting up your portfolio! You can get
creative about it, but at the very least you’ll need a GitHub
account and Tableau Public profile to showcase your work. Our
Career Toolkit has guides and tips on how to do it.

Extra Resources
Pick one of these great books: Confident Data Skills by Kirill
Eremenko or Build a Career in Data Science by Emily Robinson
and Jacqueline Nolis.

Set a goal to finish them in your first 4 weeks of learning.

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Open a GitHub portfolio $
☐ Start listening to one data science podcast %
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Create your LinkedIn profile # $
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!

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Week 2
Basics of Data Visualization (I)
You'll learn how to connect Tableau to a variety of datasets; analyze, blend, join, and add
calculations; and how to visualize data in the form of various charts, plots, and maps.

SuperDataScience Courses
Tableau 2020: Hands-On Training, modules 1-5
(4.5 hours of lectures)

Extra Resources
Continue reading the book you’ve chosen on Week 1

✔ Career Prep Checklist

☐ Set up your Tableau Public profile $
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Browse the Tableau Authors page for inspiration, then pick
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! a project, duplicate it and explore it "
☐ Connect (meaningfully) with 5 “data voices” (influencers,
practitioners, and other people in the industry) #

Why Tableau?
Tableau is the most popular data analytics and visualization platform in the
world. You can easily download and install a free version, Tableau Public, and
quickly learn how to master this powerful, industry-standard tool. Your Tableau skills
are a great currency for your job search, but if later on you want to explore an
alternative tool – Microsoft’s own Power BI – on our platform you’ll find courses on
that, as well!

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Week 3
Basics of Data Visualization (II)
Time to put those data viz skills into work! You’ll complete your Tableau 2020 course and tackle
your first portfolio project.

SuperDataScience Courses
Tableau 2020: Hands-On Training, modules 6-9
(4.5 hours of lectures)

Portfolio Projects
Console Games Sales Decline

Extra Resources
Continue reading the book you’ve chosen on Week 1

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Research and analyze 5 job positions requiring Tableau $
☐ Find and watch one online webinar/tutorial on Tableau %
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Find and follow 3 data visualization influencers, blogs, or
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! podcasts online # %

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Week 4
Coding for Data Analysis (I) TOUGH WEEK!

If you are entirely new to programming, we'll carefully teach you the basics of the discipline
(variables, loops, conditional statements) before going into the specifics for data science: data
frames, libraries, visualization techniques, and much more.

SuperDataScience Courses
If you choose the R track: R Programming A-Z (modules 1-4)
If you choose the Python track: Python A-Z (modules 1-4)
(each is roughly 5 hours of lectures)

Extra Resources
Continue reading the book you’ve chosen on Week 1

Python vs R – Which is Best? (web article)

✔ Career Prep Checklist

☐ Start and document your own #30DaysOfCode challenge "
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Research and understand 5 entry-level data scientist job
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! description requiring R or Python $
☐ Find someone with an entry-level data scientist job and ask
them tips & questions about their job #

Python or R?
You can research this (we’ve provided some materials), but don’t overthink it! If
you’re still undecided, go for Python. It’s a little more flexible and perhaps has a
slightly wider range of applications (outside of data science, at least), which may
benefit you in the longer run. And don’t worry: if you ever get a job that requires the
one you didn’t pick, it should be relatively easy to pick it up in a matter of weeks
with the knowledge you’ve built in this journey.

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Week 5
Coding for Data Analysis (II)
Complete your introduction to your programming language of choice, highlight your projects, and
continue to document your career development journey.

SuperDataScience Courses
If you choose the R track: R Programming A-Z (modules 5-8)
If you choose the Python track: Python A-Z (modules 5-8)
(both are roughly 5.5 hours of lectures)

Portfolio Projects
Your R and Python courses contain 5 different projects: pick at
least one to add to your GitHub portfolio!

Extra Resources
Finish reading the book you’ve chosen on Week 1

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Continue with your #30DaysOfCode challenge "
☐ Optimize your LinkedIn profile so that you are easily
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES discoverable by recruiters $
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!
☐ Find one more person with an entry-level data scientist job
and ask them tips & questions about what they do #
☐ Research and attend a Python / R meetup or webinar # %

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Week 6
SQL & Databases (I)
Understanding and mastering large databases is a key, if often overlooked, skill in data science.
Through our SQL course you will learn the basics of this programming language, the
fundamentals of database theory, and the most commonly used queries.

You'll be able to choose between two popular variants of SQL (PostgreSQL and MS SQL).

