A Little Bit About Me, My Brain, and Why I Love Technology
Growing up in a middle-to-low-income family taught me not to focus too much on myself. Honestly, I was even confused when people asked me, "What is your hobby?" Like... I don't know? I was too busy thinking about what I needed to do next.
But yeah, having limited financial access has somehow become a privilege for me too.
I am a person who has a lot going on in my head. I can suddenly jump from one idea to another in a millisecond because of literally anything that crosses my mind. And honestly, it's interesting because my brain is crowded and noisy with or without caffeine.
Because of that, living with other people is not always very beneficial for me. My brain bandwidth can get stretched and overwhelmed very easily. So, to deal with that, I choose to live independently from my parents, colleagues, and even my neighbors.
For a long time, I thought maybe my interpersonal skills were not developed properly. Or maybe I was just an introvert. Yes, maybe I am.
But now I think it is more about how much I listen to my own brain and make decisions based on my brain's judgment.
With a little help from my brain extension, called Generative AI 😜😛😝.
Sooo, if you are reading this blog and wondering why I suddenly jump from one topic to another...
Welcome to my brain!
The Backpack of Hope
Going back to my experience of not having many financial resources growing up, I had to find other ways to continue my education.
One of those ways was scholarship.
I was fortunate enough and blessed to receive a scholarship during my bachelor's degree, from 2011 to 2015, with a monthly stipend at Sampoerna School of Education, which is now Sampoerna University.
I took English Language Teaching as my major because I wanted to improve my English.
And yes, I did.
My English definitely became much better compared to where I started.
At that time, I was basically carrying a big backpack full of hope, wishing that somehow, someday, my quality of life would improve.
Teaching Became My Foundation
After graduating from my bachelor's degree, I started working as a teacher. Over the years, I have taught different things:
I also expanded my skills into instructional design, syllabus development, curriculum development, and writing and editing teaching and learning materials.
Looking back, I think these three things have shaped me into who I am today:
Teaching + English + ICT
They have followed me through almost every stage of my career.
And Then Technology Happened
One thing I really appreciate about technology is how much it can expand what one person is capable of doing. Knowing how to use different tools has helped me work faster and more efficiently. Sometimes, technology allows me to handle more than one role or project at the same time.
And honestly?
I adore technology.
That is probably one of the reasons I made one of the boldest decisions in my academic life. I decided to pursue a Master's degree in Informatics. I am currently studying at Universitas Pelita Harapan, Indonesia.
It is a well-known university in Indonesia and is part of the Lippo Group ecosystem. The tuition is definitely not cheap, so since I am funding my studies myself, I had to look for ways to make it more manageable.
Luckily, I received a discount on the tuition.
Every little bit helps.
And the more I learn about AI, the more interested I become.
Then I Fell Into the AI Rabbit Hole
Right now, I am learning about Information Retrieval, which eventually led me deeper into Natural Language Processing (NLP) and, of course, Generative AI.
Most people probably know the products before knowing the technology behind them:
ChatGPT. Gemini. Copilot. Claude.
But I became interested in what happens underneath. How does a model actually work inside a system How can we make a system retrieve information about a specific topic? How do we evaluate whether the model is actually doing a good job? What metrics should we use? How should we set the parameters?
And then there is the mathematics.
Oh, the mathematics.
I actually really enjoy looking closely at how the math works behind these systems.
There is something very satisfying about taking something that looks like magic and slowly realizing that there is actually a structure behind it.
And Then... Robotics
And now I am getting into robotics too.
I am learning some very basic robotics concepts that many people probably learned when they were much younger.
Meanwhile, I am learning them now.
And you know what?
That's okay.
Maybe this is simply my timeline.
Maybe this is the timeline God saved for me.
I don't think learning something late automatically means you missed your chance.
Sometimes, you simply arrive at something when you are finally ready to appreciate it.
And honestly, building something with an ESP32, connecting some wires, making an LED turn on, or watching a tiny sensor respond to something...
It makes me ridiculously happy.
Maybe because there is a little kid somewhere inside me who finally gets to play with robotics.
So... What's Next?
Well.
I am thinking about pursuing a PhD.
And if I get the opportunity, I want to explore the intersection of Generative AI and Education.
Because I know there are still so many people around the world who struggle to access quality education.
I know what it feels like to have limited resources.
And I also know how powerful education can be when someone finally gets the opportunity to access it.
So maybe this is where all these seemingly random pieces of my life are actually going:
- Teaching.
- Technology.
- AI.
- Education.
- And a slightly chaotic brain.
My big ambition is simple:
Generative AI and education, where quality learning can become more accessible to everyone.
I don't know exactly where this journey will take me. But I know I want to keep learning. I want to keep building. I want to keep teaching.
And maybe, someday, I can build something that helps someone else get the educational opportunity that I once had to fight so hard to find.
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