Learn Data Mining: The Best Courses and Resources

If you’d like to build a career in data science, you’ll have to learn the principles of data mining. Data mining uses data analysis to find meaningful insights inside the data set. It can also help you scrape data and clean any incomplete records.

 

Data mining might seem daunting at first, but you can learn it with a little dedication. There are many resources and courses to learn about data mining. Here we’ll explore some of the best ones so you can advance your data science career.

 

What Is Data Mining?

Data mining uses data scraping and analysis to find patterns, anomalies, or trends inside large data sets. Data analysts put this process into practice when they’re trying to predict a particular outcome or want to spot errors in their routines. 

Some companies also use it for risk prevention or to improve customer experience. Data mining has become a vital process in the business world, and that’s why it can be a great skill to learn.

What Jobs Use Data Mining Skills?

With data mining skills, you can get a job in programming, business, and more. This is an in-demand skill in several fields, so opportunities are endless. You should know which career path is right for you. These jobs all use data mining:

• Software Development. Over the last few years, the use of data mining in software development has increased. Software developers use data mining to improve software quality by analyzing existing product data. This way, they identify errors and trends and make their projects the best they can be.
  
  
• Data Science. Data science uses data mining every day. In this discipline, you have to scrape data and find meaningful insights for companies and products. Data mining is, in fact, a subset of data science. This job also involves data visualization, pattern recognition, and statistical analysis. 
  
  
• Business Analyst. One of the most outstanding uses of data mining is helping companies make better business decisions. Everyone collects data, but how do we turn that into helpful information? With data mining, business owners can spot errors and patterns in customer behavior to improve user experience. 
  
  
• Web Developer. The role of a web developer doesn’t end when the website is built. The best way to improve UI and UX is with data mining. You can find meaningful insights and make your websites more user-friendly. Today, having data mining skills is a major boost when it comes to web development. 
  
  

Steps to Learn Data Mining

 

Having data mining skills on your resume can help hiring managers notice you. Whether you want to become a data scientist, business analyst, or web developer, you should start learning all about this skill. 

Below are the best steps to learn data mining so you can learn as efficiently as possible.

1. Learn Programming Languages

One of the most fundamental steps to learn data mining is to start using programming languages. Whether or not you want to be a software developer, you should learn how to use coding languages like Python, SQL, R, or, C++.

 

All of these programming languages can help you manage large data sets like the ones you’d use in data mining. Most people recommend Python for beginners, because it’s easy to learn and fundamental to data mining. 

2. Learn Linear Algebra and Statistics

Linear algebra and statistics are two essential areas of data mining. Remember that you’ll be dealing with large data sets, so you should be able to transform that raw data into meaningful insights. Understanding linear algebra and statistics will help you do just that.

 

Having mathematical knowledge will help you organize data and use it to develop predictions or understand a particular situation. You can reinforce your math skills by taking a course or reading a relevant book. 

3. Learn Data Visualization

Data visualization is like translating data into understandable information. Not everybody can grasp a particular situation by watching a bunch of numbers. They need visuals, charts, and graphics to see the data’s impact. 

For that reason, data visualization is another crucial skill. Once you have data mining insights, you should be able to communicate with other team members. 

4. Take a Course or Bootcamp

Now that you have your foundation, you should strengthen your skills by taking a course. There are many data science bootcamps out there that can help you build your data mining skills. Read below to find more data mining courses, both free and paid.

5. Practice as Much as You Can

Practice really does make perfect. Once you have the data mining knowledge and theory, you need to put it to the test.

If you want to start practicing on your own, there are many free sites that offer public datasets for you to scrape and analyze. This way, you can start developing your data mining skills and see what you need to work on. Some of these sites are AWS, QLik, and OpenData.

The Best Courses to Learn Data Mining

The best way to learn data mining is by taking a data mining course. You can take one of many bootcamps to guide you. Since there aren’t many bootcamps about data mining specifically, you might have to choose a course in data science, big data, or machine learning. 

You could also start taking some courses in coding languages like Python or SQL. This way, you can develop your coding skills before diving into the data science world. Depending on your experience level, prerequisites like these are vital. Here are some of the best courses where you can learn data mining.

Data Science Immersive Bootcamp

Although your final purpose might not be in data science, you should still learn it if you want to explore data mining. Taking a data science course will give you all the tools and skills you need to master data mining. In this course, you’ll learn about data filtering, programming languages, data visualization, and more.

Galvanize’s Immersive Data Science bootcamp will give you an in-depth education in both technical and mathematical knowledge. This is a great all-inclusive bootcamp for any experience level.

Onsite Java Bootcamp

Java can help you develop data mining applications that perform predictive and statistical outcomes. Java API for data mining helps the software become more responsive to data filtering and finding patterns inside the dataset. This is an excellent course, since Java is an indispensable coding language for data mining. 

Coding Dojo’s Onsite Java Bootcamp will guide you in your path to learning this programming language. This course is short, but full of relevant information. You’ll be a Java expert in no time.

SQL Online Bootcamp

SQL is a coding language that many companies use for data mining. Understanding SQL can help you become more familiar with other coding languages, so you’ll have everything you need to know.

General Assembly’s SQL program will help you understand and master data mining skills. You’ll learn about the WHERE clause, HAVING clauses, matching patterns, Java APIFor, and more.

Introduction to R

R is another common coding language in data mining. This language allows data scientists to develop decision trees, text mining, data exploration, and other activities. Taking an R course will help you take yet another step forward to learn data mining.

Datacamp’s Introduction to R course is a great way to start your journey in data mining. It’s a free, beginner-friendly program that will train you from the basics to the most complex topics. It’s also self-paced, so you can complete the modules on your own time.

Big Data Bootcamp

Once you have some data science foundation, you can learn about big data. This will add more value to your resume, and you’ll be able to perform more tasks besides data mining. This is a long-term bootcamp, but it is worth it if you want to pursue a career in big data later on. It’s also offered in Spanish, so it’s a good choice if English isn’t your first language.

Applied Data Science with Python Specialization

Data scientists use Python to reduce data, find patterns easily, and evaluate performance. This coding language is very versatile and straightforward. Many data science courses include this topic as a subject, so it’s a good one to know.

 

If you’d like to take an individual program, this one from the University of Michigan will give you a more in-depth understanding of Python.

C++ Immersive Bootcamp

C++ is a coding language that can help you compare structures, run statistical processes, and find patterns. This coding language is popular in many disciplines, like machine learning or artificial intelligence.

 

Code Academy’s C++ bootcamp is a beginner-friendly program. You’ll learn how to implement this coding language into different applications. It includes several resources and practices for you to develop your coding skills, so it’s a good place to start.

Why Learn Data Mining?

Having data mining skills is helpful regardless of your career path. In today’s world, everything is run through data, and you should know how to transform it into relevant insights.

Although there are tools out there, not everyone knows how to translate raw data into valuable information. If you have logical thinking, mathematical skills, and curiosity, you should definitely learn data mining.