Member-only story
The Top 3 Books to Get Started with Data Science Right Now
And build a great foundation of knowledge
I remember when I was first learning data science. There were almost too many resources and too much to learn that it was easy to get lost. I explored many avenues that while interesting, in retrospect, were not the most efficient way to get started. If you are just starting your journey and want the 3 best books to help you focus your studies, this is the article for you.
Python For Data Analysis
I start with the classic Pandas book written by the creator of Pandas himself: Python for Data Analysis. I’ll be the first to admit that this is not a perfect book. It reads almost like a cookbook of sorts, but I have found it to be the best way to get started with Python for data analytics. It will teach you how to get set up with Python as well as load, wrangle, clean, and visualize data.
When starting out, I think it is a much better strategy to begin with the data processing and analytics pieces as it helps you learn to really understand your data and emphasizes the importance of all the steps that need to happen before machine learning. Also, this tends to be the best way to get comfortable using Python for data science and sets you up well for the next book.