I am coming towards the end of my studies and I feel an urge to make another attempt at sales after the negative experience I had 14 years ago. The urge I have is a gut instinct that is telling me that I can be successful, a feeling that has been pulling at me for well over a year.
10 years ago I was selling TV and broadband door-to-door. I tried for a few months, got frustrated and finally gave up. Despite me being a people person, with an inate ability to build rapport, talkative, humourous I fell flat on my face. Looking back and reflecting, I can identify some of the area's where I was failing. I was selling to people, where people did not want to be sold to, my product knowledge wasn't the best, but more importantly- I seemed to freeze up when I was 'getting in houses'. At the time my boss and my colleagues were totally bemused as to what was going wrong.
Now I want to try again, I don't want to do door-to-door again, walking around in the cold and rain, but I will if that's what it takes.
I want to arm myself with skills and insights before I embark on my journey to try and stop the same thing happening again.
Fully aware that experience is the number one resource of learning, but I am looking at doing an online course and reading books to help me. I'm listening to The Psychology Of Selling by Brian Tracey and already I've learned so much that I wish I had known 14 years ago.
If there is any advice, resource, approach or suggestions anyone could offer, it would all be greatly appreciated. You guys have been superb to me so far, I just want to say thanks for that first of all.

I am coming towards the end of my studies and I feel an urge to make another attempt at sales after the negative experience I had 14 years ago. The urge I have is a gut instinct that is telling me that I can be successful, a feeling that has been pulling at me for well over a year.
10 years ago I was selling TV and broadband door-to-door. I tried for a few months, got frustrated and finally gave up. Despite me being a people person, with an inate ability to build rapport, talkative, humourous I fell flat on my face. Looking back and reflecting, I can identify some of the area's where I was failing. I was selling to people, where people did not want to be sold to, my product knowledge wasn't the best, but more importantly- I seemed to freeze up when I was 'getting in houses'. At the time my boss and my colleagues were totally bemused as to what was going wrong.
Now I want to try again, I don't want to do door-to-door again, walking around in the cold and rain, but I will if that's what it takes.
I want to arm myself with skills and insights before I embark on my journey to try and stop the same thing happening again.
Fully aware that experience is the number one resource of learning, but I am looking at doing an online course and reading books to help me. I'm listening to The Psychology Of Selling by Brian Tracey and already I've learned so much that I wish I had known 14 years ago.
If there is any advice, resource, approach or suggestions anyone could offer, it would all be greatly appreciated. You guys have been superb to me so far, I just want to say thanks for that first of all.

It didn’t really start off good but I would always want to remember him💘 Maybe not in this life hope it works out in the other.. You were the first person whom I guess I genuinely loved maybe I was not good at showing it but those teasing annoying you was my kinda way of showing love I had never really loved anyone in my life but it was my first so… It was kind of hard not showing that I liked you though it was obvious enough but I guess it didn’t mean a lot to you but for me it meant it lot… Maybe it was me that didn’t make the move it was my first so I was kinda scared of rejection I suppose and mostly I thought things would not work out so I never did :( I didn’t really had a good image of him and I had always thought that staying away from him was the best but like knowing him everything changed…. That image that I had of him in my mind was completely shattered I really did enjoy talking to him but mostly I could not to him in person first of all I used to get so shy and I don’t know abt him like did he also really like me? Though I never asked and I would never I really wanted to know maybe he just saw me as a friend that’s okay though :) I didn’t really expect much cuz I never dated so But as we started talking firstly his replies was fucking late like I would sit there literally waiting for his replies😩 Like who replies after 1 day my letter would deliver faster😟 But I kinda got used to it and even knowing the time he used to online so i would wait for his replies in those times and get super mad if he is online and is still not replying to me🙄 Anyways our talks was like nothing serious like I never really asked him any personal questions cuz if a person feels comfortable they would automatically say it itself that’s what I believe so… So we did talk about our day and I would talk every single detail about my day to my surprise I feel he is a pretty good listener like I would write a whole paragraph and he would read it and ask me about those small details… Those moments I would be smiling like a fool Days passed by we did talk everyday but I always had thoughts that one day we would completely stop talking but it’s just better for both of us just my thoughts. Though things happened where I was obviously jealous cuz he used to always be with that one girl though she was nice but seeing him with someone else really did hurt me so I used to just run fast back home… Though there were days where we completely stopped talking and we used to just share reels and nothing though I used to see him everyday Just didn’t really knew how to converse with him… First of all the reason I really liked him was that he really took his studies seriously I admired that the most so I started working hard along with him.I found out that we both had very similarities like studying at night and we were really not a morning person 🤪 I feel that he really helped me get back on track with my studies seeing him really motivated me… Maybe he doesn’t know it but he really left a big impact in me and I’ll forever will be grateful for that.. The way you used to ask me to call you to wake u up to study i was genuinely excited tbh first I though you would pick up the call like damn u texted me that I’m up so I was like this is how it is so nevermind 🧐 Sorry for days in which I could not wake u up cuz broo even I need to fucking sleepppp😭 But texting you after waking u up was genuinely fun😼 like those nagging to not fall asleep again I like doing it 😗 I really wanted to thank you for helping me in my studies you were really there when I needed you and I loved the feeling that someones really out there who is equally working as hard as me right now …

