December 21, 2023
“I’m sorry, my responses are limited…you must ask the right questions”.
So says the hologram of Dr. Lanning, in the 2004 film I, Robot, starring Will Smith as Del Spooner, a detective investigating Dr Lanning’s mysterious death in a future world. The hologram, a form of AI, can only respond meaningfully to ‘the right question’. As the story unfolds, Spooner follows a trail of breadcrumbs and faces some confronting philosophical dilemmas.
Jacques Theron, a software developer and recent graduate from Mission Ready’s Advanced Software Development (AI & Cloud) certification, is currently developing a buy-sell website for design templates for Revived Design. After successfully completing a “gruelling yet rewarding” 19 weeks, he came away with an experience that led him to pursue his passion for technology and be successful at it. We reached out to Jacques for some insights.
“I heard about Mission Ready from a friend who did a UX course with them. I was unsure about what I wanted to do professionally, but I knew it was something software-related.” Jacques had been working for StretchSense, a company that designs and produces motion capture gloves. His interest in AI and databases brought him to the Mission Ready accelerator courses. “My friend really enjoyed his time at Mission Ready, so he suggested I consider doing the software development course.”
While Issac Asimov’s book “I, Robot” anticipated the early twenty first century as early as the 1950s; the current advances in the industry are prompting many people to re-imagine the future, upgrade their knowledge, to get a qualification or, as many others have successfully managed, to switch careers.
From the get-go, the fast-paced 19-week accelerator program seemed to have been a plus for Jacques. We wanted to find out what it is like to be at Mission Ready HQ and get through the program. “I learned a lot about a great variety of different technologies”. He went on to give us a good week-at-a-glance description. “Every week we were able to apply our learning by doing various assignments. The assignments are gratifying since you are given a lot of freedom regarding how you want to approach them. You can be creative, experiment, and have fun.”
Time factor aside, the inbuilt component of industry experience was another positive. Whether learning a new skill or making a career switch or to get certified, getting industry experience is key. “I was part of a small team and was essentially able to hit the ground running.”
For candidates just beginning their Mission Ready journey Jacques recommends starting assignments early, especially during the last ten weeks of industry experience. He also stresses the importance of reaching out to course coordinators to maximise learning and emphasises that keenness and passion to follow a breadcrumb trail like Detective Spooner in order to see a mission through to completion are qualities that’ll serve you well along the way.
With an 86% job placement rate, Mission Ready’s accelerators are designed in collaboration with a number of industry leaders. While funding information, scholarships and start-up grants may be applicable for some, what’s possible in 19 weeks may just be the right question.