Should I self study machine learning

Python
#1

Hello every one,
I am 23 years old civil engineering student, but this is not the good field to work in right now in my country and it requires a lot of physical and social work which I am not good at.
I saw a new udacity AWS ML scholarship I joined thinking I will need to learn python and start with ML but I found out that I will need to restudy a lot of math(My least favorite courses in college and the worst degrees) and even then if I got the nanodegree all jobs require at least a bachelors degree at CS and there are no jobs available in my country.
I am in a bad situation financially and mentally right now.
So, should I but the time and effort or find another field to study?

** I am not a very smart person or even a smart person so no one should expect me to do something new or different I know if some is a genius he/she could self study quantum mechanics , but I am not that person.

#2

Machine learning is basically an application of statistics, so maths is pretty important in this sector. Note ML/AI jobs generally require an advanced degree (Masters to PhD) and as things stand currently there are far fewer positions open than for other parts of the software industry.

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#3

I understand there are a few positions in that field I just saw the opportunity and I wanted to study a new thing for the future rather than front-end web development or civil engineering because there are a lot of people in those fields in my country.
I think I should find another thing to do the problem I have very limited resources and options are limited.
Is there any AI fields I can self study and get a job?

#4

AI/ML/DS requires a Masters or PhD in general. Self study will not make you look like an attractive candidate compared to someone with a graduate degree.

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#5

Hey @DanCouper ,by advanced degree are you referring to a mathematics degree or ML/AI degree?

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#6

A graduate Mathematics or CS degree with a focus on statistics, ML, or AI is what you would need.

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#7

hey @AhmedMoataz i also want to get into ML/AI and i can somewhat relate to your situation
dont be so hurt on yourself ,i think you should watch plenty of ML and AI documentaries to get yourself excited about this field and just relearn Mathematics.

even if your not good at mathematics eventually you’ll come to love it…i am also slowly relearning Maths check out Alison.com for free mathematics and tech video courses online, if you cant afford school then self-learn(do what you can).

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#8

As an example, just go to (eg) indeed.com and search for machine learning – there are only a few junior jobs but note the requirements. On the UK portal, at this minute, there’s only one (junior) position that doesn’t ask for an advanced CS/Maths-related degree, and that job spec is asking for at least a 2:1 in a STEM subject, and it specifically states it has to be from a top tier university.

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#9

Thanks, everyone for not stopping me from wasting my time.
@DanCouper @JeremyLT You are right all jobs require a degree I just wanted to learn something new to help me I am scared of my future my job will require a lot of effort and I am not a good fit for that.
I tried web development but for one reason or another, I failed like always.

@regosenne I didn’t like math (or didn’t study enough to like it) but I didn’t fail either I took 4 math courses in school (Math 1 to 4) only the first two I didn’t study a lot so I didn’t get good grades -I am pretty sure it not the same as the courses in the USA- but I didn’t fail in any of them and I took statistics and probability course and did very well in it but if there is no chance there is no point for going through that again
**Now back to youtube to watch gaming videos :joy:

Sorry everyone for my bad English it’s not my first language -no **** Sherlock- :rofl:

#10

Hello…I am 26 and I live in Zimbabwe. I graduated with a ChemE degree and job-wise in a similar situation as you.

The economical and industrial situation does not seem promising at all so I am not counting on that changing for my future. It’s been like this for 20 years and getting worse.

My advice is that you don’t entirely put your self at the mercy of getting a job. You can sharpen your tech and PR skills and you will be able to create business for yourself. Competition is everywhere. You have to be willing to fight through it. If you really want to put yourself on a winning path in a country like mine you need to consider not wasting time at all. Games? YouTube? Man you got it made but that’s up to you man. I can’t do that because where I am, I have to learn new things whilst making a living and I simply can’t have time to play games. I’m either learning or creating man and it’s starting to pay off.

I would also advise that you get some skills to lean on for cash if a job doesnt materialize fast. Learn to sell. Learn to market. That will support you as you learn whatever you will choose to learn or do in the future. You have internet? Freelance. If you can make some bit of money now whilst at school, you can make money later when you really need it.

I may have answered a question I have myself in my own head. Sorry if I missed the point.

1 Like
#11

Thanks man.
I did that -learning new things- a long time ago.
I started with design and advertising since I was in preparatory school, but that didn’t work.
I had some blogs and forums and that didn’t work either.
I tried to learn 3d modeling but it didn’t.
I was interested in web development but I had no resources in my language because people were interested in something else.
I had an Upwork account since they called it oDesk.
now it’s easier to learn about these things, but I am talking about the days before youtube.
I didn’t do that well in high school I am stuck in learning something I don’t like that much in a bad institute -Which is a replacement for colleges for not so smart people like me to study with their money instead of free colleges or good private colleges-
I was learning more about web development on and off only in the summer.
But I realized I can’t be good at it like everything else and with badling, bad physical health, high blood pressure, bad mental health, and some religious complication I am just existing right now.
Now I know what went wrong but can’t do anything about it.
I am sorry for my terrible English and wasting your time.

#12

Ok I wish you well ok…stop putting yourself down man…I think you are awesome…not wasting my time at all …and your english is quite impressive.

#13

Impressively bad :joy:
I didn’t take any courses “Obviously”, So blame Grammarly
I am trying to go back and work on my design skills and quite programming for now.

#14

Hello by self-study I learn machine learning and now with machine learning algorithms. I’m developing new device by this for the healthcare sector.

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#17

Certain companies may require a masters or PHD but with the new stuff that Trump just signed degrees literally mean nothing. Look it up seriously… So with that said. Yes math is important to any programming language. if you have to spend some time learning the math then do so. Do not ever give up on your dreams ever… You have one life to live so make it great…

#18

Yeah, but what is the point of wasting time when I can’t get a job.

#19

learn something hard and creating something with those hard skills is rewarding on itself

don’t stop when you struggle, as it’s when you struggle that you improve in an hard skill

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#20

Yeah, I started learning some Math anyway :sweat_smile:
It will take me a very long time to even start learning about ML
assuming I don’t go to the military -mandatory military service-

#21

I’m a machine learning engineer who came from a business background. Here are my two cents on your issue:

First, it is possible to get into machine learning without a Master’s or Ph.D. in the field.
But you will need a credible substitute for the degree to prove that you have the skills. Self-study alone is usually not sufficient.

I suggest you look for data analyst positions in companies that also have needs for machine learning/data science. The bar is much lower for a data analyst. You might start out doing Excel analysis. But you can learn machine learning in your free time and then gradually look for opportunities to use your modeling skills in your data analysis work. If you do a good job, you’ll have a good shot at transferring into a machine learning position because the company already knows you, and your work is evidence that you know your stuff.

The skills you should initially focus on are Python programming, SQL/databases, and statistics, and math.
I see the math concerns you especially. It doesn’t have to. I’ve written a series of blog posts on statistics, linear algebra, and calculus required for machine learning (the forum doesn’t allow me to post more than two links, but you’ll find the last topic easily if follow the first two).

If you read through the posts and understand the topics, you have a very good foundation for applied machine learning. No need to take years of advanced calculus in university.

Next, study sci-kit learn, and perhaps a Deep Learning framework like TensorFlow.

Once you’ve got this under the belt, you are in a good position to tackle some personal projects. Head over to Kaggle, download a dataset that interests you and start applying your models.

The next step is professional projects and you are on your way to being a full-fledged machine learning engineer.

1 Like
#22

yes you can all u need is the basics bro