Book Image

Cracking the Data Science Interview

By : Leondra R. Gonzalez, Aaren Stubberfield
Book Image

Cracking the Data Science Interview

By: Leondra R. Gonzalez, Aaren Stubberfield

Overview of this book

The data science job market is saturated with professionals of all backgrounds, including academics, researchers, bootcampers, and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) graduates. This poses a challenge for companies seeking the best person to fill their roles. At the heart of this selection process is the data science interview, a crucial juncture that determines the best fit for both the candidate and the company. Cracking the Data Science Interview provides expert guidance on approaching the interview process with full preparation and confidence. Starting with an introduction to the modern data science landscape, you’ll find tips on job hunting, resume writing, and creating a top-notch portfolio. You’ll then advance to topics such as Python, SQL databases, Git, and productivity with shell scripting and Bash. Building on this foundation, you'll delve into the fundamentals of statistics, laying the groundwork for pre-modeling concepts, machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI. The book concludes by offering insights into how best to prepare for the intensive data science interview. By the end of this interview guide, you’ll have gained the confidence, business acumen, and technical skills required to distinguish yourself within this competitive landscape and land your next data science job.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Part 1: Breaking into the Data Science Field
4
Part 2: Manipulating and Managing Data
10
Part 3: Exploring Artificial Intelligence
16
Part 4: Getting the Job

Introducing neural networks and deep learning

At its core, a neural network (also known as a neural net) is a computational model inspired by the structure and function of the human brain. It’s designed to process information and make decisions in a manner akin to how our neurons work.

An NN consists of interconnected nodes, or artificial neurons, organized into layers. These layers typically include an input layer, one or more hidden layers, and an output layer, which you can see in Figure 11.1. Each connection between neurons is associated with a weight, which determines the strength of the connection, and an activation function, which defines the output of the neuron:

Figure 11.1: Basic NN diagram

Figure 11.1: Basic NN diagram

Data passes from the input layer through the hidden layers until it reaches the final layer as an output. The preceding diagram shows two output nodes, but an NN can consist of one or even hundreds of output nodes. The number of output nodes is an...