To try and answer this question, I’ll begin with a story. In October of 2016, Udacity welcomed the first class of students into our Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree program. Since that historic debut, we have been delighted to enroll over 11,000 students around the world in this program!
Along the way, we learned that while people across the globe were thrilled at the prospect of being able to work on autonomous vehicles, not all of them were equipped to do so—many of them needed additional training to get ready for the rigors and challenges of our curriculum.
In order to provide a viable point-of-entry for these eager learners, we built the Intro to Self-Driving Cars Nanodegree Program, and welcomed the first class of students at the end of 2017. This “Intro” program prepares students with the fundamentals in Python, C++, calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and physics that are necessary to become a Self-Driving Car Engineer.
Both Nanodegree programs are paths to a career in the self-driving car field, but the goals of each program are distinct, as are the skills one learns.
The Self-Driving Car Engineer (SDC) Nanodegree program is an advanced program in which students write programs in Python and C++, and learn new frameworks like ROS and TensorFlow. Students entering SDC should be able to write programs from scratch, and should be comfortable with both calculus and linear algebra. SDC does not require solving differential equations by hand, but does require that students be comfortable interpreting mathematical notation and translating it into code.
The Intro to Self-Driving Cars (iSDC) Nanodegree program is an intermediate program that requires entering students to have only minimal programming and math knowledge. Students entering iSDC should be comfortable reading and modifying code in at least one language (Python helps, since that is first language the program uses). Entering students should also be comfortable with high-school algebra. From there, iSDC teaches the trigonometry, calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and physics that are necessary to succeed in the advanced SDC program.
iSDC does not require an application to enroll, and everybody is welcome. However, students with no programming experience at all might consider starting their journey with Udacity’s Intro to Programming Nanodegree program, and then proceeding on to Intro to Self-Driving Cars. A slightly more mathematical (and more challenging) alternative first step would be Udacity’s Data Analyst Nanodegree Program.
Are you trying to decide which Udacity Nanodegree Program you should enroll in? Here’s an all-in-one guide to help you determine which program is best for you.
Partner:Google Lead Instructors:Katherine Kuan, Chris Lei Difficulty:Beginner Time:6 months Syllabus:User Interface + User Input + Multiscreen Apps + Networking + Data Storage Prerequisites: None! Cost: $199 / month Best For:Aspiring Android Developers with no programming experience.
Partner:Google Lead Instructor:James Williams, Reto Meier Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 8 months Syllabus: Developing Android Apps + Advanced Android App Development + Gradle for Android and Java + Material Design for Android Developers + Capstone Project Prerequisites: Java, git, GitHub Cost: $999 upfront OR $199/month Best For:Intermediate programmers who want to become Android specialists.
Partners:IBM Watson, Amazon Alexa, DiDi Chuxing, Affectiva Lead Instructor:Sebastian Thrun, Peter Norvig Difficulty: Advanced Time: 6 months Syllabus: Foundations of AI + Deep Learning and Applications + Computer Vision + Natural Language Processing + Voice User Interfaces Prerequisites: Python, basic linear algebra, calculus, and probability Cost: $1600 Best For:Engineers who want to apply AI tools across an array of domains, from computer vision to natural language processing to voice interfaces.
Partners:AT&T, Lyft, Google Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 6 months Syllabus: UIKit Fundamentals + iOS Networking with Swift + iOS Persistence and Core Data + How to Make an iOS App Prerequisites: macOS 10.12 or OS X 10.11.5 Cost: $199 / month Best For:Beginners who want to launch their iOS developer careers.
Partners:Alteryx, Tableau Lead Instructor:Patrick Nussbaumer Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 160 hours Syllabus: Problem Solving with Advanced Analytics + Creating an Analytical Dataset + Segmentation and Clustering + Data Visualization in Tableau + Classification Models + A/B Testing for Business Analysts + Time Series Forecasting Prerequisites: Basic statistics and spreadsheet skills, a Windows computer Cost: $199 / month Best For:Aspiring data analysts who want to launch a career in data-driven decision-making and visualization, as opposed to programming.