SuperDataScience Courses
SQL & Database Design A-Z, modules 1-7
(around 5 hours of lectures)

Extra Resources
SelectStarSQL – practical beginner guide to the most frequently
needed part of all SQL knowledge

✔ Career Prep Checklist

☐ Continue your #30DaysOfCode challenge with SQL (and
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES add an extra hashtag #SDS99!) "
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! ☐ Research and understand 5 entry-level “data scientist” job
descriptions requiring SQL skills $
☐ Nurture your connections! Follow up with people you’ve
connected with so far (share resources, give an update,
follow up on their advice and how you applied it) #

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Week 7
SQL & Databases (II) TOUGH WEEK!

How is it going with your SQL? Complete your course load and dive into a very substantial
portfolio project that is designed to challenge your skills.

SuperDataScience Courses
SQL & Database Design A-Z, modules 8
(around 1 hour of lectures)
Module 9 is advanced and optional

Portfolio Projects
Product Data Analysis for Social Networking Platform Yammer

Extra Resources
SQL Questions – practical guide to the hardest, remaining 30%
of SQL knowledge (only for the strong of heart!)

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Continue with your #30DaysOfCode challenge "
☐ Research and reach out to 3 potential mentors #
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Research & practice 10 typical SQL interview questions $
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!

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Week 8
Applied Business Analytics
As a Data Scientist, many stakeholders in a company will come to you expecting strategic
support in decision making and a solid understanding of key business metrics.

Our Applied Business Analytics section contains a curation of key books and resources for you to
design and track business metrics, funnels, and A/B tests. We'll also cover the basic statistical
concepts you'll need, using a lot of intuition and practice, so you'll be ready to tackle all of your
projects.

SuperDataScience Courses
Statistics in Business Analytics & Data Science A-Z, modules
1-3 (around 3.5 hours of lectures)

Portfolio Projects
A/B test results in Tableau: Analyzing Wikipedia’s New Search
Functionality

Extra Resources
A practical guide to A/B testing (web article)
Library of industry- and department-specific KPIs (platform)
Popular metrics frameworks (web article)
Lean Analytics (book)

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Build your resume with recruiters' tips and best practices $
☐ When applying to big companies, make sure you CV passes
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES bot filtering (using services such as this one) $
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!
☐ Practice technical interview questions using online practice
platforms (such as this or this one) " $

21
Week 9
Intro to Machine Learning
Even if you land a first data job that doesn’t require machine learning as part of your day-to-day
tasks, you will be required to have an understanding of the discipline in order to spot
opportunities and, when appropriate, build your own simple models.

This selection from our vast collection of machine learning content will help you do just that!

SuperDataScience Courses
Machine Learning A-Z: modules 1-7, 13-17, 24-26
(complete only R or Python lectures, depending on which
language you chose – roughly 6 hours of content)

Portfolio Projects
The course features practical projects for each of the models
covered. Make sure to showcase them in your portfolio!

Extra Resources
Machine Learning: A Visual Primer (web article)

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Are you keeping up with podcasts and articles? By now, you
should be enjoying several each week! Find something that
tickles your curiosity on real industry ML applications %
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Research and reach out to 3 potential mentors #
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! ☐ Research and critically compare 5 different data scientist
job positions in order to understand them $
☐Research competitions, datathons, and open source projects
you can contribute $

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Week 10
Catch-up Week (I)
Wow, congrats!

You’ve completed the main part of your Learning Path. Take a moment to breathe, look back, and
celebrate your achievements.

Use this week to catch up with your study plan and focus on extra projects and career
development.

Also, don’t forget to reflect on your journey, see what you liked best, and make a choice on which
specialization you’d like to tackle starting next week.

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Write a blog post on your learning experience so far #
☐ Make a list of 20 companies you could see realistically
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES yourself working for and research pros and cons about
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!
them $
☐ Reach out to 3 recruiters from your chosen companies #
☐ Create an Excel file (or use a Trello board, or tools such as
Scooby AI) to keep track of all
your applications and job-related network connections $
☐ Research and apply to 10 job positions $
☐ Look for a dataset on a topic you are passionate about and
build a project, then add it to your portfolio "

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Specializations

A MACHINE LEARNING

B DATA VISUALIZATION

C DATA WRANGLING
SPECIALIZATION

Week 11
Machine Learning (I)
If you want to delve deeper into the world of machine learning, through this specialization you will
learn many different, more advanced models.

You will also further strengthen your calculus and statistics skills in order to understand ML
algorithms more in depth.

