Reflections from the study break

4 weeks into the sabbatical break of 6 weeks, and want to take snippet of my personal journal and put it out here about my reflections on why I wanted to take this experience and give a current snapshot of how it is going.

Why did I take this break?

I wanted to step back from the routine and the day job to create space in my head on the long term trajectory of my work. Reflect on how I landed into the current role of working as the software engineering in automotive field. I surely enjoy the current job of software engineering, architecting and designing new systems, creating proof of concepts of the new ideas, developing production ready software and so on so forth the job of software engineer. Going through the background of design engineering, user centric thinking, working with hard technical skills embedded systems development from hardware, middleware and application development prods me think to think at product level more often. This inherently pulls me towards thinking on higher abstract level of product thinking and approaching consumer centric thoughts processes into development activities.

I also wanted time to explore new skills and broaden my knowledge beyond the immediate demands of work. A break felt like a chance to recharge and avoid burnout, while supporting my wife on her fieldwork excursion in the Nilgiris. As a bonus, I get to spend much of my time in the mountains.

What I aspired to do in this break?

I planned to study topics such as machine learning and its applications in physical robotics, while making room for personal growth and projects. I also wanted to spend time on hobbies like sketching on my reMarkable, and to be more present with family and friends.

How it went until now?

Alas after three weeks of learning and practing the labs and projects I completed the Andrew Ng Machine learning Specilization course on Deeplearning.ai. I had taken a course in 2017 by Andreaw Ng, and hence this was a good entry point for revising the ML concepts and gain superior understanding into the model building with TensorFlow.

Next, I signed up for a deep learning course, with a focus on building more complex neural networks and understanding transformers. I have also been exploring the skills needed for Physical AI development.

Thoughts on what next? Trajectory into more impactful work

My current work combines software development with an architect’s responsibility to influence what we build and identify critical problems that can make the team more effective.

Architects also solve developers’ problems, advocate for new technology, build proofs of concept, and demonstrate ideas to stakeholders. These activities can influence designs toward solving users’ problems. I want to understand how I can bring these parts of my experience together to do more impactful work in field applications roles by collaborating at higher intensity with the user.

Work on the soft skills

I structured sessions to practice my communication skills, especially through storytelling exercises, and learn more about conscious leadership principles.