# What I learned in my year at AIMS and what's next

Two weeks ago, my class mates and I celebrated our graduation from AIMS. Here are some of the things I learned and experienced this year (other than the mathematics I was there to study).

# Perseverance to study hard topics

Being part of a structured course pushed me to persevere through grappling with topics I thought were too hard for me to understand. The three-week course format and frequent changes in topics really pushed me to not be so scared of intimidating topics anymore.

# A year of taking stock of my career and life in general

I feel very lucky to have had this year of getting to take a step back from the daily grind. It allowed me the space to reflect on the work I've done up till now, what I still want to do in the future, and the role of work in our lives.

I naively thought that not working would feel like a permanent holiday. However, at some point after our course phase was done, I started to long for the structure and meaning that work gave me. Of course, it is possible to create this kind of structure and meaning for myself, but it requires effort and intention and there's nothing quite like external accountability.

# A renewed interest in and appreciation for software engineering

Related to the previous point, not working for a year gave me a different perspective on work in general and on my work as a software engineer specifically. When I started working again, it felt like a sort of homecoming. I'm very thankful that I get to solve software problems (and business problems by implication) as a job. It tickles the puzzle-solving part of my brain, there's always more to learn, and you can often see the results of your work very quickly.

A few of the AI students at AIMS asked me why I was returning to software engineering rather than going into the AI, because LLMs can write code now. The truth is that:

1. I really enjoy software engineering, and
2. I, perhaps naively, think that there will still be opportunities for human software engineers in the years to come, especially in industries where accuracy and security is of high concern.

That said, I don't intend to rely on being solely a software engineer for the rest of my career. It has always been my ambition to venture into entrepreneurship eventually. I realised that I've already picked up on quite a bit of the strategic thinking, lingo, and product focus that goes into building startups as a proxy of having worked at them and I intend to continue to keeping on doing so.

# The importance of in-person community

This was the most important thing I learned this year. After many years of working remotely, this year of living and studying in close proximity with about 100 students and teaching assistants was truly incredible. I loved how approachable and welcoming everyone was and that you could go sit next to anyone at lunch and have an interesting conversation.

I wish there were more spaces like AIMS in out in the 'real' world. I'm not quite sure what makes it such an easy space to feel part of, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that everyone is there for the same goal and only for a relatively short period of time.

It also helps that AIMS is located in Muizenberg. Even though Muizenberg is part of the city of Cape Town, it has its own (surfer's) identity, vibe, and devoted residents. I became a regular the Reef Surf Shop, not only for its surfing gear, but mostly for its delicious coffee and friendly baristas I got to know by name. The promenade along the beach was where I watched some spectacular sunsets and where we escaped to for fresh air in between lectures. The Commons was a chilled spot to escape to to go read and listen to some funky music.

# What's next?

My "next" has already started actually. After defending my final research project and going on a short holiday in the mountains, I started working at a FinTech called Gr4vy (opens new window). I've worked in FinTech before and actually with some of the same colleagues as well when I worked at Yoyo (opens new window).

The emphasis on building reliable, accurate, scalable, and secure software, while still having a startup spirit is something I enjoy about working at these types of FinTechs.

An interesting new addition to my work life will be a four-day work week. I will only be working Mondays to Thursdays for Gr4vy. I want to use my Fridays to work on my own projects, including this blog, and on building my other skills and knowledge.

All in all, it has been a very special year at AIMS and now I'm looking forward to learning, growing, and building software at Gr4vy, while also taking on more challenges for growth in my personal life in the future!

I leave you with this picture of me taken after my defence: