I started going to school majoring in CIS shortly after the birth of my first son. At that time I was making barely above minimum wage as a bank teller and ‘computer programming’ as it was called then seemed like a good way to support my family.
After only a couple of semesters, I got my first job doing database analysis and reporting for a company, then worked my way through technical support, development support, internal development then product development then working into management and leadership roles. The thing that I love about my career in technology is that I’ve never done the same job 2 years in a row.
What I am most excited about these days is that I am currently launching my own startup – an Open Source AI platform for marketing analytics and automation. Said without geeky buzzwords, we use AI to predict customer churn, perform sentiment analysis, predict high-performing customer segments, predict ROI on marketing campaigns and content, and analyze website activity. We automate marketing activities across systems to market, sell and engage customers. You can follow us at https://askatlas.ai?utm_term=iwnad
For me, my technology career has enabled me to thrive in a continuously changing world and having the background in technology has saved me tens of thousands of dollars on my startup (my MVP was bid between 35k-65k – I will end up launching for less than 10k because of my technical skills and the ability to access a global marketplace to help build my product.)
In my career I’ve seen a lot of changes but the world of technology has never been better. With recent developments of AI capability, educational platforms like Udemy and Udacity and cognitive services being offered by companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google – they are enabling a new generation of software developers to leverage AI capabilities without getting a PHD in math. You don’t need a 4-year degree these days to create a career in technology and access to learning has never been cheaper or easier.
We are in a new arena of change where the playing field has been leveled for anyone hungry enough and hard working who wants to get into the field.
For anyone interested in pursuing a career in technology focusing on AI- here’s my favorite resources:
Python Programming: https://www.udemy.com/complete-python-bootcamp/
Another Python class: https://www.datacamp.com/
Machine Learning: https://udemy.com/machinelearning
PostgreSQL: https://www.udemy.com/master-sql-for-data-science/
Deep Learning: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/deep-learning
Free machine learning/deep learning classes: https://course.fast.ai/index.html
The only thing that I can say is that in over 23 years – I’ve never doubted my decision and that a career focused on continuous learning has developed me in ways that I never would have expected when I started on this journey. I love what I do and when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.