Hey everyone! I'm 58 and have recently decided to get into machine learning and artificial intelligence because I've always been interested in technology. I thought this would be a great opportunity, so I've been going all in for the last three months—reading, watching YouTube, and taking online courses. However, I'm starting to feel really overwhelmed and a bit discouraged. It seems like younger folks are picking it up so easily while I find myself struggling with the basics. I'm reaching out to see if anyone has been in a similar situation and could offer advice on how to keep going. Are there any different learning approaches or resources you found helpful? I really want to push through this initial confusion—thanks a lot for any assistance you can provide!
2 Answers
I’m 72 and refuse to miss out on exciting technology! Here’s my advice: Start by building a simple neural network to recognize digits—grab a copy of "Make Your Own Neural Network" by Tariq Rashid. It’s only a few bucks and gives you hands-on practice. Also, check out articles that discuss the history behind AI; they help with the context. Just take it step by step, and don't rush it.
Don't feel bad about struggling! It’s a big field. Honestly, the people who seem to pick it up quickly often have a strong background in things like computer science. If you want to really dive into AI/ML, you’ll need to learn to program, understand algorithms and data structures, and have a grasp of statistics. That foundational stuff often takes much longer than just a few months. I'd say expect a learning curve of a few years if you want to go deep into the subject.
There used to be a fantastic free course on Coursera for building neural networks; I learned a lot from it!