Partners: Facebook, Tableau Lead Instructor:Caroline Buckey Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 260 hours Syllabus: Descriptive Statistics + Intro to Data Analysis + Git and GitHub + Data Wrangling + MongoDB + Exploratory Data Analysis + Inferential Statistics + Intro to Machine Learning + Data Visualization in Tableau + Introduction to Python Programming Prerequisites: None! Cost: $199 / month Best For:Aspiring data scientists who want to launch a career in developing software to extract meaning from data.
Lead Instructors: Ian Goodfellow, Andrew Trask, Mat Leonard Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 6 months Syllabus: Introduction + Neural Networks + Convolutional Neural Networks + Recurrent Neural Networks + Generative Adversarial Networks Prerequisites: Python, basic linear algebra and calculus Best For:Students excited by the potential for deep learning to change the world, and who additionally wish to earn guaranteed entry into Udacity’s Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, or Self-Driving Car Engineer Nanodegree Programs (a special “perk” of the program for graduates!).
Digital Marketing
Partners: Facebook, Google, Hootsuite, HubSpot, MailChimp, Moz Lead Instructor:Anke Audenaert Time: 3 months Syllabus: Marketing Fundamentals + Content Strategy + Social Media Marketing + Social Media Advertising through Facebook + Search Engine Optimization (SEO) + Search Engine Marketing with AdWords + Display Advertising + Email Marketing + Measure and Optimize with Google Analytics Prerequisites: None! Best For:Hard workers seeking to launch or advance their digital marketing careers through real-world experience and multi-platform fluency.
Partners: Amazon Web Services, GitHub,AT&T, Google Lead Instructors: Mike Wales, Karl Krueger Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 6 months Syllabus: Programming Foundations with Python + Responsive Web Design Fundamentals + Intro to HTML and CSS + Responsive Images + Intro to Relational Databases + Authentication & Authorization: OAuth + Full Stack Foundations + Intro to AJAX + JavaScript Design Patterns + Configuring Linux Web Servers + Linux Command Line Basics Prerequisites: Python and git Cost: $199 / month Best For:Developers who want to learn to build web applications from end-to-end.
Lead Instructor: Andy Brown Difficulty: Beginner Time: 5 months Syllabus: Learn to Code + Make a Stylish Webpage + Python Programming Foundations + Object-Oriented Programming with Python + Explore Programming Career Options + Experience a Career Path Prerequisites: None! Cost: $399 Best For:Beginners looking for an accessible approach to coding.
Lead Instructors: Michael Jackson, Ryan Florence, Tyler McGinnis Difficulty: Intermediate Time: 4 months Syllabus: React Fundamentals + React & Redux + React Native Prerequisites: HTML, JavaScript, Git Cost: $499 Best For:Front-end engineers who want to master the web’s hottest framework. React is the highest-paid sub-field of web development!
Partners: Bosch, Electric Movement, iRobot, Kuka, Lockheed Martin, MegaBots, Uber ATG, X Lead Instructor: Ryan Keenan Difficulty: Advanced Time: 6 months Syllabus: ROS Essentials, Kinematics, Perception, Controls, Deep Learning for Robotics Prerequisites: Intermediate Python, calculus, linear algebra, and statistics Cost: $2400 Best For:Makers who dream of building machines that impact everything from agriculture to manufacturing to security to healthcare.
Partners: Mercedes-Benz, NVIDIA, Uber ATG Lead Instructor: David Silver (that’s me!) Difficulty: Advanced Time: 9 months Syllabus: Deep Learning + Computer Vision + Sensor Fusion + Localization + Path Planning + Control + System Integration Prerequisites: Intermediate Python, calculus, linear algebra, and statistics Cost: $2400 Best For:Engineers who want to join technology’s hottest field and revolutionize how we live.
Partners: Google VR, Vive, Upload, Unity, Samsung Lead Instructor: Christian Plagemann Difficulty: Advanced Time: 6 months Syllabus: Unity + C# + Google Cardboard + Ergonomics + User Testing + Interface Design + Mobile Performance + High-Immersion Unity + High-Immersion Unreal Prerequisites: None! Cost: $1200 Best For:People who want to build new worlds. VR is the most in-demand skill for freelance developers!
David Silver 