Data Science Retreat

Overall for me it was worth it.

Curriculum - the bootcamp begins with lectures with best practices for Python, NumPy, Pandas, Statistics etc. goes through Machine Learning Fundamentals (basics, Decision Trees, Time Series), Deep Learning (Computer Vision,... Read More NLP, Transfer Learning) and ends up with practical lectures around Debugging and Deployment. It also has useful sessions for Communications and also Job Search (in our batch both lectures were very good).
It is a good idea to take a look at the curriculum page and what to do before the bootcamp (https://datascienceretreat.com/curriculum/). Also, if you have the chance, do an introductory course for deep learning. A good advice I got before the bootcamp "The more you do before the course, the more you will get out of it"🙂

Teachers - some were amazing, others less so. 

The price in my opinion is high. However, one can apply for a financing program with Chancen eG.

Feedback is asked in regular intervals and is indeed used to improve the bootcamp. It is important also to give feedback while you are attending, as it is often acted upon.

To sum up - I met some awesome people & professionals -  teachers, organizers and fellow bootcampers - and with some of them we are still in touch. I am grateful to them for the knowledge, experience and cool things we created.

It was a good learning curve on ML for me. I learned as much from the students as from the teachers. Some students were already working on the field for several years and wanted to update and expand their knowledge.
The big plus of DSR is that the teachers... Read More are bringing their working experience and expertise. So you don't only learn the perfect ML from the perfect dataset. You get out of DSR with a good professional network.

Great teaching from industry experts. Wide range of jobs at job fair. Freedom to explore ideas and work on interesting projects.
Well structured syllabus, ranging from the simple (SQL) to the more advanced, eg. Deep Learning.
Job support has been amazing... Read More with interview tips and after care support

The Data Science Retreat offers a comprehensive curriculum from industry experts who apply machine learning in their every-day jobs. It provides academic basics which are brought into practical perspectives with examples and exercises, commonly from the... Read More teacher's professional fields (unlike what MOOCs can offer).

This is definitely the course for those who want to maximise their development in the field of Data Science. You will be best prepared if you bring: i) at least basic coding skills in Python, ii) at least a basic understanding of the fundamental ML concepts (e.g. An Introduction to Statistical Learning by Gareth James + basics in ANNs), iii) enthusiasm to learn about new statistical concepts.

The course is what you make it. It provides you with a multitude of highly relevant and exciting topics as well as with the opportunity to deep-dive into each one of them. However, you choose how much you would like to deepen your knowledge in specific topics.

I myself took the most out of my portfolio project which forced me to revise and deepen specific topics as well as my coding. I worked with Adam on the prediction of marginal CO2 emissions from the Australian energy grid in order to reduce CO2 emissions. This kind of practical hands-on experience on a highly relevant industrial issue is difficult to get from online courses.

Although I know that DSR currently puts a stronger focus on it, one little thing that I found missing in my batch 19 was an enhanced focus on model deployment.

Throughout my time at DSR, It was amazing the support I got from the teachers and Directors. It was obvious everyone was giving their best to make sure you understand accurately what they taught. The tutors were also experienced Data Scientist in the... Read More industry, which was helpful in learning the current trends in the Field.

I took at DSR the autumn/winter batch of 2016 - and it was was very satisfactory experience: it took me through classical ML techniques, deep learning / especially computer vision, big data libraries like Spark, working with and on the cloud and, also,... Read More through a plethora of computer science algorithms, computability issues and similar matters. The curriculum was fostered by the portfolio project, for which there was enough of time and mentoring to do it thoroughly. If anything was a bit short then, then the time spent with NLP and perhaps graphs, which I am finding enormously interesting and useful now with a bit of a hindsight (but, also, libraries and algorithms for these moved enormously since my time at DSR). Last but definitely not least: it helped me spectacularly to be a part of the batch group - while I might have been ahead with a small number of topics, I was certainly behind with many more and the group interaction and help was invaluable; it was this personal level of interactions which in my mind substantially distinguishes DSR (and, in general, bootcamps) from MOOCs.

A wonderful, very educational experience, where I vastly improved not just my data science skills, but also my math and programming (and this I say as someone with over 10 years professional experience in the software industry.)

PS I wrote up my experiences... Read More at DSR in detail over on Towards Data Science, so if you'd like a deep look at what day-to-day life is like at this bootcamp, I'd recommend you take a look at this article: https://towardsdatascience.com/what-is-data-science-bootcamp-like-6f63d8ee88e0

This is definitely a bootcamp that no person without basics of programming should take but luckily the recruitment is very selective. I'd say I was one of those people who had very little experience coming in, having taught Python myself over the few... Read More preceding months and familiarizing myself with basic methods used in data science and deep learning. The first few days were intimidating. I was just a graduate with a bachelor's degree in biotech (as relevant to data science as Ewoks to the dark side of The Force). The rest of the team had years of experience in various quantitatively-intense fields of science or software engineering. But it's really easy to bond with great people who happen to be interested in the same things you are, even if they are light years ahead. I feel like I scored a few good friends for life.

