If there’s an adjective that perfectly captures the world today, it’s data-driven. Without machine learning, we could never exploit the full potential of all this data that drives our personal and business decisions.

So, it’s no wonder many people are pursuing a career in machine learning.

To have a real shot at landing your dream job in this field, you must be certified as a data scientist or a machine learning engineer.

That’s where machine learning certification courses come into play.

These courses will help you acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to crush your certification exam and open up a world of possibilities for your future employment.

To help you find the best machine learning certification course, we’ll guide you through the proper selection process. We’ll throw in some tips on making the most out of the selected course for good measure.

If you don’t feel like researching, check out one of our top course picks and start your journey in the booming field of machine learning.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Machine Learning Certification Course

Unlike machine learning algorithms, you might find it challenging to comb through all the data online and find the perfect machine learning certification course. But allow us to let you in on a little secret – once you know what you’re looking for, you’ll become as efficient as these algorithms.

Course Content and Curriculum

Looking past the title is essential when choosing the most suitable machine learning certification course. The course’s description includes all the good stuff. Here, you’ll find a laid-out curriculum listing all the course topics.

If you’re a beginner, seeing terms like “regression” and “clustering” probably won’t do much for your understanding of the course. But since you’re looking to get certified in the field, you may already have some experience. So, reviewing the course’s curriculum will help you determine whether it has what you need to pass your certification exam.

Course Duration and Flexibility

Online courses are all about flexibility. If you already have a job, you’re probably looking for something self-paced to fit your busy schedule. However, with scheduled courses, you can interact with the instructor directly. So, weigh all your options before making a final decision.

The course’s duration is also an essential factor. A machine learning certification course will likely last longer than a standard crash course, so make sure you can commit fully.

Instructor’s Expertise and Experience

Given the complexity of machine learning, an instructor’s expertise and experience are crucial for genuinely grasping this field’s ins and outs. In a machine learning certification course, these factors become arguably more important since your instructor will be something like a mentor to you during your education journey.

Course Fees and Additional Costs

The internet is a great place to find numerous incredible courses free of charge. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll be happy to know there’s no shortage of free machine learning courses. But the bad news is that these courses seldom come with a certificate, let alone a certification.

If you want to complete a machine learning certification course, be prepared to pay a relatively high fee. Think of these costs as an investment in your future.

Certification and Accreditation

Receiving a certificate of completion is relatively simple. You only need to go through all the lessons, turn in exercises, and complete a test or two. Certification, however, is on an entirely different level. A machine learning certification course aims to prepare you for passing a certification exam (which is notoriously hard to do), so choose only courses offered by certified individuals or accredited institutions.

Job Placement and Career Support

Sure, learning for the sake of learning is wonderful. Just think of all the personal growth and betterment it will bring you, and you’ll always want to foster a deep love for knowledge. But in a field as competitive and lucrative as machine learning, learning to enhance your career prospect is more than reasonable. So, before committing to a course, ensure it offers the practical skills and know-how you need to get a job shortly after.

Top Picks for Machine Learning Certification Courses

Check out our top three machine learning certification exams and the courses you must take to prepare for them.

AWS Machine Learning Learning Plan

Earning the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate Certification can do wonders for your career in machine learning. With this certification, you gain valuable expertise in building, training, and deploying machine learning models on AWS (Amazon Web Services). But to pass this challenging certification exam, you’ll need a prep course.

Enter AWS Machine Learning Learning Plan.

This machine learning certification course was built by AWS experts to make you one as well. It’s beginner-friendly and consists of several short courses that eliminate the guesswork of exam prep.

You can take the course at your own pace. Also, you can skip some courses if you already have that area covered. The only downside is that the progress bar can change without your input as the company adds or removes training content, which can throw you off for a while.

Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Machine Learning Engineer Professional Certificate

The lengthy name of the course gives you all the basic information you need – you’re taking it to prepare for the Google Cloud Certification for a Professional Machine Learning Engineer title.

Since this certification is one of the hardest to obtain in the industry, this course, or a set of courses, will be a lifesaver. It starts slowly, with some cloud basics. Then, it gradually dives deeper, where more complex machine learning solutions await.

