Joining a Cohort

The same steps apply regardless of which course you take. Each course’s getting-started page has the course-specific repo, channels, playlist, and environment setup.

Registration

Registration works like this:

  • Registration is optional. You only need it if you want to receive email updates about the course.
  • The registration link is on the course GitHub page. It is free and usually stays open for the whole cohort.
  • Registration does not create your platform account.
  • If you register, you receive an email with the cohort schedule when the cohort kicks off. Far-away cohorts: the email arrives closer to the start date.
  • If you do not want email updates, you do not need to register. Just show up when the course starts and be ready to work through the materials.

Course platform account

The course management platform is the only course account you need. Use it to submit homework, track your score, see deadlines, and submit your project. Sign up with any email - it does not have to match the email you used for optional cohort updates.

For the platform UI, see Course Management Platform.

Course materials

Use the course repository and platform together:

  • All course materials live in a public GitHub repository (one per course).
  • Star the repo so you can find it later.
  • Module folders contain the lectures, code, and reading.
  • The cohorts/<year>/ folder holds the active cohort’s homework and cohort-specific materials.
  • The course management platform shows the current schedule and deadlines.
  • Pre-recorded lectures live on the DataTalks.Club YouTube channel - one playlist per course.

Communication channels

Join the course communication channels early:

  • Slack for questions, discussion, and help.
  • Telegram for announcements.
  • YouTube for live streams and recordings.
  • Email and the newsletter for cohort reminders.

For details, see Communication Channels.

Next step

For the course-specific bootstrap, see your course’s getting-started page:

If the cohort has already started, see Joining Mid-Cohort. You do not need to attend live sessions to be in the live cohort. Submitting homework on time is what matters.