Datacamp

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The world is becoming increasingly digital. As more of our lives moving online, people are hungrier for ways to acquire new skills in data science and coding. 

If you’re in that group, Datacamp could be the place to go.  

With 10 million learners and over 2000 partner companies, including Google Uber and PayPal, this site claims to be one of the best ways to become equipped with the data science skills you need for the changing world of today. 

But how does Datacamp work? What are the best courses? What are the pros and cons? How much does Datacamp cost?

And, most importantly, is Datacamp worth it?

If you’re considering using Datacamp you’ve probably asked yourself these questions over and over. If that’s the case, then you’ve come to the right place. 

I’ll answer all these questions and more so that you can decide whether or not Datacamp is right for you. 

Here’s a quick summary of the article if you’re short on time. 

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Quick summary

Features

• 350+ courses in data science technologies and topics 
• Skills and Career tracks for honing specific abilities and occupations 
• Spaces to practice coding 
• The chance to work on projects 
• Assessments and opportunity to become certified with Datacamp 
• Competitions 
• Live events 
• Datacamp for businesses and teams 
• The chance for certification

Pros

• Gives you practical skills you can apply to the modern workplace 
• Teaches you how to be an all-round data scientists 
• Beginner-friendly 
• A range of choices in how you learn beyond traditional teaching 
• Well organized and structured 
• Methodically introduces challenging and useful concepts 
• Combines traditional teaching with practical exercises 

Cons

• Would benefit from even more content for advanced learners
• No refund (but there is free content for you to try first) 

Best for: Anyone with an interest in data science, particularly if you want to apply a programming language, technology or concept to your career. 

Cost: Check the latest price on Datacamp

Overall: Datacamp is the place to learn how to be a data scientist. Although it could have more content for advanced learners, what is there will equip you with all you need to understand the world of data. The combination of quality teaching, practical exercises and other resources all combine to make this a great way to learn. 

In this Datacamp review, we’ll be covering:

• What Datacamp is and who the instructors are
• How Datacamp works 
• The cost and any free trials or refunds 
• What a lesson is like 
• The best Datacamp classes
• Datacamp for business 
• Datacamp pros and cons 
• Who Datacamp is for 
• Tips for finding great courses 
• Datacamp alternatives 
• What others have said 
• Is Datacamp worth it?

And more!

Let’s go…

What is Datacamp?

With over 10 million users across 180 countries, Datacamp is one of the fastest-growing and most popular ways to learn about data science. 

Founded in 2020 by a group of data scientists, the platform aims to close the data gap within companies and groups across the world by making access to data skills available to everyone. 

As a result, they offer a wide range of opportunities for users of their sites, including over 350 courses dedicated to data science including coding with Python and R, skills and career tracks where you can hone in on your learning priorities and workspace areas where you can practice writing code. 

There’s also a wide range of tools for you to practice with including competitions, projects and assessments. 

All of this is done with the aim of making data science more acceptable for everyone. 

Who are the instructors?

Datacamp was founded and is run by people who know and love data science. 

So, based on that fact, you can probably imagine that there are some high-quality instructors on the site. 

This includes professional data scientists working with Datacamp, external academics and consultants who lead Datacamp courses and sometimes even the Datacamp co-founders themselves. 

What this essentially means is that you’re learning from the best in data science. 

Before enrolling on any course, you can see who is leading the course you’ll be taking. 

How does Datacamp work?

To get started with Datacamp, you need to make an account and sign in. 

Once you’ve done this, you have the option of either learning for free or going straight to premium. 

Choosing the former will get you access to a couple of introductory courses, plus the first chapter of every major course. 

If you go straight to Premium, you’ll get access to all of the courses as well as the chance for certification. 

Datacamp allows you to just learn courses as you please, but you also have the option to try out Skills Tracks that focus on specific coding or theory with quick videos and hands-on exercises.

You can also have a go with the Careers Track, which lets you in on all the tips about starting a career with data science in whatever language you choose.

There’s also the chance to engage in competitions, have a go at assessments, workspaces for personal practice and projects and live events for you to learn from. 

Datacamp’s main focus is on data science, and all the skills, careers and theory related to the discipline. 

Some of the main areas of teaching in the individual courses, Skills tracks and career tracks include: 

• Python 
• R
• SQL 
• Spreadsheet
• Tableau
• Data Science Theory 

Each course in these areas will be led by a respective data science expert. The instructor and length of the course can be found on the courses page. 

Once enrolled, you can complete the course in your own time, and Datacamp will track your progress. 

Courses combine video and text lessons with practical exercises. The type of lesson will be denoted in the course outline. 

How much does Datacamp cost?

The Datacamp Premium option grants you access to all 350+ courses, the chance for certificates and all the top programs. This costs $300 per year.

Furthermore, if you manage a business or team, there are team purchasing options that allow you to assign learning targets and manage a leaderboard. 

Again, this is typically $300 per year per user. 

Before you purchase, remember these are lifelong data skills that can be applied in many ways, and reflect on that as a part of the cost. 

Datacamp free trial

There are options for free learning with Datacamp. 

When you first sign up you get the chance to learn for free. 

This will get you access to the main introductory courses for each programme and learning track, as well as the chance to try assessments and use the workspace. 

You’ll get access to the course’s first chapters as well as 6 whole courses. 

This is ideal as you can get a real sample of what’s on offer, including the style of teaching and the content itself. 

After this, you can decide whether or not Datacamp is right for you. 

Explore the latest Datacamp discounts.