Recently I was mindblown when I saw a Linux Desktop mainline environment called XFCE running on RG35KK Plus/H devices. I know these devices can be connected via HDMI to a small monitor of my liking. But I have a question (or questions).
Does the XFCE Linux Desktop running on the RG35XX Plus/H grant the ability to do ...

1. Word processing/Powerpoint (handle some sort of opensource free lightweight office suite ?)
2. Reading PDF files
3. Checking and Managing Email
4. Using a Web browser to watch YOUTUBE videos at a low res like at 480p with OK performance
5. Using a Web browser to log in to and use Reddit and do general web browsing like Wikipedia/Reading
6. Getting ok performance from Web browser while a MAX of 5 tabs open(youtube and reddit among the tabs)
7. Watching offline mp4 videos and listen to mp3 files from an SD card
8. Connecting a Webcam peripheral and conduct a Google Meets video chat call
9. Using an online AI like ChatGPT or some sort sort of similar AI bot through the browser OR a desktop app to generate TEXT and TEXT REPLIES
10. And finally ... playing classic PAC MAN within the desktop (native or emulator through the linux desktop UI)

*These aren't the heaviest computing tasks one can do. But this is all I do and this is all I NEED to do.
I'm asking in such detail because RG35XX Plus/H has ONLY 1GB of memory, so I'm sort of doubting it's ability and capabilities. So I want honest opinions of you RG35XX Plus/H boys and girls who have used the XFCE Linux Desktop on this device. So can these 10 tasks be run individually (NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY) without exploding (JK, I mean without causing massive lagging of) the device ? Also I'm not a big multi tasker , but if AT LEAST 2 of these 10 tasks can be done in the XFCE Linux Desktop environment simultaneously (at one given time) WITHOUT causing massive performance issues ... then I would really consider this handy little device as an extremely rudimentary and ultra portable throwaway desktop replacement for me. Do you think that this device in its XFCE desktop environment would be able to handle 2 of these listed 10 tasks simultaneously (at one given time) ?

I am hoping to chat with someone and hopefully be good friends.
About me: I’m 30, I do not get outside much currently, thanks to mental health stuff (Mental health is a bitch right?) & the main problems I have are basically General anxiety disorder, depression and agoraphobia.
Thanks to that I spend most of my time indoors gaming or watching movies and anime, or listening to music.
I don’t have any friends because of it online or irl, I’ve been trying to make friends online multiple times but so far no luck. It usually takes a little while to warm up to someone and get used to chatting, but if I get a good vibe from someone I will usually be pretty talkative straight away.
General Hobbies: Gaming usually on Xbox series X or PS5, watching movies mostly the old classics from the 80’s/90’s, watching tv shows like GoT, and some anime too.
For the gamers my current games: baldurs gate 3(Xbox) Final fantasy 14 online(Light Dc), Red dead redemption online (PS5) and a few others.
If you read my post and wanna chat send me a message I will respond when I can :)

