upgrading myself

Hey everyone! I wanted to share a little about what's been happening lately in my world. Balancing a full-time job with personal growth isn't easy, but I've been making it a priority to keep learning and pushing myself. This past month has been pretty exciting because I'm finally diving into a hands-on project at work, which means coding (yay!), and I'm also learning about the cutting-edge world of Generative AI. Here's a peek into what I'm working on, why it's so exciting, and how I'm keeping myself motivated.

A New Work Project

Let's talk about this new project I'm working on at the office—it's a game-changer! Our goal is to automate the first layer of the conversion funnel. Imagine the initial conversations a customer might have with an agent when they reach out to us. Instead of having a person there every time, we're building an automated system that can handle basic inquiries.

How We're Building It

• The Tech: We're using an Large Language Model (LLM)¹ to power our customer interactions. The model allows us to create intelligent bots that can understand and respond naturally to common customer questions. My role focuses on the backend, where I'm setting up an API endpoint using FastAPI to manage these interactions.

• Team Effort: I'm working closely with one of our data scientists to make sure the backend is both reliable and seamlessly connected with the LLM. Together, we're building a system that provides accurate answers quickly and efficiently.

• The Process: Here's how it works—our FastAPI endpoint calls on the LLM, which retrieves and delivers responses based on customer inquiries. This setup saves our team a lot of time by reducing the number of hours needed for these initial interactions.

And the best part? I finally get to do some coding at work! Building something that will be used every day feels incredibly satisfying, especially since it's been a while since I had this level of technical responsibility on a project.

Learning GenAI with Kaggle

Outside of work, I've been diving into another tech adventure: Generative AI. Google has this course on Kaggle that I'm working through, and it's all about the latest techniques and applications in AI. It's amazing how this field is evolving, and I'm trying to soak in as much as I can!

Why I'm Focused on Generative AI

I've always loved AI, but generative models, specifically, are reshaping how we think about automation, creativity, and even interaction with tech. Plus, it lines up perfectly with what I'm doing at work. The more I learn, the more I think about how I could bring these ideas into our projects and add even more value to the team.

Learning through Kaggle has been a cool experience because they blend theory with practice. I'm not just reading about concepts; I'm also experimenting with models and seeing how they work in action.

My Takeaways on Growth and Self-Improvement

So, balancing this new work project and diving into learning on the side has taught me a few things. Here's what I'm taking away from this journey:

1. Small Wins Matter: Self-improvement doesn't have to mean big, flashy achievements. For me, it's about making little steps, whether it's automating one small part of the workflow or understanding a new AI concept.

2. Curiosity Leads the Way: I've found that staying curious is what keeps me motivated. When I got the chance to dive into Generative AI, I knew it'd open up so many ideas for future projects.

3. It's OK to Be a Beginner Again: Learning something new is humbling but so rewarding. Every time I figure out something small, like a new API call or a model tweak, I feel like I've grown a little more.

4. Celebrate the Little Things: Finally, I've learned that it's important to celebrate each win. From setting up my first API endpoint to running a successful script in my Generative AI course, each achievement fuels my motivation to keep going.

Wrapping It Up

I'm really enjoying this mix of hands-on work and self-learning. I know it's not always easy to find the time or energy, but for me, the payoff is absolutely worth it. Diving into coding at work, automating workflows, and exploring GenAI has not only made me a better professional but has also shown me how much I love learning.