During the certification test, you’ll be asked to solve real-world problems using machine learning. But this course teaches you how to do just that. You’ll learn to create and deploy successful machine learning solutions for any challenge that lies ahead.

Some may view the length of this course as a downside. You’ll need around seven months to complete it (at a pace of five hours a week). However, the certification test is rather comprehensive, so the course has no other option than to follow suit.

Machine Learning Cornell Certificate Program

Unlike the options from Google and Amazon, this is an all-in-one course. In other words, the certification exam is a part of it. No machine learning experience is necessary to enroll in this course. Still, familiarity with some basic programming, math, and statistics concepts will do wonders for your progress.

This program aims to equip you with the practical skills to approach real-world problems, select the best machine learning solution, and implement it efficiently. You’ll practice with live data from the get-go, allowing you to get a feel for your future career immediately.

Although the lessons are self-paced, they must be completed in a pre-determined order. Learners with more experience might perceive this as a downside since they will be forced to go through even the familiar concepts again.

Essential Skills for Success in Machine Learning

Sure, a machine learning certification course is an excellent foundation for your career in machine learning. But you’ll need a robust skill set to thrive in this career.

  • Programming languages. Machine learning is all about programming, so you won’t get far without knowing and improving programming languages like Python, R, C++, and JavaScript, to name a few.
  • Mathematics and statistics. A solid background in mathematics (calculus, linear algebra, probability theory) and statistics (p-value, standard deviation, regression analysis, etc.) will make your job much easier.
  • Data preprocessing and visualization. Machines don’t do all the work in machine learning, not even close. You’re the one that needs to preprocess data and ready it for analysis. The same goes for data visualization (using different libraries to spot and understand data patterns).
  • Machine learning algorithms and models. As a data scientist, you’ll need to learn about numerous machine learning algorithms (like supervised and unsupervised learning) and models (like classification and regression).
  • Model evaluation and optimization. Monitoring and assessing how well a machine learning model performs will be essential to your job. The same goes for optimizing those models that fall short.
  • Deployment and maintenance of machine learning models. Knowing how to deploy models successfully and keep them accurate and effective are must-have skills in machine learning.

Tips for Maximizing the Benefits of a Machine Learning Certification Course

Your chosen course can give you all the necessary content to succeed. But only if you interact with it correctly. Here’s how to make the most out of a machine learning certification course:

  • Set clear goals and expectations. Carefully consider which skills you can acquire within the course’s timeframe.
  • Dedicate time for self-study and practice (ideally, daily).
  • Work on real-world projects and build a portfolio. This is the fastest way to demonstrate your skills after completing the course.
  • Engage in online forums and communities (within the course, on Reddit or Kaggle).
  • Network with professionals in the field at conferences, workshops, and meet-ups.

Cracking the Code to Success

Whether going to tech giants and industry disruptors like Google and Amazon or accredited institutions like Cornell, a machine learning certification course is your one-way ticket to a successful career. After all, machine learning is one of today’s most in-demand fields.

Of course, this certification is only a beginning. What’s next? A fantastic journey of continuous learning, of course. This is the only way to remain in tune with this ever-evolving field.

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New OPIT Degrees launching (soon)!
Riccardo Ocleppo
Riccardo Ocleppo
Nov 29, 2023 2 min read

 

Soon, we will be launching four new Degrees for AY24-25 at OPIT – Open Institute of Technology
I want to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Product Definition process that has shaped these upcoming programs.

🚀 Phase 1: Discovery (Late May – End of July)

Our journey began with intensive brainstorming sessions with OPIT’s Academic Board (Francesco Profumo, Lorenzo Livi, Alexiei Dingli, Andrea Pescino, Rosario Maccarrone) . We also conducted 50+ interviews with tech and digital entrepreneurs (both from startups and established firms), academics and students. Finally, we deep-dived into the “Future of Jobs 2023” report by the World Economic Forum and other valuable research.

🔍 Phase 2: Selection – Crafting Our Roadmap (July – August)

Our focus? Introducing new degrees addressing critical workforce shortages and upskilling/reskilling needs for the next 5-10 years, promising significant societal impact and a broad market reach.
Our decision? To channel our energies on full BScs and MScs, and steer away from shorter courses or corporate-focused offerings. This aligns perfectly with our core mission.