SuperDataScience Courses
Machine Learning A-Z: modules 8-12, 18-23, 27
(complete only R or Python lectures, depending on which
language you chose – around 7 hours of lectures)

Extra Resources
Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, Gradient Descent
refreshers (courses)
Introduction to Statistical Learning (free book)

✔ Career Prep Checklist

☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Reach out to 3 more recruiters from your top companies #
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! ☐ Read a guide on how to prepare for a tech interview $
☐ Practice writing a cover letter that stands out $
☐ Schedule a session with a data science mentor who can
help you critically review your applications (CV, portfolio,
LinkedIn, etc.) #

25
SPECIALIZATION

Week 12
Machine Learning (II)
After covering all the most popular machine learning models, this week you’ll explore other key
concepts such as dimensionality reduction, model selection and boosting.

You’ll also tackle your portfolio project for the specialization.

SuperDataScience Courses
Machine Learning A-Z: modules 38-44
(complete only R or Python lectures, depending on which
language you chose – around 4 hours of lectures)

Portfolio Projects
If you chose R as a programming language:
Predicting Crime Rates in R

If you chose Python as a programming language:

Predicting Car Prices in Python

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
☐ Practice non-technical interview questions: compile a list of
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES common questions and ask a friend to do a mock interview
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!
with you " $
☐ Reach out to 5 people in your network to inquire about
job opportunities #
☐ Implement feedback from your mentor(s) in your new
applications $

26
SPECIALIZATION

Week 13
Machine Learning (III) TOUGH WEEK!

We are flying high this week! Diving deep into Natural Language Process (NLP) and Deep
Learning to complete our tour of Machine Learning techniques.

SuperDataScience Courses
Machine Learning A-Z: module 34-37 for Python track,
34-36 for R track (around 6 hours of lectures)
Modules 28-33 are advanced and optional

Portfolio Projects
If you have the bandwidth, at the end of this Specialization, it
would make sense for you to participate in a collaborative or
open source ML project online, working together with people of
different skills and levels.

Our Career Toolkit has some suggestions on free platforms

where you could find such challenges.

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
☐ Record your next interview and review it afterwards, looking
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES for possible improvements $
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!
☐ Participate in a webinar, conference, or meetup and try to
connect with at least 5 people # %
☐ Review content from previous weeks and find 1 or 2 topics
to refresh. Use both SDS material and external sources to
reinforce your knowledge through different sources " %

27
SPECIALIZATION

Week 11
Data Visualization (I)
Were you fascinated by data visualization and you want to become a wizard of charts, bars, and
advanced visual techniques to convey meaning through data? Look no further!

Our advanced Tableau courses will cover animations, complex graphs, and enhanced
visualization techniques to make your reports stand out.

SuperDataScience Courses
Tableau 2020 Advanced: modules 1-4
(roughly 6 hours of lectures)

Extra Resources
Storytelling with Data (book)
Aim to finish this book in the 3 weeks of your Specialization!

✔ Career Prep Checklist

☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Reach out to 3 more recruiters from your top companies #
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! ☐ Read a guide on how to prepare for a tech interview $
☐ Practice writing a cover letter that stands out $
☐ Schedule a session with a data science mentor who can
help you critically review your applications (CV, portfolio,
LinkedIn, etc.) #

28
SPECIALIZATION

Week 12
Data Visualization (II)
This week you’ll complete your overview of advanced Tableau skills (Level of Detail calculations,
mapping techniques, animations) and explore complex visualization techniques.

SuperDataScience Courses
Tableau 2020 Advanced: modules 5-8
Tableau Expert: Top Visualization Techniques: modules 1-5
(roughly 6.5 hours of lectures)

Extra Resources
Continue reading the book you started on Week 11

✔ Career Prep Checklist

☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
☐ Practice non-technical interview questions: compile a list of
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES
common questions and ask a friend to do a mock interview
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! with you " $
☐ Reach out to 5 people in your network to inquire about
job opportunities #
☐ Implement feedback from your mentor(s) in your new
applications $

29
SPECIALIZATION

Week 13
Data Visualization (III)
After mastering complex visualization techniques (such as the Sankey Diagram and Likert Scale),
it’s time to crown your portfolio with a beautiful and complex Tableau project.

SuperDataScience Courses
Tableau Expert: Top Visualization Techniques: modules 6-9
(roughly 2.5 hours of lectures)

Portfolio Projects
Analyzing and visualizing flying delays and cancellation for
Flying High Magazine

Extra Resources
Finish reading the book you started on Week 11

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
☐ Record your next interview and review it afterwards, looking
for possible improvements $
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Participate in a webinar, conference, or meetup and try to
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! connect with at least 5 people # %
☐ Review content from previous weeks and find 1 or 2 topics
to refresh. Use both SDS material and external sources to
reinforce your knowledge through different sources " %

30
SPECIALIZATION

Week 11
Data Wrangling (I)
By now you'll have learned that data cleaning and manipulation takes up most of a data
practitioner’s time – learning to do it like a pro can help you speed up the process and free up
time for your analyses.

