Today, I officially begin my Data Science and Machine Learning journey with ALX Africa, and to be honest, I’m feeling a mix of emotions: excited, overwhelmed, hopeful, and maybe a little anxious.
It’s been a long time coming. I’ve danced around the idea of getting into ML since 2022 — reading up on what ML engineers do, watching videos, and bookmarking courses I never started. I’d get excited, then doubt would creep in. “Am I really cut out for this?” “Do I have the time?” So, I’d step back.
But not this time.
This time, I’m giving it my all. I finally took the bold step and enrolled in ALX Africa’s Data Science track, and today marks Day One.
Why Now?
Because the curiosity never left.
Even when I joined ALX’s Cloud Computing program earlier this year, the interest in ML was always lingering in the background. It kept showing up — in the articles I read, the projects I admired, and the impact I wanted to make. Eventually, I decided to stop ignoring that nudge and lean into it fully. You can read all about that here.
Balancing Life, Work, and Learning
This journey isn’t happening in a vacuum. I still have my full-time job as a software engineer, ongoing side projects I care about, and, well… life. So, yes. Time management is already shaping up to be one of my biggest challenges. But I’m determined to make it work.
One prayer? God help me. Because it’s going to take discipline, faith, and a lot of grace to juggle it all.
What to Expect on This Blog
I plan to document the journey here — raw and honest.
Each week, I’ll share what I’ve learned, projects I’m working on, mistakes I’ve made, breakthroughs I’ve had, and maybe even the occasional mini-rant when things get frustrating.
This isn’t just a portfolio. It’s a personal record of growth.
If you’re curious about data science or thinking about transitioning yourself, I hope you find something relatable, encouraging, or helpful here.
And if you’re already on your own ML journey — welcome! Let’s grow together.
As we say at ALX: #DoHardThings.
