Today we’d like to introduce you to Modupe Ajala.
Modupe, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I had a big career transition going from a non-technical field and not knowing how to code to becoming an Engineer at one of the biggest companies in the world, Amazon. It wasn’t an easy journey but it was achievable and I hope my story inspires others who are thinking about or are in the middle of a career transition.
Growing up, I had a passion for entrepreneurship and knew I wanted to have my own business someday. This led to me pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Business and later an MBA. Coming to the US, I realized that the world was driven by data, and having analytics skills was paramount for success as we prepared for the 4th industrial revolution.
I challenged myself by pursuing a Master’s degree in Data Analytics at the University of Massachusetts. There were situations when I considered quitting or changing tracks because I had imposter syndrome. When graduate school became challenging I assumed that tech wasn’t the right fit for me but with perseverance, I pulled through the obstacles I faced. One thing that kept me grounded was the people I surrounded myself with, they weren’t giving up so why should I? I stuck through graduate school and I learned how to code using Python and SQL.
I acquired knowledge in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and how to build different Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Mathematical and Statistical models. Over time I gained confidence in my skills and was bold enough to select the most challenging degree track/concentration; Big Data Engineering which ultimately led to my passion for AI/ML. Currently, I am a Business Intelligence Engineer at AWS AI/ML org where I build really cool solutions and tools by automating the majority of our processes with AI/ML.
I didn’t go through the traditional route of getting a bachelor’s degree in computer science or software engineering and I started my technology journey late but I have come so far already and I say that to encourage anyone who is thinking of starting something new, it’s never too late to learn a new skill or start afresh, with determination and hard work everyone can achieve their goals.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I have faced a lot of obstacles along the way, from having to pull all-nighters and spending extra time on my projects due to the lack of prior technology working experiences and competing with my predominantly white male tech-savvy classmates, to struggles securing a job after graduating at the peak of Covid. The rejections were really tough and they lowered my morale at the moment but they also made me strong and more resilient. No matter the challenges I faced, having a mindset of “I will figure this out no matter what” really helped me.
I believe if you stare at a problem long enough you would find a solution, so not giving up has always been the key.
What helped me during my difficult job search journey was taking a step back from mass applying to jobs. Instead, I took the time to improve my skills and read good books on behavioral and technical interviews. This gave me the confidence I needed to comfortably express myself in an interview setting and I believe my interviewers noticed the confidence I protrude during the interviews.
I went from mass applying to several jobs a day to writing down a list of companies I really wanted to work at, then applying to only 2-3 of them in a week. This freed up time to read the job requirements and tailor my resume and cover letter to meet those requirements and highlight my core skills. This turned out to be a more productive approach which landed me multiple job offers with several big technology companies.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently work as a Business Intelligence Engineer at Amazon. A BI Engineer at Amazon wears many hats, we work in the capacity of a data engineer, a data scientist, a data analyst, and somewhat a Technical Program Manager. I perform data engineering tasks in terms of building ETL pipelines, creating data tables, designing dataflow, etc. Additionally, I perform data science tasks in terms of creating statistical and machine learning models to make predictions or get insights into business needs.
I conduct data analysis by getting data from our databases, writing queries to get insights/ key metrics out of the data, and building user-friendly dashboards or reports to present those insights to stakeholders. I manage my projects by meeting with stakeholders to understand the business needs and to gather requirements for the tools/solutions I build. Afterwards, I create a design doc that is implemented through the lifecycle of the projects.
I am most proud of my Degrees, Training, and Certifications (Tableau, AWS ML, IBM ML), they show my dedication & investment in my work & skills, and they set me apart. My business background also sets me apart as I am able to quickly identify business needs and use my technical skills to create solutions for those needs. I am never done learning and I am always excited to challenge myself and learn something new.
What’s next?
I have many future career goals. I plan on going back to school for a Ph.D. in Data Science. I believe there’s so much more I can contribute to the world. I eventually want to go into Reinforcement Learning and start a company that builds robotics to help automate human day-to-day activities. I want to build machines that automate any task that requires less than 10 seconds of thinking. I think the world is gradually moving in that direction and I want to be a big part of that evolution.
Being in an academic setting brings out the creative side in me and I am excited about all the doors this will unlock.
This will also tie my passion for ML with my long-time passion for entrepreneurship and I am very optimistic about the future. It’s also a goal of mine to inspire more black young girls to go into STEM, we are very underrepresented in that space and that needs to change, I plan on dedicating my time in a way that improves diversity in the technology industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://modupeajala.wixsite.com/1208
- Instagram: @mo_diva1
- Twitter: @mo_diva1
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/modupeajala-3288
- Other: https://github.com/modupeajala
