Prerit Anwekar on The Dataquest Community and Becoming a Data Scientist

Prerit Anwekar, Data Scientist

Prerit Anwekar was attending Indiana University for a master’s degree program when he decided he wanted to be a data scientist. He was interested in machine learning, but in his program, he was only learning R — he needed to learn Python somewhere else. He tried learning on his own from a book, but that left him feeling discouraged. And then he found Dataquest . . .

Getting Started at Dataquest

When he started learning on Dataquest, everything changed. Anwekar felt that, at Dataquest, everything he needed to learn was lined up for him in one place. He wouldn’t have to spend any time determining what he should learn, and when. And since Dataquest teaches you how algorithms actually work, not what they yield, he felt like he had a better grasp of what he was studying.

From Software Developer to Data Scientist

While he was studying with Dataquest, Anwekar was active in the user community. He felt like the community was a place where he could always work through problems, and he credits it with helping him find a job.

I made lots of friends there. We would talk and share articles and figure out problems together. The slack community was somewhere I always knew I could get help when I needed it.

Prerit identified Dataquest’s guided projects as being key to his success in finding a job.

Once I completed the lessons, the guided projects gave me a challenge. They gave me the confidence to know I could do this on my own. I created a website to showcase my projects, which came in handy when I started to look for a job.

Advice to Dataquest Learners

Prerit credits Dataquest with giving him confidence in his interviews, “They asked me questions about Python, and I was able to answer confidently. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without Dataquest.”

He is now a data scientist at a data and analytics consultancy, helping companies solve business problems with data, and he has a few words for learners who are on their own paths: “Subscribe to Dataquest. I wish I had found it earlier. I wouldn’t be where I was without Dataquest.”