Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of study, where researchers try to enhance the ability of systems to learn automatically without human intervention. To achieve this, researchers and developers use historical data and train Machine Learning (ML) models with different techniques. Although we are still many years behind accomplishing human-like common sense and intelligence within machines, the current ML techniques are already delivering superior results in numerous real-world adversities.

Consequently, AI in a short duration has extended its ambit like no other technology in the world. Today, AI is being integrated into almost every sector including healthcare, finance, e-commerce, among others, and changing the way people carry out their day-to-day operations. The continuous increase in the implementation of AI in various business processes is evident from research that sheds light on the growth of AI technology. According to Analytics India Magazine, analytics, data science and big data industry in 2019 was $3.03 billion and will double by 2025.

The rapid increase of AI, ML, and data science has led to a spike in the demand for professionals who can assist data-driven organisations in achieving their business objectives. However, a dearth of required professionals is causing hindrance in their business processes. As per another report, 85% of AI projects fail due to the shortage of skilled professionals and confusion while strategising AI initiatives. “It is very challenging to get excellent developers even though AI and data science has been the most sought-after skill,” said Gaurav Mehrotra, Vice President and Head of Business Data Solutions at Innoviti Payment Solutions.

Impact Of Talent Shortage

As companies continue to face difficulty in hiring skilled AI professionals, they have adopted a few methodologies to mitigate such challenges. For one, companies are laying off mid and senior-level employees and hiring freshers and upskilling them with the latest technologies such as AI and Data Science. 

However, this approach is tedious for firms and also decreases their productivity. Companies that can attract industry-ready developers are cornering the market, resulting in business growth. Therefore, organisations’ prime focus is on hiring candidates who have already obtained knowledge of AI rather than upskilling them later.

This is where online educational institutes are playing a crucial role by offering AI, ML, and data science courses and making aspirants industry-ready. 

The Role Of Aspirants And EdTech

Initially, traditional educational institutes failed to keep up with the pace of the technology, which resulted in a shortage of skilled data scientists and ML engineers. Nevertheless, Edutech firms, along with universities, have quickly ramped up to offer exceptional AI and ML programs. Today, aspirants can choose from a plethora of programs provided by Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), that claim to teach emerging technologies in a few months for free. 

However, such courses are less structured, lack support from mentors, and more. Therefore, aspirants fail to move ahead in the right direction, resulting in obtaining partial data science knowledge. Aspirants who opt for short courses buckle under interview pressure, thereby failing to impress recruiters. Such instances lower the self-esteem of aspirants and bring anxiety in the competitive data science landscape. Differentiating oneself from others has become challenging for aspirants who take short courses. This is where postgraduate programs have an advantage over the rest. Aspirants or professionals who wish to build a career in the data science domain should opt for PG programs that provide desired knowledge that organisations expect from applicants. 

Jigsaw Academy™ PG Program in Data Science and Machine Learning (PGPDM)

Jigsaw Academy, India’s top online school for analytics, in collaboration with the University of Chicago’s Graham School, provides Postgraduate Program in Data Science and Machine Learning (PGPDM). The ten months program is focused on delivering the required skills in the data science landscape. It includes both online and in-person sessions from experts and industry leaders.

The program curriculum is divided into nine modules that smoothly transitions right from foundation to core to advanced and project management. While lessons in the foundation include descriptive and inferential statistics, Python programming, visualisation, SQL, and exploratory data analysis (EDA), the core is inclined towards feature engineering, predictive modelling, and advanced machine learning techniques. 

The modules in the advanced section are about Big Data engineering and Deep Learning techniques. One of the exciting lessons here is Explainable AI (XAI). Today, companies are seeking professionals who can bring transparency to the outcomes of neural networks, thus learning about XAI will add a huge advantage during interviews. The final module is associated with projects and career management that will test the expertise of aspirants as well as explain the best practices to start a career in data science.

Aspirants who enrol in the PG program will gain access to 450+ hours of online and instructor-led training. While the lessons that are hosted online can be accessed around the clock, the in-person sessions are held on weekends in Bengaluru. Spread across eight weekends, 100+ hours of in-person training will assist aspirants in interacting with experts who will veer their journey towards data science. However, the in-person sessions will also help in getting hands-on practice with various case studies. Besides, live online webinars will allow aspirants to clear doubts and get guidance from industry experts in real-time.

Students will also get access to Jigsaw Academy’s world’s largest analytics library and other learning content for 22 months. On top of this, Jigsaw Academy provides limited scholarships of up to ₹50,000 to encourage women in analytics and young achievers.

Outlook

Choosing among a colossal amount of courses in AI, ML, and Data Science is a strenuous task as one gets perplexed while evaluating different programs. However, this is a crucial step that will have a significant impact on the result. Therefore, to stay competitive in the ever-changing data science landscape, one needs to learn from a recognised leader in analytics. 

One of the pioneers in the domain is Jigsaw Academy, which is ranked #2 in the Top 10 Executive Data Sciences Courses in India by Analytics India Magazine for the year 2017, 2018, and 2019. It continues to be the best and is committed to offering superior PG courses for aspirants and professionals who want to switch their careers to data science.