Information Ninja

Here’s Q1 for @lizjosullivan:

how did your academic background help you get your start in #AI? #AICareerChat

— Nick Tang (@nickhtang) May 16, 2019

A1. In college, I studied Philosophy and Science, although admittedly, when I got to Organic Chemistry, that was just about the end of my scientific career, haha. I wanted to study something technical… (1/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

but I was no good at 3D thinking, a must-have for understanding the complex shapes of molecules. Philosophy turned out to be the perfect background for me, for a lot of reasons. (2/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

It teaches you how to argue proofs with symbolic logic, which turns out to be very useful, since it’s boolean logic, used all the time in code. If you can make your way through a difficult conversation on the nature of free will with a sound logical argument… (3/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

Philosophy also taught me how to express very complex ideas as simply, and concisely as possible. This translated into the right skill set for teaching these concepts to staff and clientele, which is how I got my start in tech- through Account Management (Customer Success). (5/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

In college, I had also spent some time in the service industry to make ends meet, where I learned how to sell, and that background was enough to get an entry level job at a startup. For anyone looking to grow skills early in their career… I can’t recommend startups enough. (fin)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

How important are #softskills when it comes to getting an #AI career? #AICareerChat

— Nick Tang (@nickhtang) May 16, 2019

AI is surprisingly intuitive and subjective, so understanding how to communicate complex ideas to engineers and clients is insanely valuable. Often, the people who write the code aren't as good at communicating what it means, which leaves a lot of room for humanities… (1/2)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

…scholars to help. But more than that, there is a huge push for social science, human rights, and artistic contributions to this field to keep its impact grounded in social good. "Can we build it?" must be paired with "Should we?", and non-tech folk are needed for that. (2/2)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

Here’s Q2 for @lizjosullivan:

do you have any other advice for non-STEM/high school/career changers? #AICareerChat

— Nick Tang (@nickhtang) May 16, 2019

A2. Absolutely! My advice to non-technical folks is exactly that — Startups! Startups often have to compete with major tech firms for talent, and as such are more willing to take a chance on career-changers or folks early in their climb. There’s always too much to get done (1/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

…so it gives you a chance to explore other job roles and find those that most suit your skills. Often, a job at a startup can translate into a career change within that same startup, or a transition to a larger company. (2/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

For me, I fell in love with entrepreneurship, and have stuck to tiny companies for the whole 10 years I’ve spent in tech. Because I chose startups, I was able to explore careers in sales, marketing, product management, content marketing, people management, and operations! (3/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

The smaller the startup, the more chances you have to pick up additional skills. That’s how I got my start in image annotations, and where I first learned about bias in AI, and it’s made me one of a small group of people who have had to deal with these issues first hand. (4/n)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

My background in sales has translated directly to fundraising for startups, and my background in Philosophy has made me into an evangelist and product explainer. So, you see, there will always be a need for humanities and communication, even in the most technical of fields. (fin)

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019

And the first #AICareerChat is done!

Thanks again to my guest @lizjosullivan!

You taught all the non-#STEM majors how to get an #AI #career!

Now, it’s up to them to use your #advice

— Nick Tang (@nickhtang) May 16, 2019

Thanks for having me, Nick! And if anyone would like to learn more, happy to chat about career things any time. Hit me up!

— Liz O'Sullivan 👾 (@lizjosullivan) May 16, 2019