Picture this: You’ve just finished your undergraduate studies. You have this big dream. But you don’t have the slightest inkling of where to begin. So you run the internet for help.
You search for ideas that will give you a better understanding of what path you should follow, only to end up more clueless than you were because of the endless options you get. Think of Netflix: it has so many movies yet it always seems to be a difficult task to simply choose which one to watch.
The When
That is how my journey started. I planned to pursue a Master’s Degree in Data Science but I couldn’t dip into it knowing very well that the foundation I received from my Computer Science undergraduate degree wasn’t enough.
At that time, the options I had were to either get a job or start the Master’s right away. Since I felt I wasn’t ready for the latter, I got a job as an intern at a startup company where my main task revolved around web development. It was easy for me to get lost and settle for the security the job offered but this was me straying far from my dreams.
Six months down the line, I met a former classmate who coincidentally happens to work at Impact Africa Network, which is JENGA School’s parent company. Once I vented about my situation, he brought up the idea of JENGA School. I went online, to follow up on this unknown entity that is and my oh my I was sold!
The What
JENGA School is an online-based institution that focuses on developing practical job-ready skills in three main areas: Software Engineering, Data Science, and Data Engineering. To me, JENGA School is a means to an end; the end being my Master’s Degree and the school being the path that leads me there.
I understand how it feels to be in a place where you know what you want but you do not know how to get there or where to start. However, every time I get to learn something new about data science I feel a little closer to where I really want to be. A stepping stone is what this is to me; a flight of steps to achieve my goals. Still, my master’s is not the end of the path. I’d want to take it further.
And so, I pose this question to you dear reader: for you, what end would JENGA School serve as a means to?
The How
Chanin Nantasenamat, a thought leader in the Data Science space once said, “The best way to do Data Science is to do Data Science.” This is how JENGA School instructors present their content. In the first module, we had a Math unit and my expectation was that we would get into calculations and numbers but this was not the case.
The Maths for Data Science unit was covered from a programming perspective. Yes, Statistics is fundamental for Data Science but how are the statistical formulas and computer algorithms used to notice patterns and trends within data?
When it came to Deep Learning, the classes were mostly project-based and we’d learn by solving real-world problems with actual data. This not only instills Data science skills but has equipped us with problem-solving skills.
The Why
It is so tempting to start off this section as a sales pitch. I could tell you all about JENGA School’s:
- Qualified Ph.D. instructors
- Hands-on teaching assistants
- Rigorous course content
- Convenience of online lessons that are also recorded for you to use as course materials, and,
- The incredible industry lectures
But all that isn’t my “why”. The above factors are still a very strong reason for anyone looking for quality education but let me tell you why I really enrolled at JENGA School.
I choose JENGA School every day because I have found an institution that builds on my dream. It’s in the name — JENGA, a Swahili word that means “to build”. As we commonly say nowadays, they understood the assignment!