“IQ isn’t as important as attitude.”
Namit Vig has a great attitude.
Twenty mins in I realised he didn’t know why we were talking. He’d just agreed to talk ML.
“ML changes so fast; the ability to learn new things is more crucial than prior knowledge.” I ask how he got involved with ML, then how he approached the field.
“People around me were working on it, I thought why shouldn’t I have a look at it.” “I was intrigued by the algorithms.”
“I just coded Matlab, so begun with ML theory.”
“R now useless, I needed python.”
“Python’s good, but how to train a model?”
“Then how do neural networks work?”
“Now big data.”
“Then, how do I actually deploy?”
Que sera, Coursera.
“Very practical, like market basket analysis…just makes sense!”
When does it stop – I’m exhausted listening.
“Who says it has to stop?!”
“For me it’s like an investment, a certification to stay with me my whole life.”
“It’s exciting. An investment I’m putting in me.”
“Most important thing is to have fun doing what you do."
“I’m having fun.”
“If I get to hear this word ‘Mongo DB’ in the future, then I won’t be scared, you know?”
“Your manager gives you a work assignment: ‘can you do that?”
“I really don’t want my answer to be a no.”
It seems the best way to learn ML is to Vig Namit.