Introduction
30th April marked my last day at Samsung Ads. I have decided to take a career break, to focus on my health and on upskilling. Every single person I have shared this idea with, has advised me not to take such a drastic step. I am going ahead anyways!
Whenever a new technology is invented, the world is invariably divided into two parts. One side, which has positive thoughts regarding the way the world will change for better. The other side, which has negative outlook, and concludes, the new technology, will have no or negative impact on their life. Talking about AI, I was with the latter group.
I believed the research will take a long time and “I” will not live long enough to see any noticeable impact in my lifetime. As a result, I never cared to upskill in the AI domain
But oh boy! I was so wrong! I now constantly feel ill-prepared and left out in the AI World
Accepting the new world
No matter, how you view AI, it is here to stay, and it will change our world. The recent layoffs in software industry is testament of onset of a new world. One evening, I had an epiphany – The world has started to change, and I am severely ill prepared.
I am living in denial. This attitude needs to change.
Sugar coating the reality
Before we talk further, I will quickly get this out of the way
After hearing this story, many people ask me - “Is this decision driven by some issues that you were facing at work?”.
A short and straight-forward answer is: “YES”
YES, I was not happy with the culture, and quality of work at my workplace. YES, this was the primary driver of my decision. But I have high professional standards. Bitching my present or past employers is not the quality I want to demonstrate on my blog. So, I will zip my lips
The plan
There are many people (much smarter than me) who has predicted the future. Some of them which I believe in:
- A section of software engineers will become part of the gig economy. Like how plumbers and carpenters operate today, most of them will work independently, and handful of them will have a permanent employer
- AI will handle the grunt work, giving engineers time to research and innovate. Subsequently, we will see a rise in work that requires deep research and expertise
- (Obvious) The time and cost of building software will reduce, giving rise to more softwares. We are already drowning in the world of softwares with thousands of apps and websites. This will only become crazier with time.
I want to be the guy who fits the 2nd profile. This will require lots of effort. To unlock thinking out of the box, I will have to become a true master of my craft.
I have always been a generalist and that has served me well. I was able to work on various projects using unknown technologies without breaking a sweat. But with AI, one needs to be smart enough to hold reins on AI. Guide it to take the best path. The generalist path will no longer serve me. I have decided to build a specialization in frontend
My primary objective is to become exceptionally good at the art of building softwares with AI. I will need to refresh my knowledge in:
- college level computer science education
- my current domain of web development; and,
- the upcoming field of AI
My secondary objective is to build a side income or a personal brand. For this I have to focus on the following:
- Share my learning, on blog, on a YouTube channel etc, to build a personal brand
- (contd.) last objective, also doubles as a potential side income
- My Dad is full time stock market trader. I can help my dad, build a buy/sell signal generator for his market strategies. If fully automated, it will be great passive income
- Work on side project ideas which helps achieve my primary goals faster
Venturing out on my own
I have planned my break and made a week-by-week plan that is already 2 months long. For the first couple of weeks, I want to prioritize studying software engineering, which will enable me to be ready to interview at any company with confidence. Later, in June, I plan to start upskilling on AI and work on my side projects. The plan is long and open-ended; I will have to prioritize items constantly to have an efficient execution
To keep myself motivated and accountable, I will keep posting regular updates on LinkedIn and Twitter
Closing notes
This section is a little poetic
This is the biggest risk that I have taken in my life. Every single person - friend, acquaintance or stranger - has advised me against it, considering the current state of the economy.
But the world is changing at a pace unfathomable (due to AI). And, I am unhappy where I am today (current workplace). What do I have to lose?
I stand at the edge of unknown, unsure of what the future holds. But I have failed a thousand times in my life, and failing one more time won’t hurt me. No one in the world has become successful without being a little crazy. To quote Steve Jobs - “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Until then, stay foolish, stay hungry”
This will either be the best step I have taken or the biggest blunder of my life. There is no in-between. and what if it all works out? [Be delusional, have faith in yourself] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aR-5cNABAI)