New _____
Jeremi recaps and refocuses; Luca shifts summer plans
Welcome back to Jeremi and Luca’s Newsletter, a weekly update from two friends connected by a relentless desire to learn.
Enjoy a closer look at what we’re reading, working on, and thinking about—from the small learnings to the large perspective shifts.
Luca: New York
Hi! I’m writing this on the plane to Costa Rica for spring break with Jeremi and our dads. We’ll be surfing in Tamarindo and can’t wait to let you all know how it goes.
This week’s update has to do with my summer plans, which have changed considerably and quite rapidly.
Last week, I got an email from the founder of Gander, a startup building AI scheduling and maintenance products for aviation operators. The company is backed by Y Combinator, among other VCs. Remember, Y Combinator (or YC) is the startup accelerator I interviewed for and got rejected from last semester.
The founder was interested in tapping into the Berkeley talent pool and saw my experience in the aviation sector, so he thought he’d reach out.
We hopped on a call the next day and had a great conversation about his product and business strategy. It was high energy and very engaging. By the end, we were discussing the prospect of me heading to New York to work with them this summer.
The only complication? My existing plan to work as a summer business analyst at Capital One in McLean, Virginia, just across the Potomac from D.C.
I’m hugely appreciative of the support I got from a few current employees when applying there, as well as my recruiter, interviewers, and everyone else who has worked to build me an amazing summer at Capital One.
But, no matter the complications, the number one thing I’ve wanted to optimize for this summer is learning. Wherever I can learn the most is where I should be. Of course, that is likely corollary to the value I can add, the people I’m around, etc.
After a few more calls this week, it became clear that working with this startup will optimize for learning better than any other opportunities I have on the table: working in New York, on AI products applied to aviation, with a smart and fast-paced cohort.
Plus, there’s the added benefit that my role at the company this summer almost seems made for me. It’ll leverage my core skills and a network in aviation I’ve built over the past couple of years. Opportunities to learn and add value will be everywhere.
Jeremi: New Quarter
I just finished my last final of the quarter. With an open calendar and a week before classes begin again, I want to reflect on the past ten weeks and prepare for the next ten ones.
The big difference-maker for me this quarter was focus. I minimized my schedule to a few key responsibilities, then worked really hard to do my best in each of those areas.
I accomplished this mainly by saying no: dropping my job, stepping back from a club, taking less units. This let me focus more on the classes I was taking; mainly, the graduate class on Robot Learning. Instead of trying to learn Artificial Intelligence and Robotics via side projects, I made it into a responsibility with its own deliverables. It now required my full attention.
This trend—of focus—is one I want to continue and extend into the next quarter. With this last quarter under my belt, I feel like I can be strategic about how I go about learning.
In the grad class, I saw clear gaps of knowledge in my theoretical understanding of machine learning. To that end, I’m going to take a course on the mathematical foundations of machine learning
I surprised myself in how much I enjoyed my classes centered around hardware. I’m taking two more of those next quarter—one in analog and digital circuits, and the other in digital logic design.
I learned a lot through my project. I intend to do a research project under the professor who taught the grad course, James Preiss. He’s been willing to support me, and I want to make the most of that. I’ll talk about this more in future weeks.
With my focus narrowing, I’m tending towards more specialization. But it doesn’t feel restricting to be specializing. I don’t think I will be a purely technical contributor in my career. For now, the things I want to build require deep technical knowledge. The challenge remains fresh, and it contributes to my long-term goals.
If or when that changes, I will shift my approach accordingly.
Spring break. Perfect timing for you two!
Now focus on relaxing, resting, enjoy family and some you time. !!
And lots ice cream 🍦 ❤️
the part on refocusing was very interesting. It reminded me my surprise when I concentrated to prepare a history exam - it was the first and only time I did - surprisingly, I sincerely enjoyed the process.