As much fun as it was, we were on-site pretty much every single day for three months (including weekends, no kidding). This kind of experience really makes you realize whether you love the gig or not, but you better find out before because this course is mucho expensive (10 000€ is on the line, you could literally buy a car for that). For me it was a no-brainer given the financing options for EU citizens were more than fair and I knew right then and there that if I want to get into coding seriously and do things that are cutting-edge in my professional life later, I had to go with a bootcamp that included a lot of material about deep learning and AI. Bottom line: worth it.

Most classes were taught by different people, all of them are practitioners, actually working with the stuff that they teach about, so there was little fluff like there is in academia and most of the things presented were close to the industry standard. Given limited time, many of those topics were covered maybe a little too generally but I find it an advantage because it gives one a broader picture of the topics and most of the details can be brushed up by going through relevant material.

The key point for completion of the bootcamp was a capstone project. People before us had crazy ideas and many of them worked so well that they actually morphed into real products or services. Now, that's compelling, but unless you're lucky and/or godlike building a full-fledge data product in 3 months is simply not possible. That said, building a showable prototype is entirely possible and most of the alumni you'll get to connect with will have done exactly that. But beware (!), combining the classes with the project, you'll end up working around the clock on your own success and it's best if you team up with someone reliable (shout out to Alex and hats-off to his godmode dedication during our long nights of tireless coding). If you feel you are unable to deliver that amount of effort, better sign up for something else. This bootcamp holds high standards for a reason.

Now, the most burning question most readers are looking to answer: will it get me a job? It's a yes but also a no. Relying solely on the bootcamp to get employment will be far pushing it, albeit if you have years of industry experience in software development it will be an amazing statement of skills. In my case, the bootcamp and the capstone project was pretty much the only "big thing" on my CV as I transitioned from my miserable-pipetting-flesh-robot background to coding. I spent many months looking for a job directly as a machine learning engineer or a data scientist, as my biggest love turned out to be computer vision. I did not get a job in computer vision (surprise, ain't it?) and will need to get way more relevant experience to be treated seriously for these kinds of professional roles. But did the bootcamp help me find a job within the branch? Definitely. In a few days I am starting out in Munich as a Junior Software Developer, a role that is still a godsend to me, it is a gateway to all the cool things I wanted to do and a place to improve skills. And if HR specialists in 41 companies I applied to (of which at least 19 were data science/deep learning positions) cued me that I am not cut for the role of a machine learning engineer (yet?), they must have a point and more work is required on my part.

As for the job support from DSR's part, it is what they can give you. CV workshops were a huge disappointment for most of the people in our batch but it was solely the fault of the job agency that was supposed to take care of these classes. DSR cannot guarantee you a job but according to their data, all participants find a job within the first few months. With that being said, when guys know you are still looking for a position, they will keep referring you to contacts that might have a position right for you. I had a few instances where I got offers forwarded from the team and during the demo day I was also approached by one of the recruiters that scored me an interview. If you are by any chance like me, a total beginner who happened to be just good-enough to make it to DSR, don't worry, you will find a nice job afterwards but be advised that this process can take up to a few months. It took 5 months in my case.

The people behind DSR work tirelessly to bring you the best bang for the buck and will ask you for feedback many times. When you decide to take the bootcamp, be sure to weigh in as often as possible about anything concerning to you. They really make sure to maintain top-notch quality of everything that's going on.

TL;DR: had fun, learned tonnes, made computers detect bike locks, made computers show what it sees when looking at bike locks, worked 10h a day, got a job

I attended Batch 18 of Data Science Retreat from April to July 2019. DSR promised an advanced level of teaching (compared to other bootcamps) and I wasn’t disappointed. After refreshers on machine learning and Python, we dove right into deep learning,... Read More built our own neural networks and solved coding challenges. The numerous teachers all have working experience in the field and are passionate about the subjects they teach. Additionally, the new director of DSR, Adam Green, was always around and a great help in many situations. He is incredibly quick in picking up on what your problem is and giving you a pointer to the solution – an invaluable skill for a teacher. I recommend Data Science Retreat to everyone who understands the basics of Data Science and has the time and money. If you’re looking to improve your skills for the job market, you’ll learn a lot, build a network in the industry, improve your portfolio/CV, and get an idea of what it’s like to work as a data scientist.

DSR has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I think the opportunity for learning and personal growth is unparalleled.

The course runs with a 50:50 split between prescribed courses and a personal project of your choosing. On one hand, you get... Read More taught everything you need to know by really intelligent teachers from industry/academia. And on the other, you have the freedom to explore and enjoy a really meaningful pursuit of your choosing, while having all the support you need from DSR and it's community. This mix is unique (I think) for a bootcamp, and looking back, I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I really enjoyed learning from, and working with, the DSR Director, Adam Green. Adam is super intelligent and knowledgable about all things Data Science and Machine Learning. But more importantly, Adam is ever friendly, passionate and there to answer any possible question you may have. I am still trying to work out how he had the time to teach, organize and facilitate teachers and events, help everyone (and I mean everyone) with their projects and work on his personal projects in the interim.

More than happy to answer questions on DSR if anyone would like to reach out to an alumni.