Posts made by Julien

Thanks, I am currently learning how to use GitHub to drop my projects on it. I wasn't aware of GitLab though.

If I don't want to work as a web developer, do I have to create a web page as a portfolio or no?

Thanks for your message.
I do try to figure things out by myself but I come to ask to get extra informations. As for a project I'm interested in, I don't think I have the luxury to choose, I should practice on whatever I can get. My personal project are what interest me, but those are personal.

Thank you for your link, I'll check! As for your project, I would like to work in AI field (for now, we will see once I get more advanced). The web doesn't excite me but as I said If I can get better in what I do I don't care on what I'm working on.

I have built some small programs but I don't think I have skills to build something complex for now. I'm also working on putting them online and upgrading my resume.

I also believe that if I connect and work with people, I will learn faster and discover more things.
Do you know where to go to join open source project? I have no clue where to start.

Hi guys,

As a beginner programmer (and Linux admin on my free time), I am interested getting an internship to improve my skills, but also improve my future chance of having a job. I don't expect to get paid (I don't think I deserve to get paid yet ha-ha).

Any advise?

Thanks in advance!

Hi guys,

I finally found the topic to introduce myself, I'm not used yet to chat with people on forums. ^^'

Beginner, I'm currently learning about Linux and Python and I am seeking for any opportunity to work on project to improve my skills!

A big thank you to @scottalanmiller that made me discover MangoLassi.it - great place to be for a newbie like me haha!

See you around guys!

Thanks again everyone for all of the informations!

@scottalanmiller said in Beginner, where to start?:

One of the best ways to get started without having a software engineering job is to pick a project that you like. Either a project for you to undertake; or an existing project that you can join like an open source project, and just jump in and attempt to contribute. This gives you two things... first a portfolio piece to talk about; and secondly it gives you a concrete goal on things to learn.

I don't know if you call those projects, but I passed the nanodegree from Udacity "Intro to programming" (which I don't recommend haha), then I started to build a little software to talk with (It was more like I was talking to myself because the output were written by me lol).

Thank you all for your kindness, it feels less cloudy in my mind.
I really appreciate all of those advice!

@scottalanmiller said in Beginner, where to start?:

@Julien said in Beginner, where to start?:

Let's use an exemple, I learned some blacksmith skills with my grandfather when I was young, it was clear that to build a knife you need your set of tools and practice. I didn't have to choose between 10 type of hammers, 20 type of stoves...

I worked in metal manufacturing. Choosing the "blacksmith tools" alone means you just chose one of many hammers and stoves. You just worked with whatever tools were already at hand. But you had hundreds of different ways to make a knife. Your mentor, in that case, did the choosing for you.

But if you were asking me how to make a knife, I'd be pretty unlikely to approach it anything like how your grandfather did. I might not even use the same kinds of materials. I might even talk about glass, obsidian, or ceramic knives!

You can approach AI in the same way. Pick a language at more or less random. Pick a framework more or less at random. And just start going at it. Or you can try to learn all the possible ways to do it.

But there is a certain value to seeing how actual people who do the job you want to do do it, and then use the same tools as them. I think that hardest part right now is defining who it is that you want to emulate.

I see.

My example with blacksmith was mostly to express how frustrating it is to do not know where to start at first. In my mind the language matter on what you are interested and is a long process so you better not choose the wrong one.
Also, sometimes internet doesn't help to guide beginners haha

@scottalanmiller said in Beginner, where to start?:

@Julien said in Beginner, where to start?:

My goal is to be able to work in a year or less, I don't care about the money for now.

I think you have to step back and realize that AI is very specifically an insanely niche part of the industry that has no entry level point.

This is like my Bard's Tale example. I wish more people knew that game. But in that game, you could be a Mage or a Conjurer at level one. If you wanted to become a Sorcerer, you had to master either Mage or Conjurer first. If you wanted to become a Wizard, you had to master any two of Mage, Conjurer, and/or Sorcerer. If you wanted to become and ArchMage, you had to master all four.

AI is like being a wizard. You can't get any real AI job when you are starting out in software engineering. There just aren't many AI jobs and those that are out there expect some serious experience. You get that experience by putting in lots of time doing non-AI programming.

Getting a job in the software engineering world in a year, yes that is very doable. Getting one in AI in a year? That's not realistic. It has nothing to do with you or where you are, no one is going to go from ground zero to AI programmer in a year. AI is the most advanced thinking that humans do. There is so insanely much to learn. And AI is a research field. So getting paid to be a researcher is always tough. You always have to do a lot of proving before you start doing that kind of stuff.

Maybe I didn't express myself well but I when I meant working in the industry in a year or less related to AI was because I don't know the steps before this. It's not like there is a manual with a path to follow to build software to interact with.
I don't have the vocabulary or knowledge to express what I really mean or want to I tried with my own words.

I'll try your game, it's looks like it's the type of game I like to play haha!

@scottalanmiller said in Beginner, where to start?:

@Julien said in Beginner, where to start?:

R seems to be related to data, I am not sure it's something I like.

AI is a data field.

In my mind data is like make diagram like in school when you do statistic lol...

I'm going to try to put what I read with my own words :

• Prolog and Lisp seems to be used for advanced AI and deep mathematical problems - Hard to learn but possibility to do many things even though I don't really get the difference between them.

• R seems to be related to data, I am not sure it's something I like.

• Python is easy to learn but is mainly used for script, data and non complex system

• C++ is used in video games, can build powerful system but not as complex as Prolog and Lisp.

Unless I'm saying something stupid, isn't better to learn and master very few technologies instead of learning a little bit of everything?
It's also really frustrating to have so many languages and technology claiming to be used in AI (or any other field) but not having clear explaination of what it can do...

Let's use an exemple, I learned some blacksmith skills with my grandfather when I was young, it was clear that to build a knife you need your set of tools and practice. I didn't have to choose between 10 type of hammers, 20 type of stoves...

Also, it might sound weird for some people but I intend to make a living asap with what I learn. I rather start small and being able to work in the field then having an idea. My goal is to be able to work in a year or less, I don't care about the money for now.

I forgot to mention that until now I was learning Linux (I like the fact that I can interact with my system and configure things) and Python because I thought it was the best option to get me in the industry easier and faster. For the long term I wanted to learn a more complex language that can be versatile in AI.

Thank you everyone for your help, I'm going to check all of those links.
So far I was studying Python but I wasn't sure if I was on the "right track" anymore...

Also, thank you Scott for giving some of your time yesterday, I learned a lot from you!

Sorry for the A. I part, I just fixed the space, but do you guys use the point between the two letters?

Hi everyone,

I am new here, this is my first time posting on a forum, so I hope I'm posting in the proper section.
I'm interested in AI and robotics (building software and robots to interact with or to make them doing tasks for me), if you have any tutorial and programming language to learn to propose I would gladly accept.

I am trying to keep my post as I short as possible, therefore avoiding putting information that is unnecessary so If you have any question please let me know.

Thank you for your time!