๐ Before starting college in August 2018, I was, by all means, a non-tech person growing up without my own computer in a non-wifi room ๐ค I never thought that one day, coding and all those complex technical kinds of stuff I never cared about would dawn on me and eventually become my career down the road ๐ฎ
๐ I first learned to code at the beginning of 2019 as I switched from Art to Computer Science in college, but I literally had no luck with this major ๐คฏ I could not have hated coding more than I did ๐
๐ Not until August 2021 did I ACTUALLY start learning programming and coding in a way that worked out well for me ๐ง I've finally known how to learn coding by trial and error ๐ค
๐ I officially became a Software Engineer in August 2022 after managing to get out of college 3 months before that ๐๐ป
๐ Now, I enjoy learning new technologies and new programming languages by making something from scratch step by step as well as working on real-world projects as part of my day-to-day job ๐
๐ Self-learning is one of the most important and enjoyable parts of my life
๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ป Grad school - The next chapter of the endless learning journey ๐ ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ
๐ Since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed various aspects of our lives. At that time, I had just begun my first job and wasn't considering a career change. However, I enjoyed experimenting with ChatGPT and exploring prompt engineering whenever I had the chance ๐คฉ
๐ In May 2023, I found myself discontented with the idea of working as a generalist full-stack Software Engineer for my entire career ๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ป While I was enjoying my current job, I didnโt want to be stuck in one role for too long without developing other skill sets ๐ฅ I developed a keen interest in AI and decided to delve deeper into the field. I first started with Andrew Ng's AI and Machine Learning (AI/ML) specializations and courses on Coursera ๐ค
๐ After completing around 10 courses and specializations ๐, I decided to commit more seriously to AI/ML ๐ฆพ I applied to several online Master's programs in AI/ML offered by various universities in the United States ๐ซ My goal was to earn a Master's degree while continuing to work full-time, allowing me to gain industry experience simultaneously ๐ฅ
๐ Fortunately, I was admitted to the University of Texas at Austin, where I have been studying Artificial Intelligence for the next 2.5 years ๐ป This journey has been both challenging and rewarding, reinforcing my passion for AI and my commitment to advancing in this exciting field ๐ค
๐ To be continued...
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๐ I have been learning and exploring these following tools and languages