The Knowledge House: Open to all

Prior to becoming a data science fellow at The Knowledge House (TKH), I taught myself a lot of the math and programming concepts needed to become a data scientist. The problem was, beyond the basics, I was mostly resource hoarding. The feeling of buying yet another ML book, or watching another data structure video, was just enough to satisfy my urge to do something "DS related". I was adrift in a sea of YouTube videos, books, and blogs; what I was missing, was structure.

From the very first week at TKH, we were given a clear roadmap in the form of our syllabus, information about the tech industry, and what was required to make it in our target sub-field. While we were given enough resources that we could choose which benefited us best, we were not given so many as to end up in the same situation I was in before. It's been 5 weeks now, and concepts which seemed difficult to grasp while learning on my own, became easy to understand once explained in the proper context, and environment.

Here I will briefly cover two of the most important, and unique features of the TKH fellowship - class structure, and resources.

Class Structure:

In our more technical classes, where we learn Python in the context of data science, web scraping, and web development, as well as SQL for database querying (and soon, AWS), there are 3 levels of participation. Level 1 is with the entire class, as the lecture progresses and examples are given; students are free to ask questions, and make suggestions. Level 2 involves gathering into a small, randomized group to begin working on projects. In the 3rd level, you are placed within your small, static group, which you will work with on a consistent basis, week to week.

This structure is advantageous as it offers different opportunities to communicate with your cohort, instructors, and familiar peers, at different levels of comfort. Not comfortable asking "that stupid question" in front of the entire class? Ask it in your small, randomized group. Too afraid to ask it there? Ask it in your more familiar, static group.

On the other hand, if your static group could not expand your understanding of a certain concept during that portion of the class, then perhaps ask the random group. There are some amazing people in my cohort, and I'm always delighted to be randomly paired with those whose insight changes the way I think. Finally, if the student needs more insight than a peer in their random group can offer, they can ask the instructor in the main lecture once they return from our groups.

Resources:

"It is what it is, you get what you give."

While ample resources are provided to us, it is ultimately up to fellows to take charge of their education. No one holds your hand throughout these projects and exercises. Some exercises have been rather challenging, and one might feel a bit stuck. This is where the scaffolding and resources offered come to the rescue. At TKH, each student has at their disposal, a case specialist, a career advisement team, an industry professional as a mentor, and volunteer tutors standing by.

Our mental health and success are of the utmost importance to the program, and one should not be surprised if they receive a phone call just to check in to see how they're doing. TKH started as a grassroots effort to change the trajectory of the lives of people who, for decades have had little access the the kind of education they offer. The long term impact of the organization will be felt in the coming decades as innovation fellows, unburdened by debt, and bonded by purpose, go out and change the world.