I am hoping to chat with someone and hopefully be good friends.
About me: I’m 30, I do not get outside much currently, thanks to mental health stuff (Mental health is a bitch right?) & the main problems I have are basically General anxiety disorder, depression and agoraphobia.
Thanks to that I spend most of my time indoors gaming or watching movies and anime, or listening to music.
I don’t have any friends because of it online or irl, I’ve been trying to make friends online multiple times but so far no luck. It usually takes a little while to warm up to someone and get used to chatting, but if I get a good vibe from someone I will usually be pretty talkative straight away.
General Hobbies: Gaming usually on Xbox series X or PS5, watching movies mostly the old classics from the 80’s/90’s, watching tv shows like GoT, and some anime too.
For the gamers my current games: baldurs gate 3(Xbox) Final fantasy 14 online(Light Dc), Red dead redemption online (PS5) and a few others.
If you read my post and wanna chat send me a message I will respond when I can :)

I am hoping to chat with someone and hopefully be good friends.
About me: I’m 30, I do not get outside much currently, thanks to mental health stuff (Mental health is a bitch right?) & the main problems I have are basically General anxiety disorder, depression and agoraphobia.
Thanks to that I spend most of my time indoors gaming or watching movies and anime, or listening to music.
I don’t have any friends because of it online or irl, I’ve been trying to make friends online multiple times but so far no luck. It usually takes a little while to warm up to someone and get used to chatting, but if I get a good vibe from someone I will usually be pretty talkative straight away.
General Hobbies: Gaming usually on Xbox series X or PS5, watching movies mostly the old classics from the 80’s/90’s, watching tv shows like GoT, and some anime too.
For the gamers my current games: baldurs gate 3(Xbox) Final fantasy 14 online(Light Dc), Red dead redemption online (PS5) and a few others.
If you read my post and wanna chat send me a message I will respond when I can :)

I am hoping to chat with someone and hopefully be good friends.
About me: I’m 30, I do not get outside much currently, thanks to mental health stuff (Mental health is a bitch right?) & the main problems I have are basically General anxiety disorder, depression and agoraphobia.
Thanks to that I spend most of my time indoors gaming or watching movies and anime, or listening to music.
I don’t have any friends because of it online or irl, I’ve been trying to make friends online multiple times but so far no luck. It usually takes a little while to warm up to someone and get used to chatting, but if I get a good vibe from someone I will usually be pretty talkative straight away.
General Hobbies: Gaming usually on Xbox series X or PS5, watching movies mostly the old classics from the 80’s/90’s, watching tv shows like GoT, and some anime too.
For the gamers my current games: baldurs gate 3(Xbox) Final fantasy 14 online(Light Dc), Red dead redemption online (PS5) and a few others.
If you read my post and wanna chat send me a message I will respond when I can :)

I am coming towards the end of my studies and I feel an urge to make another attempt at sales after the negative experience I had 14 years ago. The urge I have is a gut instinct that is telling me that I can be successful, a feeling that has been pulling at me for well over a year.
10 years ago I was selling TV and broadband door-to-door. I tried for a few months, got frustrated and finally gave up. Despite me being a people person, with an inate ability to build rapport, talkative, humourous I fell flat on my face. Looking back and reflecting, I can identify some of the area's where I was failing. I was selling to people, where people did not want to be sold to, my product knowledge wasn't the best, but more importantly- I seemed to freeze up when I was 'getting in houses'. At the time my boss and my colleagues were totally bemused as to what was going wrong.
Now I want to try again, I don't want to do door-to-door again, walking around in the cold and rain, but I will if that's what it takes.
I want to arm myself with skills and insights before I embark on my journey to try and stop the same thing happening again.
Fully aware that experience is the number one resource of learning, but I am looking at doing an online course and reading books to help me. I'm listening to The Psychology Of Selling by Brian Tracey and already I've learned so much that I wish I had known 14 years ago.
If there is any advice, resource, approach or suggestions anyone could offer, it would all be greatly appreciated. You guys have been superb to me so far, I just want to say thanks for that first of all.

