What should I use for my Knowledge and Analytics training?

In the field of data analytics, promotional opportunities and salary increases are most closely linked to continued technical training. That’s why it’s worth investing time in learning.

You may have noticed that we have been offering not 1 but 2 virtual programming environments for you to develop your technical skills! So which should you be using?

General tips

We would suggest choosing one of these as your go-to platform. The training in each follows a structured path that increases in difficulty progressively. You might experience annoying gaps or repetitions if you swap too much between the two

Both environments are very similar with all the advantages of hands-on activities that you can run on a browser on your laptop. You can even learn on your phone, as we’ve noticed a few of you doing! You get well-paced tasks with plenty of support if you get stuck and, crucially, both will support you with your career goals.

To choose which one to use, think about your career goals, which technologies you anticipate using in the future and your own learning preferences. These will help you to choose the best platform for you.

Below is a quick table and we have included our summary of the advantages in more detail at the end.

About DataCamp

In general, DataCamp has a lot more variety of training content than Dataquest, with a wider range of individual courses in skills like Graph Sequel, licensed tools like Alteryx or very specific cloud technologies, like Kubernetes. The visualisations training in DataCamp is a little more extensive and there is more content overall on R, SQL and training relevant to a career in Data Engineering.

If you are not sure what foundational skills are needed in your career, we host our Data Analyst with Python and Business Analyst with R career tracks there. These will give you all the core experience you need from beginner to advanced. We also host our tool kits like the Analytics for Accountancy and Finance, Data Engineering and AI Essentials on DataCamp.

The DataCamp environment is also gamified to encourage you to keep earning ‘XP points’. There are plenty of quick-win activities that you can do on the bus, or in a cafe, so you can still keep learning and progressing in your career skills on days when you haven't got a lot of time.

About Dataquest

Dataquest provides highly structured career pathways for Data Scientist (Python or R), Data Analyst (Python), Data Engineer (Python) or Business Analyst paths and will provide you with the foundational skills in those careers.

Some users who prefer Dataquest say that they find it easier to retain skills as the training tends to have more focus and only covers one algorithm at a time. And while both platforms offer projects that help you to re-purpose the skills that you use in the training, the projects in Dataquest are more substantial in scope. The tasks are also more challenging. In DataCamp, you might have to perform multiple choice tasks or fill in relatively short gaps whereas you have to do more in the Dataquest platform. Sometimes, you might even need to go more authentically to tech support boards, like Stack Overflow, for help. Knowing how to navigate Stack Overflow is a core part of the profession, but it can be off-putting for first-time users and is more challenging than the AI support in DataCamp.

Coming soon

So, in short, both the platforms will help you with your career goals. Don’t forget to keep up your learning on the Governance & Professionalism and Communications front, as well as in these platforms. Organisations are looking for well-rounded staff. But with some knowledge of your career goals and learning preferences, you should find one that is perfect for you.

Later this year, we will be launching something special to structure your training and help you evidence the professional value you bring to an organisation.