💡 Focus Areas Unveiled!

We’re thrilled to concentrate on pivotal fields like:

  • Cybersecurity
  • Advanced AI
  • Digital Business
  • Metaverse & Gaming
  • Cloud Computing (less “glamorous”, but market demand is undeniable).

🎓 Phase 3: Definition – Shaping the Degrees (August – November)

With an expert in each of the above fields, and with the strong collaboration of our Academic Director, Prof. Lorenzo Livi , we embarked on a rigorous “drill-down process”. Our goal? To meld modern theoretical knowledge with cutting-edge competencies and skills. This phase included interviewing over 60+ top academics, industry professionals, and students and get valuable, program-specific, insights from our Marketing department.

🌟 Phase 4: Accreditation and Launch – The Final Stretch

We’re currently in the accreditation process, gearing up for the launch. The focus is now shifting towards marketing, working closely with Greta Maiocchi and her Marketing and Admissions team. Together, we’re translating our new academic offering into a compelling value proposition for the market.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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Five Reasons to Study Online at OPIT
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
OPIT - Open Institute of Technology
Nov 29, 2023 9 min read

Far from being a temporary educational measure that came into its own during the pandemic, online education is providing students from all over the world with new ways to learn. That’s proven by statistics from Oxford Learning College, which point out that over 100 million students are now enrolled in some form of online course.

The demand for these types of courses clearly exists.

In fact, the same organization indicates that educational facilities that introduce online learning see a 42% increase in income – on average – suggesting that the demand is there.

Enter the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT).

Delivering three online courses – a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and two Master’s degrees – with more to come, OPIT is positioning itself as a leader in the online education space. But why is that? After all, many institutions are making the jump to e-learning, so what separates OPIT from the pack?

Here, you’ll discover the answers as you delve into the five reasons why you should trust OPIT for your online education.

Reason 1 – A Practical Approach

OPIT focuses on computer science education – a field in which theory often dominates the educational landscape. The organization’s Rector, Professor Francesco Profumo, makes this clear in a press release from June 2023. He points to a misalignment between what educators are teaching computer science students and what the labor market actually needs from those students as a key problem.

“The starting point is the awareness of the misalignment,” he says when talking about how OPIT structures its online courses. “That so-called mismatch is generated by too much theory and too little practical approach.” In other words, students in many classes spend far too much time learning the “hows” and “whys” behind computerized systems without actually getting their hands dirty with real work that gives them practical experience in using those systems.

OPIT takes a different approach.

It has developed a didactic approach that focuses far more on the practical element than other courses. That approach is delivered through a combination of classroom sessions – such as live lessons and masterclasses – and practical work offered through quizzes and exercises that mimic real-world situations.

An OPIT student doesn’t simply learn how computers work. They put their skills into practice through direct programming and application, equipping them with skills that are extremely attractive to major employers in the tech field and beyond.

Reason 2 – Flexibility Combined With Support

Flexibility in how you study is one of the main benefits of any online course.

You control when you learn and how you do it, creating an environment that’s beneficial to your education rather than being forced into a classroom setting with which you may not feel comfortable. This is hardly new ground. Any online educational platform can claim that it offers “flexibility” simply because it provides courses via the web.

Where OPIT differs is that it combines that flexibility with unparalleled support bolstered by the experiences of teachers employed from all over the world. The founder and director of OPIT, Riccardo Ocleppo, sheds more light on this difference in approach when he says, “We believe that education, even if it takes place physically at a distance, must guarantee closeness on all other aspects.” That closeness starts with the support offered to students throughout their entire study period.

Tutors are accessible to students at all times. Plus, every participant benefits from weekly professor interactions, ensuring they aren’t left feeling stuck on an educational “island” and have to rely solely on themselves for their education. OPIT further counters the potential isolation that comes with online learning with a Student Support team to guide students through any difficulties they may have with their courses.

In this focus on support, OPIT showcases one of its main differences from other online platforms.