A Daily chronicle of AI Innovations May 16th 2024:

🤔 Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions 🪫 Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell
🍎Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts
🤖Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o
💸Stability AI seeks buyer amid financial woes
📽️Mozilla Firefox incorporates NVIDIA RTX video to improve video quality on Windows
☁️Musk's AI firm xAI In talks with Oracle for $10 billion cloud deal
❄️Snowflake invests in Metaplane to enhance data quality
😱 Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI
📱 Android phones enter the AI era
🗣️ How to clone your voice using AI
🤔 Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions

• Microsoft's commitment to being carbon-negative by 2030 is threatened by a 30% increase in its carbon emissions, largely due to its growing focus on AI technologies.
• The company's expansion of AI operations necessitates building more data centers, which rely on energy-intensive materials like steel, concrete, and microchips, further complicating their carbon reduction goals.
• Despite its renewable energy claims, Microsoft is acknowledged for using instruments like renewable energy credits (RECs) that might mask actual carbon emissions, indicating a challenging path ahead to meet its sustainability targets.
• Source

Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell

• Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion.
• The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney.
• Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023.
• Source

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.

Another noteworthy addition is Music Haptics, designed for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. When enabled, the Taptic Engine in iPhones plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations synchronized with music audio.
Additionally, Apple has introduced Voice Shortcut, which allows users to create custom voice commands for specific actions on their devices. With Voice Shortcut, users can perform tasks hands-free by simply speaking their personalized commands
Why does this matter?
This would encourage the development and advancement of AI technologies in the accessibility domain, ultimately benefiting individuals with disabilities across different platforms and devices.
Source

Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o

Humane has upgraded its popular AI Pin product with the GPT-4o model. This upgrade aims to enhance the AI Pin’s performance. The new version runs faster, provides more accurate answers, and offers richer information.
[ca
Why does this matter?
As more sophisticated AI models become accessible, we can expect further improvements in various applications, from digital assistants to natural language understanding and generation.
Source

Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI

OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever announced that he is leaving the company — following months of speculation of Sutskever’s role from the November 2023 Sam Altman ousting.

• Sutskever said he is confident that OpenAI will ‘build AGI that is both safe and beneficial’ under the current leadership.
• Also leaving is Sutskever’s superalignment group co-lead Jan Leike, announcing his departure with a cryptic resignation post.
• The news follows months of departures largely coming from OpenAI’s superalignment and safety teams, fueling speculation.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman named Jakub Pachocki as the new chief scientist, a key researcher on the creation of GPT-4.

After months of tensions, the speculation around Ilya’s future with Sam is finally put to rest. But questions surrounding the safety team departures still remain. Also important to watch is where Sutskever and Leike land next, with two of AI’s brightest minds now officially on the market.

Android phones enter the AI era

Google announced a host of new AI integrations coming to Android phones at its I/O Developer Conference, bringing its powerful Gemini model on-device to enable upgraded smartphone experiences.

• Google’s Gemini Nano model will be integrated into the Pixel later this year, allowing for enhanced multimodal capabilities.
• Gemini features will be easily accessible with a new overlay, which improves and understand context to provide dynamic suggestions.
• A Circle to Search feature, allowing users to query anything on screen, gains homework help features via a LearnLM model.
• Google is also bringing a new AI security feature soon, providing real-time alerts on calls that appear to be scams.

While everyone awaits the iPhone AI announcements, Google’s Android AI era is rolling. With Gemini coming directly on-board, the potential is there — but if Apple integrates ChatGPT, it may remain tough sledding against the dominant market leader.
Source

AI TRAINING How to clone your voice using AI

A new model on Replicate called OpenVoice lets you clone any voice for free with just an audio file and the desired text to be turned into speech.
Step-by-step: Access OpenVoice on Replicate here and log in with your GitHub account. Upload the audio file of the voice you want to clone where it says ‘audio’. The longer, the better. Fill the ‘Text’ field with the text you want to convert into a speech. Click on the ‘Run’ button and listen/download the generated audio with the cloned voice!

