PG Certification in AI/ML. Review on TalentSprint

I have successfully completed the "PG Certification in Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Machine Learning(ML)" program, jointly conducted by IIIT Hyderabad and TalentSprint.

Here are my experiences of the program

The course was designed for working professionals as a week-end program. The program was divided into four modules for a duration of six months and an optional Capstone Project for another three months.

The six-month program was divided into four modules.

Programming, Math Foundations and Classical Algorithms

Problem Formulation and Neural Networks

Deep Learning

Advanced Topics

After the Maths and Python sessions, the initial AI/ML sessions were conducted by Prof. Habeeb from TalentSprint. His explanation was lucid with practical examples. I was eager to attend his sessions as he used to explain complex topics in simple terms and with lots of programming examples.

The advanced sessions were taken by Professors from IIIT Hyderabad. The Professors were experts in their areas, working on their domain projects. This added a tinge of “up to date with technology” to their sessions.

Especially, the sessions by Prof. Anoop, Prof. Jawahar, Prof. Vineet, and Prof. Manish were insightful. They explained complex topics with ease. These sessions were augmented by practical use cases in the lab sessions and weekly exercises.

The lab sessions were well designed to explore the topics covered by the Professors. The mentors from IIIT and TalentSprint were handy in these sessions as they were able to explain both the concepts and programming. They were very friendly and always eager to help.

The weekend and weekly exercises had strict timelines. This put a discipline of completing them on-time and be ready for the next session.

The Mini-Hackathons and Hackathons conducted periodically contained practical use cases. It was a great pleasure to collaborate with other participants and handle these Hackathons. These sessions offered a chance to work with professionals from different areas. I enthusiastically participated and benefitted from these sessions.

Though the program was good overall, there were areas to be improved. The advanced concepts such as TensorFlow and Keras need more sessions and lab exercises. These concepts were complex and need more practice sessions.

Also, to get full benefits of the program, the participant must spend at least two hours daily, practicing the concepts and exercises. This daily routine would allow the participant to have good hands-on knowledge by the end of the program or for the Capstone Project