Have you ever wondered how self-driving cars, speech recognition, and weather forecasting function? Well, there’s a whole science behind them that ensures that these technological wonders are as efficient and intelligent as they can be. The last decade has seen some great breakthroughs in automation and that has completely changed how we buy, drive, and connect with people. Machine Learning has played a pivotal role in all of this and has brought about technological marvels never imagined before. From personalized recommendations on your newsfeed to receiving weather and traffic alerts in advance, Machine Learning has brought convenience to the next level. Owing to its novelty and widespread applications, Machine Learning is becoming a much sought-after career path.
What is Machine Learning?
Machine Learning is a subset of Data Science that is used to find patterns in massive amounts of data. The data can be in the form of numbers, images, words, clicks and everything else that can be stored digitally. The data is fed to a machine-learning algorithm that is then used to generate desired information. The same phenomenon works behind the content recommendation system on OTT platforms, e-commerce websites, Facebook and Twitter in addition to voice assistants like Siri and Alexa. In other words, Machine Learning enables computers to learn automatically from past data using various algorithms and based on that it can predict and recommend data. The technology is proving highly effective in healthcare, communication, commerce and automotive industries.
How to Pursue a Career in Machine Learning?
Students nowadays find Machine Learning as a career of their choice, given the fast and steady growth, and dynamic work environment it offers. Ideally, Machine Learning is taught as a module in Computer Science but to pursue it as a career requires you to have a specialized undergraduate or a master’s degree. There are a number of universities that offer programmes in Data Science and Machine Learning but choosing the right programme can be a bit confusing. In that case, you should compare the curricula offered at different universities and the placement statistics as well. Those who want to pursue a shorter and yet an advance programme in the same can choose to go for a graduate diploma programme.
Graduate Diploma in Data Science at ISBF
The Graduate Diploma in Data Science at ISBF is a one-year programme that is designed to prepare graduates for a career in data science and machine learning. The programme is designed and curated by the academicians at the London School of Economics, giving students an opportunity to study a global curriculum and be industry-ready for a job anywhere in the world. The students upon completion of the programme receive a degree certificate from the University of London. While focusing on the core statistical, quantitative and computing skills required in these careers, this Data Science programme also arms students with business domain knowledge so they can add value as data scientists.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDyJSdbw3Qc&feature=emb_title
LSE’s expert faculty talking about one-year Graduate Diploma programme in Data Science offered at ISBF.
What is Taught in Machine Learning?
The course allows students to study a broad range of model-based and algorithmic machine learning methods illustrated in various real-world applications and datasets. Simultaneously, the students also gain a theoretical foundation of the methodology. The course covers a broad range of concepts and their applications. Some of the concepts taught in the programme are listed below.
- Linear regression and regularisation (via least squares and maximum likelihood)
- Bayesian Inference
- Classification
- Resampling methods
- Clustering
- Non-linear models
- Tree-based methods
- Support Vector Machines
- Random forests
- Gaussian Processes
Career Prospects
Data Science as predicted by various visionaries like Google’s Chief Economist, Hal Varian is going to be among the top employers in the future and Machine Learning being its major subset is expected to grow proportionately. The domain offers a number of job opportunities with lucrative salary packages and quick growth. Some of the popular career choices after pursuing Data Science and Machine Learning are:
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Data Scientist
- Applications Architect
- Enterprise Architect
- Data Engineer
- Data Analyst
- Statistician
