Tips to Supplement a Machine Learning Certificate in the Job Market

Certifications are taking the place of college degrees or experience in some situations. Getting a machine learning certificate, for example, can help people make a lateral move to a different field, supplement existing education, and prove mastery of in-demand skills. However, a certificate isn’t a guaranteed job, and there are a few ways to supplement a new machine learning certificate to help you stand out.

GitHub

Use GitHub to share your machine learning code so others may assess your talents. Employers often look at GitHub repositories (repos) to investigate a candidate’s published work. Always include a link to your GitHub account on your resume, as it can be an asset that helps you stand out in a crowd of applicants.

Portfolio

While similar to having a public GitHub repository, a portfolio can feature case studies that you may have done in school, for fun, or past jobs. Tell the story, show how you solved a problem, and if it applies, showcase the data visualization.

Writing

It’s hard to get noticed on data skills alone. The best data science professionals are also decent writers and storytellers, as being able to communicate your findings will go a long way. Remember, not everyone in your team or company will have the same expertise as you, so you need to be able to speak their language if they can’t speak data. Writing data science blogs and tutorials is a great way to share your expertise, research, and ideas, and prove that you can walk and talk at the same time.

Networking

Getting out there really does make a difference. While it’s not always “who you know” or “knowing people” to get a job, having friends will help. By having an extended network, you’ll see more companies that are hiring, you’ll be a contact for those in your community that may be hiring, and you’ll just get a better industry pulse in general. While in-person may be ideal, you can still check out virtual data science networking sessions – like the one at ODSC Europe 2021 – to meet people around the world.

Reading

Read, read, read. Reading yet? Read some more. To get ahead, you need to talk the talk. In an interview, it’s not uncommon for an interviewer to ask what new tools/developments/research you’ve read recently. Stay tuned to arxiv.org, read data science blogs, be active on Medium, etc.

Kaggle

The famed data science challenge site Kaggle is a great way to show off your work. You can publish compelling and high-quality kernals in order to demonstrate your command of the data science process. Kaggle also has a number of very active discussion forums where you can get your name out there by asking well-crafted questions, and maybe even try to answer a few yourself! Before answering, you can do research to come up with useful suggestions. It’s satisfying when other people start referencing your answers.

It’s time for a Machine Learning Certificate

By obtaining the ODSC Machine Learning Certificate, you’re halfway there to getting a new or improved job. You can act on the tips above to supplement your machine learning certification and really stand out. You can get started today and change your career in a matter of months!