You'll take a closer look at how data infrastructures work, learn how to scrape data from the web,
and much more.

SuperDataScience Courses
Python track: Data Manipulation in Python – A Pandas Crash
Course, modules 1-7 (about 6.5 hours of lectures)

R track: Advanced R Programming, modules 1-3 (about 4 hours

of lectures)

✔ Career Prep Checklist

☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
☐ Reach out to 3 more recruiters from your top companies #
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES
☐ Read a guide on how to prepare for a tech interview $
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!
☐ Practice writing a cover letter that stands out $
☐ Schedule a session with a data science mentor who can
help you critically review your applications (CV, portfolio,
LinkedIn, etc.) #

31
SPECIALIZATION

Week 12
Data Wrangling (II)
Time to complete your advanced Python and R courses and get into web scraping.

SuperDataScience Courses
Python track: Data Manipulation in Python – A Pandas Crash
Course, modules 8-9 (about 2.5 hours of lectures)

R track: Advanced R Programming, modules 4-5 (about 2 hours

of lectures)

Extra Resources
Guides to Web Scraping in R or in Python (web articles)

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
☐ Practice non-technical interview questions: compile a list of
common questions and ask a friend to do a mock interview
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES with you " $
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! ☐ Reach out to 5 people in your network to inquire about
job opportunities #
☐ Implement feedback from your mentor(s) in your new
applications $

32
SPECIALIZATION

Week 13
Data Wrangling (III)
In smaller companies, a Data Scientist may have to design and maintain a small data
infrastructure with help from backend developers; but even if you work in larger contexts, an
understanding of how the data ecosystem of an organization works is crucial to build awareness
in your practice.

We’ll look into that as we wrap up our Specialization with portfolio projects requiring some
serious data preparation!

Portfolio Projects
Python track: US working visa analysis

R track: zoo and stringr

Extra Resources
The stages of data infrastructure (web article)

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Apply to 10 more positions $
☐ Record your next interview and review it afterwards, looking
for possible improvements $
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES ☐ Participate in a webinar, conference, or meetup and try to
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT! connect with at least 5 people # %
☐ Review content from previous weeks and find 1 or 2 topics
to refresh. Use both SDS material and external sources to
reinforce your knowledge through different sources " %

33
Week 14
Catch-up Week (II)
You reached the end of your Learning Path! Can you believe it? Congratulations.

You may have applied for dozens of jobs by now – did you get any interviews? How far did you
go? Don’t discourage: you’ve learned the basic skills (both technical and not) to keep your
momentum going. Take this week to catch up with the curriculum and make more smart moves
in your career development strategy.

Continue to nurture your network, find inspiration in other people, keep learning new things and
expanding your portfolio, reflect on who you are and what you want to achieve: you’re already
living the life of a successful data science practitioner!

With enough practice and consistency, these small habits will compound and you will land your
first job in data. Take pride in what you have achieved, and never stop learning!

Career Prep Checklist

✔ ☐ Write a new blog post on your overall learning experience #
☐ Take a look at your job application Excel file and review your
FIND TIPS AND RESOURCES efforts: how many applications have you sent? Which ones
did you hear from, or even gave you an interview? Refine
IN OUR CAREER TOOLKIT!
your strategy based on your outcomes (skills to strengthen,
new skills to add, type of companies to focus on, etc.) $
☐ Look for another dataset on a topic you are passionate
about and build a project, then add it to your portfolio "
☐ “Interview” 3 more people working as data scientists #
☐ Find a new topic to explore, and continue to learn %

34
 Day 99
Celebration Day

Rest is important, as is reflecting on your experience and celebrating your small (or big) wins.

Take this day to do just that, in whatever way feels best to you.

Then, on Day 100, you’ll be ready to rinse and repeat. No matter the outcome of your 99-day

journey, career development is a continuous effort.

So, continue to connect, practice, keep up, and apply; explore the vast library of

SuperDataScience courses on Deep Learning, Python, Statistics, and more; expand your portfolio

with practical machine learning case studies, learn new visualization tools; or take an extra

specialization and keep expanding your skillset.

If you have enjoyed the journey, get in touch at [email protected]: we want to hear

your story, and keep improving this Learning Path and Study Plan for future students.

Happy analyzing!

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36
Share your journey on social media,
find other students like you

Use the hashtag #SDS99

Questions? Reach out at [email protected]