Journey of a machine learning practitioner

a email from jason@MachineLearningMastery.com

Hey, I want to share a little of my story with you.

It wasn’t that long ago that I was a developer interested in machine learning. I read blogs and websites and did not understand the theory or the math that I thought I needed before I could apply the algorithms.

I desperately wanted to get started applying machine learning but I was hung-up on the theory and the academic side and I could not move forward.

I knew the solution and was using it effectively, but it took me years to see it for what it was. As a professional developer, it was part of my job to stay on top of tools, techniques, APIs and programming languages. Like many developers, I did this by designing and executing small projects on the side that used a tool or technique in order for me to learn it through applying it.

It was difficult when my interest in machine learning was kindled. There were a few sites out there, but nothing that I felt spoke to me as first, as someone just plain interested in machine learning, and second as a professional developer. I spent hundreds of dollars on thick academic textbooks that I could not understand or appreciate until many years later.

Machine learning is described in academic language from books, papers and even websites. I felt (I now believe wrongly) that I had to get higher degrees to figure this stuff out. I quit my job and went back to school to earn a Masters and PhD degrees.

I completed my research work leveraging the skills I already had as a professional developer: designing and executing small projects in order to learn and master skills. I honestly believe that this skill is all you really need to do well in machine learning and that the higher degrees are a big waste of time (unless you love academics and research).

I came full circle and happily became a professional software developer again. I got to solve complex problems with machine learning techniques for real users that were interested and excited about the solutions.

Now I am honored to help interested professional developers (like you) to get started and become awesome at applied machine learning by writing blog post tutorials and even step-by-step training material.

That’s enough about me.

I’d love to hear your story and why you’re interested in machine learning? Hit reply and fill me in.

Jason.