IIT First Class
My first course at IIT has begun.
But it is not a class on Recommender Systems. Oh well…
I had heard from some peers about the hustle one has to go through when you’ve already got an IDES/Worknet approved training plan and then the provider cancels the class. So I wasn’t all that surprised when I had to endure the same fate.
Luckily for me the replacement course had exactly the same title and timeframe. How can that be? Well, IIT has an “advanced topics” sort of course in which they focus on a particular topic in this space: IIT ITMD 525 - Topics in Data Science and Management. Each semester there may be several such courses. In the system, they all have this number and title. IIT cancelled the Recommender Systems course at the last minute supposedly due to low enrollment. But when I bounced around for a replacement, I simply chose the course on MongoDB.
In one sense, I was a bit dismayed. I felt this was somewhat redundant. I’ve used MongoDB a number of times in the last few years. However, I’ve learned recently that there is a difference between the awareness you get from cursorily using some tool or platform and the depth of knowledge you get from a deep dive. I knew SQL from years of use. But I now know SQL much better after having the training in the Metis Science Bootcamp followed by plowing through the coursework on HackerRank, CodeSignal, DataCamp, etc. I knew Python. But I now know Python much better. It’s the same sort of thing here with MongoDB. There are all sorts of aspects of MongoDB you never need to consider for small projects yet which are critical for companies using MongoDB.
Furthermore, after this course, I will prepare for and obtain the MongoDB certification. Not sure if I could have done anything similar for Recommender Systems.