The 8-step quick-start guide to learn Machine Learning.

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10 machine learning questions you should be able to answer.

I started experimenting with a questionnaire before interviewing candidates. Applicants submit a video or written answers to apply for the position.

Thread: Let's look at 10 of these questions.

The questionnaire solves a couple of problems:

1. Weeds out candidates that aren't ready for the job.

2. It significantly cuts down the time we spend talking synchronously.

One problem: It requires extra time from the candidate before the phone interview.

Here are some numbers on a job posting before using the questionnaire:

• 249 applicants
• 13 good applications

That's only 5%.

This sucks.

Numbers after using the questionnaire:

• 44 applicants
• 21 good applications

That's 47%.

This is much better.

I look at it this way:

Sooner or later, I'll ask these questions, and the candidate will have to answer them.

I'd rather give them space and the opportunity to think about their answers without any pressure.

Those who can't or don't want to answer won't apply. That's fine.

Machine learning education is broken.

If you are preparing for a research position, you are good. If you are looking to get out there and start solving problems, not even close.

Here are some thoughts so you can get ahead.

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Most classes, courses, and books cover the same road.

They start with a dataset. They finish with a working model. The focus is always on everything that happens in between.

Dataset → Model.

This is great, but not enough.

Real-life situations rarely start with a dataset, and they never end after you finish building your model.

Applying machine learning successfully is hard.

Here are a few examples that you should keep in mind.

First challenge: Properly framing up the problem.

If you don't understand the problem, you can't determine what data you need. If you don't understand the data, you can't build a good model.

I've never seen a company that had their data ready to go.

In fact, most of them don't even have data at all and need you to determine what exactly they should start collecting.

You usually have to go Problem → Potential Solution → Data.

Beginners guide to start with machine learning.

What you need:

1. A programming language
2. A place to write and run code
3. A way to deal with data
4. A way to visualize results
5. A cool algorithm
6. An introductory course
7. A project to solve

Here are my recommendations.

Most people recommend Python to start.

I do too.

You can do machine learning with many different languages, but today, Python is the best option.

My advice: Get comfortable writing code before looking into machine learning.

You don't have to be a great developer to start.

But if you are, it helps.

Everything you know about building software is helpful to build machine learning systems.

Good developers have the odds in their favor.

"How much Python do I need to know before starting?"

If you ask, you aren't ready yet.

Ideal scenario: You should be comfortable building software. Most people get here within a year.

Let's move on to the 2nd item from the list: A place to write and run your code.

Get familiar with Google Colab.

• It's free.
• Requires no setup to start.
• It's available from anywhere.

Alternative: Kaggle.

I sat next to one of the smartest, most successful software engineers in the country for over 10 years.

Here's what I learned.

Fast is 10 times better than good.

9 out of 10 times, a "good enough" solution is all you need to unlock time, money, and attention.

Focus relentlessly on being first. Then take the time to be right.

Fast, then right.

Ship more frequently.

The faster you show your work to your users, the faster you'll hear their feedback, you'll adapt, and you'll ship again.

A question you should ask every day:

What can I do to ship this one day before planned?

Technical debt is a good thing.

Everyone hates technical debt. I think they don't know how to take advantage of it.

When used appropriately, technical debt means working on what truly matters and deferring anything that can wait.

No debt ⟶ You waited too long.

Ask, don't think.

People burn their time every day instead of asking for help.

You don't get extra points for working harder, especially when a little help will make you faster.

Time is your most valuable resource. Don't waste it.

An introduction to one of the the most basic structures used in machine learning: a tensor.

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Tensors are the data structure used by machine learning systems, and getting to know them is an essential skill you should build early on.

A tensor is a container for numerical data. It is the way we store the information that we'll use within our system.

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Three primary attributes define a tensor:

▫️ Its rank
▫️ Its shape
▫️ Its data type

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The rank of a tensor refers to the tensor's number of axes.

Examples:

▫️ The rank of a matrix is 2 because it has two axes.
▫️ The rank of a vector is 1 because it has a single axis.

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The shape of a tensor describes the number of dimensions along each axis.

Example:

▫️ A square matrix may have (3, 3) dimensions.
▫️ A tensor of rank 3 may have (2, 5, 7) dimensions.

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I've applied for a total of 10 development jobs in my life:

- 7 lead to interviews
- Of those 7, 4 was a good fit for me
- Of those 4, 3 offered me the job
- In all 3 cases, I negotiated a better deal

🧵 on what worked for me and what YOU can do to get similar results 👇

1. Apply for the RIGHT jobs. Look for midsize to large companies, not necessarily tech related. These tend to get way fewer applications than traditional tech companies, so it's easier to get your foot in the door - and they also tend to be great environments for learning.

2. Spend time on your application. Make sure your resumé and written application is tailored to the exact position. Recruiters or hiring managers can smell a copy/pasted resumé from miles away. Use as many words from the job spec in your application as possible.

3. Have a portfolio. Show off your skills and some personality on your website. This is a nobrainer for front-end devs, but it's true for other areas too. It's a great way to stand out over other candidates by actually *showing* the value you can create and your experience.

4. Establish personal contact. Send a quick message or make a phone call before applying. Just introduce yourself to the person in charge of hiring and ask a simple question. It's the best way I find to make them remember your application when you submit it.

In this thread, I will tell you how to learn python for data science in 1 hour 👇 1/N

It's not possible 2/N

It's not possible 3/N

It's not possible 4/N

It's not possible 5/N

1 There's a chasm between an NLP technology that works well in the research lab and something that works for applications that real people use. This was eye-opening when I started my career, and every time I talk to an NLP engineer at @textio, it continues to strike me even now.

2 Research conditions are theoretical and/or idealized. A huge problem for so-called NLP or AI startups with highly credentialed academic founders is that they bring limited knowledge of what it takes to build real products outside the lab.

3 A product is ultimately a thing that people pay for - not just cool technology or user experience. But I’m not even talking about knowledge gaps in go-to-market work. I'm talking purely technical gaps: how you go from science project to performant + delightful user experience.

4 Most commoditized NLP packages solve well-understood problems in standard ways that sacrifice either precision or performance. In a research lab, this is not usually a hard trade-off; in general, no one is using what you make, so performance is less important than precision.

5 In software, when you’re making something for real people to use, these tradeoffs are a big deal. Especially if you’re asking those people to pay for what you’ve made (can’t get away from that pesky GTM thinking). They expect quality, which includes precision AND performance.