New AI Job Opportunities on May 16th 2024

• Lambda - Manufacturing Quality Engineer
• Anthropic - People Operations Coordinator
• Figure AI - Humanoid Robot Pilot
• Luma AI - Senior Software engineer- Data infrastructure

What Else Is Happening in AI on May 16th 2024

‍Instagram co-founder joins Anthropic as head of product
Anthropic has appointed Mike Krieger, the co-founder of Instagram and Artifact, as head of product. In this pivotal role, Krieger will steer the company's product engineering, management, and design efforts as Anthropic expands its suite of AI apps and aims to bring Claude to a wider audience. (Link)
IBM plans 800 new jobs in Ireland
IBM plans to hire up to 800 more people in Ireland to help build advanced software underpinned by AI technology. This is the biggest job announcement in the country’s multinational sector this year. The roles will be in research and development, digital sales, and consulting. (Link)
Mozilla Firefox incorporates NVIDIA RTX video to improve video quality on Windows
Mozilla Firefox has incorporated NVIDIA RTX Video, a technology that leverages AI to improve video quality on Windows PCs and workstations. This brings a host of AI-powered enhancements to online videos, including upscaling and HDR, for a more immersive viewing experience. Users can easily access these features by updating GeForce RTX drivers and activating Windows HDR. (Link)
Musk's AI firm xAI In talks with Oracle for $10 billion cloud deal
Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, is in talks with Oracle executives about a $10 billion deal to rent cloud servers from Oracle over several years. This move comes as Musk’s company seeks to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google to dominate the AI field. (Link)
Snowflake invests in Metaplane to enhance data quality
Snowflake, a data cloud platform, has invested in Metaplane, a Boston-based startup. Metaplane focuses on helping enterprises identify and rectify data quality issues using an end-to-end AI-powered platform. The investment aims to enhance integration between Metaplane’s data observability offering and the Snowflake data cloud. (Link)

Enjoying these updates? Support me by downloading and subscribing to my AI educational Apps below: Wonderland Bedtime AdventuresRead Aloud For Me - Safe AI for All - WebRead Aloud for me - Safe Ai for All - iOS Read Aloud for me - Safe AI For All - AndroidRead Aloud For me - Safe AI For All - Windows

Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions

• Microsoft's commitment to being carbon-negative by 2030 is threatened by a 30% increase in its carbon emissions, largely due to its growing focus on AI technologies.
• The company's expansion of AI operations necessitates building more data centers, which rely on energy-intensive materials like steel, concrete, and microchips, further complicating their carbon reduction goals.
• Despite its renewable energy claims, Microsoft is acknowledged for using instruments like renewable energy credits (RECs) that might mask actual carbon emissions, indicating a challenging path ahead to meet its sustainability targets.
• Source

Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell

• Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion.
• The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney.
• Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023.
• Source

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.

Microsoft’s AI ambitions lead to 30% rise in emissions

• Microsoft's commitment to being carbon-negative by 2030 is threatened by a 30% increase in its carbon emissions, largely due to its growing focus on AI technologies.
• The company's expansion of AI operations necessitates building more data centers, which rely on energy-intensive materials like steel, concrete, and microchips, further complicating their carbon reduction goals.
• Despite its renewable energy claims, Microsoft is acknowledged for using instruments like renewable energy credits (RECs) that might mask actual carbon emissions, indicating a challenging path ahead to meet its sustainability targets.
• Source

Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell

• Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion.
• The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney.
• Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023.
• Source

Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts

Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-ai-push-imperils-climate-160020868.html
🪫 Stability AI reportedly runs out of money and in negotiations to sell
Stability AI, known for its open-source image generator Stable Diffusion, is negotiating a sale due to financial struggles, despite a valuation of $1 billion. The company raised over $100 million in 2022 but struggled to turn its free software into revenue while facing stiff competition from rivals like OpenAI and Midjourney. Founder and CEO Emad Mostaque resigned amid management issues, and the company faces significant expenses and liabilities, projecting $153 million in costs against only $11 million in revenue for 2023. Source: https://the-decoder.com/stability-ai-reportedly-runs-out-of-money-and-in-negotiations-to-sell/
Apple unveils AI-enhanced eye tracking, music haptics, voice shortcuts
Apple recently unveiled new accessibility features that will launch later this year. One of these features is Eye Tracking, which enables users with physical disabilities to navigate their iPhones and iPads using only their eyes.
By leveraging the front-facing camera and AI, Eye Tracking allows precise control through a “Dwell Control” feature, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
Another noteworthy addition is Music Haptics, designed for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. When enabled, the Taptic Engine in iPhones plays taps, textures, and refined vibrations synchronized with music audio.
Additionally, Apple has introduced Voice Shortcut, which allows users to create custom voice commands for specific actions on their devices. With Voice Shortcut, users can perform tasks hands-free by simply speaking their personalized commands
Why does this matter?
This would encourage the development and advancement of AI technologies in the accessibility domain, ultimately benefiting individuals with disabilities across different platforms and devices.
Source: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/05/apple-announces-new-accessibility-features-including-eye-tracking
Humane’s AI Pin upgraded with GPT-4o
Humane has upgraded its popular AI Pin product with the GPT-4o model. This upgrade aims to enhance the AI Pin’s performance. The new version runs faster, provides more accurate answers, and offers richer information.
Why does this matter?
As more sophisticated AI models become accessible, we can expect further improvements in various applications, from digital assistants to natural language understanding and generation.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/15/24157731/humane-says-its-ai-pins-just-got-a-gpt-4o-upgrade
😱 Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI
Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike leave OpenAI OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever announced that he is leaving the company — following months of speculation of Sutskever’s role from the November 2023 Sam Altman ousting.
Sutskever said he is confident that OpenAI will ‘build AGI that is both safe and beneficial’ under the current leadership.
Also leaving is Sutskever’s superalignment group co-lead Jan Leike, announcing his departure with a cryptic resignation post.
The news follows months of departures largely coming from OpenAI’s superalignment and safety teams, fueling speculation.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman named Jakub Pachocki as the new chief scientist, a key researcher on the creation of GPT-4.
After months of tensions, the speculation around Ilya’s future with Sam is finally put to rest. But questions surrounding the safety team departures still remain. Also important to watch is where Sutskever and Leike land next, with two of AI’s brightest minds now officially on the market.
📱 Android phones enter the AI era
Android phones enter the AI era Google announced a host of new AI integrations coming to Android phones at its I/O Developer Conference, bringing its powerful Gemini model on-device to enable upgraded smartphone experiences.
Google’s Gemini Nano model will be integrated into the Pixel later this year, allowing for enhanced multimodal capabilities.
Gemini features will be easily accessible with a new overlay, which improves and understand context to provide dynamic suggestions.
A Circle to Search feature, allowing users to query anything on screen, gains homework help features via a LearnLM model.
Google is also bringing a new AI security feature soon, providing real-time alerts on calls that appear to be scams.
While everyone awaits the iPhone AI announcements, Google’s Android AI era is rolling. With Gemini coming directly on-board, the potential is there — but if Apple integrates ChatGPT, it may remain tough sledding against the dominant market leader.
