As I mentioned several weeks ago, I am a doctor who is endeavoring to learn the programming language called Python.
My reason for pursuing this, which sounds rational, goes something like this:
1. The future of healthcare is Artificial intelligence and Big Data.
2. To understand the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Big Data you need to understand Machine Learning.
3. To understand Machine Learning, you need to be well grounded in one of three or four programming languages, one of which is Python.
Well on paper this all sounds fine, but in practice, how is my journey actually going?
Right now I’d have to say great!
In the photo above you can see my library study set up.
About three times a week, with a Tumi bag on my back, loaded with my book and a laptop, I journey to the library and spend about three hours, three times a week carefully going through my assignments – all in preparation for my Saturday morning class.
Right now I’m in that difficult phase of learning a language. Whether it is Python, French, or ancient Greek, there is a phase in language learning which is the equivalent of the crux of a mountain climb: The easy stuff is out of way (some of the simple grammar and simple vocabulary) and now I’m trying to actually create and build programs – which is the equivalent of writing paragraphs and essays in a foreign language.
Fortunately for me, my neurons devoted to attention and focus were honed and toughened up during medical school, and I have been actually really enjoying these 2 – 3 hour batches of focus and concentration.
Even more exciting, I’m beginning to see where healthcare thought patterns and software thought patterns begin to overlap and converge.
Example? When I recently read the Harvard Business Review issue devoted solely to AI technology, I was able to read it both from a physician’s perspective and, to a limited extent, as a software designer’s perspective. A relatively unique experience I think!
Anyway, it’s an exciting time.
Although I feel quite comfortable I’m going to make it through the initial knowledge hump in Python, I am well aware that the jump from Python to Machine Learning and then the jump from Machine Learning to Artificial Intelligence and the practical applications within healthcare will be much steeper, But, hopefully, I will be addressing these with as much enthusiasm as I do now.