Aaron Melton on How Dataquest Helped with a Long Career Change

Aaron Melton, Data Scientist

Aaron Melton was the first one on his team at a power plant to realize they had no business using Excel for their reports. It was too time-consuming and error-prone, so he decided he would learn Python to fix the problem. He found Dataquest, and it gave him the Python background he needed to succeed: “That’s the beauty of Dataquest: it starts at the most basic level, so a true beginner can understand the concepts.”

Learning with Dataquest

He had tried learning to code before, using CodeAcademy and a couple classes on Coursera, but he had no background in coding, so he was spending most of his time trying to Google what these platforms were even talking about. In the meantime, he realized it was time to move on from the power plant, so he planned ahead. He spent the next year expanding his skill-set with Dataquest, which he credits for helping him persevere in a position he was ready to abandon.

A New Career

It only took him a couple of months to find a new position once he started searching. He now works as a Business Intelligence Analyst for VBO. It’s not his ideal job yet, as he’d like to be building machine learning models. But it’s a start, and allows him to beef up his math and stats skills.

I have these Python skills, but now the problem is making a defendable analysis with statistical rigor. It would have been a good idea to brush up on stats at the same time as I was learning Python.

For now, he plans on moving through Dataquest’s stats courses so he can continue to grow. He is sure he wouldn’t have made it this far without Dataquest.

“I was really discouraged and spoke to one of the teachers, Srini, during the office hours. He really helped, and got me to keep going.”