You don’t simply receive course material before being told to “get on with it.” You have the flexibility to learn at your own pace while also having a support structure that serves as a foundation for that learning.




Reason 3 – OPIT Can Adapt to Change Quickly

The field of computer science is constantly evolving.

In the 2020s alone, we’ve seen the rise of generative AI – spurred on by the explosive success of services like ChatGPT – and how those new technologies have changed the way that people use computers.

Riccardo Ocleppo has seen the impact that these constant evolutions have had on students. Before founding OPIT, he was an entrepreneur who received first-hand experience of the fact that many traditional educational institutions struggle to adapt to change.

“Traditional educational institutions are very slow to adapt to this wave of new technologies and trends within the educational sector,” he says. He points to computer science as a particular issue, highlighting the example of a board in Italy of which he is a member. That board – packed with some of the country’s most prestigious tech universities – spent three years eventually deciding to add just two modules on new and emerging technologies to their study programs.

That left Ocleppo feeling frustrated.

When he founded OPIT, he did so intending to make it an adaptable institution in which courses were informed by what the industry needs. Every member of its faculty is not only a superb teacher but also somebody with experience working in industry. Speaking of industry, OPIT collaborates with major companies in the tech field to ensure its courses deliver the skills that those organizations expect from new candidates.

This confronts frustration on both sides. For companies, an OPIT graduate is one for which they don’t need to bridge a “skill gap” between what they’ve learned and what the company needs. For you, as a student, it means that you’re developing skills that make you a more desirable prospect once you have your degree.

Reason 4 – OPIT Delivers Tier One Education

Despite their popularity, online courses can still carry a stigma of not being “legitimate” in the face of more traditional degrees. Ocleppo is acutely aware of this fact, which is why he’s quick to point out that OPIT always aims to deliver a Tier One education in the computer science field.

“That means putting together the best professors who create superb learning material, all brought together with a teaching methodology that leverages the advancements made in online teaching,” he says.

OPIT’s degrees are all accredited by the European Union to support this approach, ensuring they carry as much weight as any other European degree. It’s accredited by both the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and the Malta Qualification Framework (MQF), with all of its courses having full legal value throughout Europe.

It’s also here where we see OPIT’s approach to practicality come into play via its course structuring.

Take its Bachelor’s degree in computer science as an example.

Yes, that course starts with a focus on theoretical and foundational knowledge. Building a computer and understanding how the device processes instructions is vital information from a programming perspective. But once those foundations are in place, OPIT delivers on its promises of covering the most current topics in the field.

Machine learning, cloud computing, data science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity – all valuable to employers – are taught at the undergraduate level. Students benefit from a broader approach to computer science than most institutions are capable of, rather than bogging them down in theory that serves little practical purpose.

Reason 5 – The Learning Experience

Let’s wrap up by honing in on what it’s actually like for students to learn with OPIT.

After all, as Ocleppo points out, one of the main challenges with online education is that students rarely have defined checkpoints to follow. They can start feeling lost in the process, confronted with a metaphorical ocean of information they need to learn, all in service of one big exam at the end.

Alternatively, some students may feel the temptation to not work through the materials thoroughly, focusing instead on passing a final exam. The result is that those students may pass, but they do so without a full grasp of what they’ve learned – a nightmare for employers who already have skill gaps to handle.

OPIT confronts both challenges by focusing on a continuous learning methodology. Assessments – primarily practical – take place throughout the course, serving as much-needed checkpoints for evaluating progress. When combined with the previously mentioned support that OPIT offers, this approach has led to courses that are created from scratch in service of the student’s actual needs.

Choose OPIT for Your Computer Science Education

At OPIT, the focus lies as much on helping students to achieve their dream careers as it does on teaching them. All courses are built collaboratively. With a dedicated faculty combined with major industry players, such as Google and Microsoft, it delivers materials that bridge the skill gap seen in the computer science field today.

There’s also more to come.

Beyond the three degrees OPIT offers, the institution plans to add more. Game development, data science, and cloud computing, to name a few, will receive dedicated degrees in the coming months, accentuating OPIT’s dedication to adapting to the continuous evolution of the computer science industry. Discover OPIT today – your journey into computing starts with the best online education institution available.




                            
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