Update: new Certifications and AI excitement

 It's been a while since i last blogged but so much has been happening i hardly know where to start.

First is work, I've moved onto a new project in the Public Health sector, returning to a project I worked on in the past. So much has changed and feel lost but slowly but surely getting there. Next is I passed two certification exams Salesforce Business Analyst and Salesforce AI Associate. This brings me to a total of 5 certifications and aiming for 10 as this is the point where we are no longer required to get two certifications per year to meet our kpi's. The Business Analyst cert took time, it was unfamiliar but i saw it as easier as i was running out of  time. I was wrong Business Analyst took much longer than i expected, this was due to being unfamiliar with the subject. Never the less I passed with a good score.

Next was AI Associate, I had done some high level AI training as part of mandatory training all employees must take. After some investigation and attending a workshop I discovered there was alot of overlap with what I already learned. So i jumped in head first and passed in less than three weeks with a very high score. While i'm excited about passing two exams I am all the more excited about learning about AI.

My employer has created optional but encouraged learning path in AI as this is a organisational priority. I've started grinding through the material and learning alot although some parts have a much steeper learning curve compared to the mandatory training had.

Learning about all these new interesting topics has my mind running at 100 miles per hour thinking where this could lead. As a result I've come up with a learning path both for work and personal learning. My goal is to keep learning skills relevant to my job and prepare for my next certification, all while accelerating my personal learning. the problem is i have so many ideas and paths i want to take I have recreated and modified my learning path so many times I lost track.

After much thinking I think i have a final path to follow. this has two tracks the first being Salesforce learning, my next certification will be JavaScript Developer 1 to stay on track with my current career. I will likely follow up with Platform Developer 2, however i hope to fit Data Cloud in Somewhere and learn a bit of Einstein AI.

The second track is to start the Open Source University Data Science Online Degree. This is an online equivalent of a Data Science Degree. I plan to do this in my spare time and maybe eventually go on campus if the opportunity arises.

I hope long term to pivot away from Salesforce although it's opened so many opportunities but it's direct (towards point & click) does not align with my interests and I am now passionate about Data. If i'm unable to pivot into AI I hope to move into Data Science or Engineering. potentially Data Analyst if all else fails.