What Learning Path Does the "Becoming a Data Scientist – Curriculum via Metromap" Article Suggest?

Updated

The article proposes a learning path for aspiring data scientists organized as a "metromap" — a subway-style route diagram where each line represents a skill track and each stop represents a topic to learn. It first appeared on nirvacana.com in July 2013 and was later revisited by the author in a December 2017 post, where he noted the strong reader response and how people used it as a guide. The core message is that becoming a data scientist is a journey, not something you can do overnight, and the metromap is meant as a reference framework you adapt to your own plan rather than a rigid syllabus.

What the Metromap Format Means

Instead of a linear list of courses, the curriculum is drawn like a transit system:

  • Lines represent broad skill tracks (for example, data science, machine learning, big data analytics, and cognitive computing — the areas the author says readers were being "avalanched" with information about).
  • Stops represent individual topics or skills along each track.
  • Interchanges represent points where tracks connect, so a learner can transfer from one line to another as their goals change.

This structure is the article's main idea: skills are connected, and there is more than one valid route through them.

How to Use It as a Learning Plan

  1. Pick a destination. Decide which role or capability you are aiming at, since different destinations sit on different lines.
  2. Trace a route. Follow one line from its start, noting the stops in order, and mark any interchange where you could switch tracks.
  3. Sequence your study. Treat the stops on your chosen route as your topic order, and use interchanges to decide when to branch into an adjacent track.
  4. Expect a long trip. The author is explicit that this is a challenging journey, so the map is a planning aid, not a shortcut.

What to Keep in Mind

The article is a personal framework, not an accredited curriculum, and the site provides no pricing or enrollment details — it is a blog post, not a course. Because the original dates to 2013 with a 2017 follow-up, treat specific tools and topics as a starting structure and check current practice for anything tool-dependent. The most durable part is the method: map your skills as connected lines, choose a destination, and follow the route one stop at a time.