Cohort Stories: Meet Abdirahman
vol. 5, no. 2 — guest post by Abdirahman Salah
As an immigrant who moved to the United States, I had to overcome a lot of challenges and learn how to live in a new environment. One of my main challenges at first was the language barrier. But with dedication and persistence, I was able to adjust. Over the years I’ve learned so many new things — I even started teaching myself how to code. At first it was frustrating, but at the same time it was very rewarding to see the projects I have successfully built. I started learning how to code with HTML and CSS to build small projects like a login page and a survey page.
Initially, my goal was to graduate from a four year university and get my bachelors, but with financial challenges I decided to self-teach and get certifications. It is very challenging, but with consistency and hard work I am able to overcome my challenges and continue learning about new technologies.
A lot excites me about the innovation industry, especially when using technology — there are no limits to what you can do. The sky’s the limit. In technology, Artificial Intelligence excites me the most. It is a huge concept; and when I first read about this topic I was fascinated by how big AI will become part of our lives in the future. Most of the work we do today will be automated in the future due to AI technology. This is very useful, especially for tasks that require precision.
I’m motivated by my ability to inspire others in what I do. I’m motivated by my goals that I want to accomplish for myself. My parents are immigrants who left their country to provide my siblings and I with better opportunities in life.
They have struggled and worked very hard to get me where I am today, and it would be a waste of their efforts to not work hard in life and achieve my goals.
