DVA really not that bad of a class

Just finished DVA this semester and have some thoughts on the course.

I see a lot of discourse on this subreddit surrounding DVA and even one sour grapes Ed discussion post bemoaning how “awful” a class DVA is.

Truthfully, if you get a good group (and you really should focus on interviewing class mates and make sure you are bringing something to the table) the course is pretty much a breeze.

3 out of the 4 homeworks are pretty easy to get 100%, tons of extra credit, and very generous project grading.

Homework 1 I really enjoyed being forced to think in a more OOP framework - and the graph problem was interesting

Homework 2 is the dreaded D3.js but you really can just get a 40-60% on the assignment and move on (which I absolutely recommend). At the end of the semester I ended up with a 96% but only got a 60% on the homework.

Homework 3 - was great because the exposure to different technologies. I’m applying to Data Scientist roles and my lack of AWS experience is becoming a glaring problem on my resume. Not saying a 2 week course is resume worth but now I know how to navigate the platform.

Homework 4 you can look up plenty of YouTube tutorials to learn how to code a random forest from scratch and I felt this was a good learning experience.

I never really watched the videos or engaged with the modules, just did the homework’s and project. Really appreciated the hands-on experience the class encouraged - but maybe this is just my preferred learning environment.