How A ZTM Student Became A Machine Learning Engineer

One of the things that I see again and again across different students when writing these success stories, is a drive to learn new things.

It’s the same habit that makes 10x Developers and peak performers in all fields.

But the beauty of it, is that it’s the same path and pattern of habits almost every time. They find a topic they enjoy, learn it, and then continue to skill up further.

Today I want to share an inspirational story about a Zero To Mastery student who is just like you, so you can see what's possible when you put in the work.

Meet Alessandro

Hi, my name is Alessandro Lamberti, I live in Rome, Italy and I'm currently a Machine Learning and Computer Vision Engineer for NTT DATA.

During my time here, I’ve designed and developed a cloud pipeline that empowers computer vision and audio analysis techniques to distill full-day sports event footage, achieving a 40-70% reduction in video storage needs, thereby delivering substantial cost efficiencies and enhancing data manageability.

I also developed a crowd analysis project by implementing Computer Vision algorithms to analyze camera streams, enabling precise estimation of individuals’ age and gender, while also assessing overall crowd density. This resulted in enhanced surveillance capabilities and enriched data for crowd management strategies.

So yeah - I've been putting my ZTM training to work!

How long have you been in your current role?

Around a year and a half.

I started back in November 2022, so that makes it around 19 months now. However, I have a total of 3 ½ years of professional experience in Machine Learning and Computer Vision.

I first started out as an intern at CSERMAC AI laboratory, and then was hired full-time by them as a Computer Vision Engineer after 6 months.

The company's focus is on innovations in Deep Learning, AI and Computer Vision.

After that, I moved to IPS Intelligence, (a company that specializes in cyber intelligence and supports law enforcement and homeland security), working as a full-time Machine Learning Engineer.

Before that, I was also a full-time university student, enrolled in Telecommunications Engineering, at the Sapienza University of Rome.

What was the goal or outcome you were hoping for from ZTM, and did you achieve it?

I didn't like the trajectory that my career was going. It was the third year of university, 2020, during the first lockdowns, and I was expecting to learn valuable programming skills during my course but I felt like it needed more.

Even though I did C and MATLAB back in university, I didn't feel like I had a complete grasp of programming until I found ZTM's Python course.

It took me around 2 weeks to complete this course, and then after that I took the Machine Learning, AI and Data Science course.

This one took me around 3 weeks to complete, but helped me land my internship that I mentioned earlier.

Looking back now, I probably rushed them, but I had a very solid mathematical and linear algebra background that helped me pick up things fast.

As for my goal?

Well, given my career so far, I can definitely say I achieved what I wanted to: a shift in my career and development!

What were your biggest hesitations and doubts you had before deciding to join ZTM?

Honestly, none. I knew I had to do the work if I wanted to change something, nothing comes for free.

Once I knew I needed to learn something new and supplement my skills, I checked out ZTM, some blogs, as well as courses on Udemy, Coursera for deep learning etc.

I was already a fairly techy guy, and I knew my way with a laptop and had solid computer science basics thanks to the university, so I didn’t have any issues following the courses.

What was your learning experience like?

Fairly comfortable, but consistent. I had dedicated a few hours to learning new things every day, and so I set aside 2-3 hours on a daily basis. Sometimes this would vary due to other exams and university studies, but I tried to keep to it where possible.

Editor’s note: This is one of the habits that help people become a 10x developer, and why we recommend regular, consistent short learning periods over time - especially if you’re busy.

I also loved the Discord community and speaking with Daniel Bourke. He was incredibly helpful and such a great guy!

The Discord community is such a nice add-on, not only due to the instructors and mentors giving a hand when needed, but also because you often find minds similar to yours, which is always a pleasure.

As for the quality of the materials, the content, editing and instructors were great.

What has been the biggest challenge in your journey from learning to code to getting hired?

My first resume was very bad and very empty (maybe a half page), but I did try to fill it with some personal projects, and that definitely helped in giving me some credibility.

I was very lucky though. I only used Linkedin at first, and I was either contacted by recruiters (2020 was a good year for that as we all know) or I simply applied to interesting positions. I only applied to a few companies, less than 10, all within my area.

I got my internship and was then quickly hired (6 months of internship and then my role).

I feel like the biggest challenge for me was making sure that the company saw the value in me despite the fact my university background was different from software development and Machine Learning.

That being said, I was doing project work and creating a portfolio, which definitely helps.

Now that you have your new position, how do you feel?

I feel like I can show I have value and I know my way around. I'm also more confident in my skills.

Not to mention, but the pay is far better than it was when I was an intern!

What advice would you give other students who may have been in your position and are now considering joining the ZTM Academy?

OK so a few things:

• Don't rely only on courses for your education. You should also supplement and learn the latest innovations
• When it comes to courses, don't just watch them passively. Build, build, build, and get your hands dirty, as its the best way to learn (and also show, so you can get hired)
• Companies care only up to a certain point (if any) that you did some courses or degrees. They care more that you can do the work, so focus on learning other supplemental skills, and learn how to get to the next stage of your career!

So what are you waiting for? Be like Alessandro and level up your own life!

Are you thinking of starting a career in Machine Learning like Alessandro, but not sure where to start?

Why not take the exact same course that Alessandro used, and take our complete Machine Learning, AI and Data Science course. (Which also teaches Python basics if you’re a complete beginner).

Once you join, you have access to every course in the Zero To Mastery Academy library, including further Machine Learning and Deep Learning courses on Pytorch, Tensorflow, and many more.

Not only that, but you’ll get access to the ZTM private Discord community, where you can ask questions from your course teachers, as well as chat with other students and working Machine Learning professionals!

There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. You just have to start like Alessandro, and can pick up these new skills in just a few hours per day.

You just have to get started, so check out the course now!