Source: https://blog.google/products/android/google-ai-android-update-io-2024
AI TRAINING 🗣️ How to clone your voice using AI
How to clone your voice using AI
A new model on Replicate called OpenVoice lets you clone any voice for free with just an audio file and the desired text to be turned into speech.
Step-by-step:
Access OpenVoice on Replicate here at https://replicate.com/cjwbw/openvoice and log in with your GitHub account.
Upload the audio file of the voice you want to clone where it says ‘audio’. The longer, the better.
Fill the ‘Text’ field with the text you want to convert into a speech.
Click on the ‘Run’ button and listen/download the generated audio with the cloned voice!
New AI Job Opportunities on May 16th 2024
🔬 Lambda - Manufacturing Quality Engineer: https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59796724-manufacturing-quality-enginee
📋 Anthropic - People Operations Coordinator:
https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59882127-people-operations-coordinator
🤖 Figure AI - Humanoid Robot Pilot: https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59875233-humanoid-robot-pilot-evening-shift
💻 Luma AI - Senior Software engineer- Data infrastructure: https://jobs.therundown.ai/jobs/59880695-senior-software-engineer-data-infrastructure
What Else Is Happening in AI on May 16th 2024❗
🧑‍Instagram co-founder joins Anthropic as head of product
Anthropic has appointed Mike Krieger, the co-founder of Instagram and Artifact, as head of product. In this pivotal role, Krieger will steer the company's product engineering, management, and design efforts as Anthropic expands its suite of AI apps and aims to bring Claude to a wider audience. (Link: https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/15/anthropic-hires-instagram-co-founder-as-head-of-product)
💼 IBM plans 800 new jobs in Ireland
IBM plans to hire up to 800 more people in Ireland to help build advanced software underpinned by AI technology. This is the biggest job announcement in the country’s multinational sector this year. The roles will be in research and development, digital sales, and consulting. (Link: https://www.reuters.com/technology/ibm-add-800-ai-related-jobs-ireland-2024-05-15)
📽️Mozilla Firefox incorporates NVIDIA RTX video to improve video quality on Windows
Mozilla Firefox has incorporated NVIDIA RTX Video, a technology that leverages AI to improve video quality on Windows PCs and workstations. This brings a host of AI-powered enhancements to online videos, including upscaling and HDR, for a more immersive viewing experience. Users can easily access these features by updating GeForce RTX drivers and activating Windows HDR. (Link: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/ai-decoded-rtxvideo-firefox)
☁️Musk's AI firm xAI In talks with Oracle for $10 billion cloud deal
Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, is in talks with Oracle executives about a $10 billion deal to rent cloud servers from Oracle over several years. This move comes as Musk’s company seeks to keep pace with rivals like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google to dominate the AI field. (Link; https://www.reuters.com/technology/elon-musks-xai-nears-10-bln-deal-rent-oracles-ai-servers-information-reports-2024-05-14)
❄️Snowflake invests in Metaplane to enhance data quality
Snowflake, a data cloud platform, has invested in Metaplane, a Boston-based startup. Metaplane focuses on helping enterprises identify and rectify data quality issues using an end-to-end AI-powered platform. The investment aims to enhance integration between Metaplane’s data observability offering and the Snowflake data cloud. (Link: https://venturebeat.com/data-infrastructure/snowflake-invests-in-metaplane-to-solve-data-quality-issues-plaguing-ai-development)
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I'm curios what you guys thing but the engineer job really doesn't fit you. For example you got people like wolverine who I literally don't get how he could even fit into an engineer job I feel like he would just start ripping things by how frustrated he would get. You got people like James bond and John Wick and I just don't see it I feel like they would get bored of it and move on. Kirito from sword art online I feel like he wouldn't even want to try being an engineer. I feel like most ISTP at least in fiction would encounter an engineer problem and they would look at it and be like I'm not going to wait around with something stupid like that and they would just blow up what ever is stopping them from going across. I personally think you guys would fit the job of a soldier more I don't know what their called but someone who is a soldier but they are a one man one army kind of person and don't listen to the plan where they are very rebellious. What do you guys think does the engineer fit you if not what would fit you guys more.

