Eastern University

[nnahh]

I’ll wait until finished with the SQL class to give a review. My first impressions aren’t good, but we will see….

Anyone have any tips for the SQL class/ projects ?

I just finished the SQL class last weekend (Summer 1).  I have been working as a data analyst for a while now and had pretty solid SQL.  I also took two previous graduate level courses in Databases/SQL.

The module 2 (database design) is SUPER DRY and theoretical (lot of talk about relations and sets, with less real world talk), more so than necessary.  However he gives the notes that he reads from.  Honestly, I stopped listening to the lectures and just focused on the key points in the notes (it was nothing I hadn't seen before).  I wound up with a 93% on the module 2 exam and a 100% on the module 2 assignment (ER diagram and Schema Diagram).  Also, when completing your diagrams, the ER diagrams are best done in Lucidcharts.  However, I found that the schema diagram was much easier to build using a website called drawsql.com . As long as your schema is 15 tables or less, it is free.

I took the SQL class at the same time that I took his Fundamentals of Machine Learning class.  The machine learning class was much much better.  He did an excellent job presenting that information.  My biggest fear was that it was going to be a survey course, and while we would learn ABOUT machine learning models, we wouldn't learn how to DO a machine learning project.  Thankfully, that was not the case.  

We started off learning how to clean data and dig more into pandas (his coverage of pandas, using real data sets, was much better than the coverage in the first course).  Then we actually start applying models to data sets.  In fact, I am using the format I learned from the class to build a multiple linear regression model for work.  This was easily my favorite class of the program.  I am actually going through the second half of it again, because I kind of rushed through it, and I want to get everything nailed down for future data scientist interviews that I might have in a few months. 

So, if you find the lectures boring in the SQL class, focus on the notes, and walking through the code.  Also, don't be like me and get too cocky about knowing SQL and databases in general.  I wound up getting a B+ instead of an A because I procrastinated on the final project.  The A was completely doable.  I just screwed up.

Thank you!!!!!  I had originally wrote a post about how horrible the class was, but deleted because it felt mean afterwards. I have no SQL experience so I’m definitely gonna have to try getting a better understanding elsewhere. I soooo appreciate all of the help with the project resources. I’m not looking forward to any of this lol. 


I’m happy to know the next course is better.