Coursera - Data Science in Real Life Review

Data Science in Real Life is the fourth and final course in the “Executive Data Science” specialization offered by John Hopkins University on Coursera. The one-week course examines various steps in the data analysis process and contrasts ideal outcomes against the outcomes you are likely to experience in reality. Grading is based upon a few short multiple-choice quizzes.

The lecture videos are crisp and the professor does a good job explaining the topics without being overly technical. It does discuss some topics that you won’t fully appreciate without having hand-on experience doing data science projects, but it will help prepare you for some of the problems you might encounter. Like other courses in the Executive Data Science track, there’s not too much to dislike about this course other than its brevity and the limited depth at which topics can be covered in a one-week course.


Data Science in Real Life is nice, succinct overview of many of the challenges you are likely to face in data projects and suggestions for overcoming them. It is raises considerations that could be useful for both data analysts and managers.


I give Data Science in Real Life 4 out of 5 stars: Very Good.