Recently I was mindblown when I saw a Linux Desktop mainline environment called XFCE running on this handy little device. I know the device can be connected via HDMI to a small monitor of my liking. But I have a question (or questions).
Does the XFCE Linux Desktop running on the RG35XX H grant the ability to do ...

1. Word processing/Powerpoint (handle some sort of opensource free lightweight office suite ?)
2. Reading PDF files
3. Checking and Managing Email
4. Using a Web browser to watch YOUTUBE videos at a low res like at 480p with OK performance
5. Using a Web browser to log in to and use Reddit and do general web browsing like Wikipedia/Reading
6. Getting ok performance from Web browser while a MAX of 5 tabs open(youtube and reddit among the tabs)
7. Watching offline mp4 videos and listen to mp3 files from an SD card
8. Connecting a Webcam peripheral and conduct a Google Meets video chat call
9. Using an online AI like ChatGPT or some sort sort of similar AI bot through the browser OR a desktop app to generate TEXT and TEXT REPLIES
10. And finally ... playing classic PAC MAN within the desktop (native or emulator through the linux desktop UI)

*These aren't the heaviest computing tasks one can do. But this is all I do and this is all I NEED to do.
I'm asking in such detail because RG35XX H has ONLY 1GB of memory, so I'm sort of doubting it's ability and capabilities. So I want honest opinions of you RG35XX H boys (and girls) who have used the XFCE Linux Desktop on this device. So can these 10 tasks be run individually (NOT SIMULTANEOUSLY) without exploding (JK, I mean without causing massive lagging of) the device ? Also I'm not a big multi tasker , but if AT LEAST 2 of these 10 tasks can be done in the XFCE Linux Desktop environment simultaneously (at one given time) WITHOUT causing massive performance issues ... then I would really consider this handy little device as an extremely rudimentary and ultra portable throwaway desktop replacement for me. Do you think that this device in its XFCE desktop environment would be able to handle 2 of these listed 10 tasks simultaneously (at one given time) ?

I don’t want an 100% rejection rate. I wouldn’t care about being lonely if I was turning people down all the time or if just one person took interest in being a friend, an interest, or a date. I have 0 options with me trying and not trying. No one has a true 100% rejection rate there’s probably a non-psychotic good person you don’t like that likes you back.
I can’t even go outside, watch tv, listen to music, browse online without seeing or hearing about someone with someone else willingly or even for something selfish. It’s so normal for everyone. I was traumatized from trying when I was younger to the point where they tried to ..let’s just say do something pretty bad.

So my son, 11y/o 6th grade, has had issues with getting picked on at school. He'd tell us but it would be the broad form of "Kids are picking on me at school." with minor details still in the broad sense. His mom or I would talk to the counselor or teacher and inform them and they would talk to our son and then we wouldn't hear much back from that and think things got resolved.
Here we are with 1 week left in school and he tells his mom (who has strong irrational tendencies which I experienced from my previous relationship with her) that he is still getting harassed and bullied at school so she goes on a chaotic mama bear rampage wanting to talk to the principal and stuff this morning. So we go and it was a sh** show as I predicted with her raising her voice and making confusing arguments and claims and irrational "solutions", interrupting the principal and not seeming to listen and take the in any information. She comes from a good place as most people do in wanting to protect her kid but she's treating it like it's the teachers vs us and that's not it. Our son needs to communicate with everyone what's happening in order for anyone to do anything about it which I've talked to him and the principal mentioned as well. It's just unfortunate that this came up right at the end of the year.
So now she's thrown out the opportunities for him to just call her if he's getting picked on and stuff while at school and she'll come pick him up as well as just pulling him out of the last week of school all together and I don't condone that myself. That seems like escapism and just avoiding the problem. She's tried bringing up online schooling or homeschooling which neither worked well during Covid so we've seen the results from that already. I don't want to feel like sides are being drawn as much as I disagree with her ramblings but also knowing there's no way to talk sense into her, but I don't want to invalidate her point of view and cause a divide even though he and his brother agree and have voiced they know she goes off now and then too.
Anybody with any similar experiences with a mildly psycho ex going hardcore, irrational mama bear and how to handle it?

I haven't been here in a while. I haven't been trying to avoid this place, but somehow it just doesn't feel as important as it used to. My old interests are coming back. I'm starting to feel like myself again. I'm not sure if it's these new meds working or if it's just placebo.
You might have seen the stories I've written these past few days, or maybe you haven't. When the creativity hits, it still hits. I just don't have that all-consuming need to share it with you anymore. They're there if you want to read them. Just look.
I've met someone new. It started off as just an online friendship, but these past few days she's been coming onto me pretty strong. It feels nice, being wanted for a change. Of course it would never work out, we live on opposite ends of the country and I refuse to do long distance. Ironic how the universe can change our positions like that in just an instant, isn't it? But still, it's nice.
This is not to say I don't care about you. I still do. But there is something I need to say, and I need you to listen and understand, without judgment. I neglected myself when I was waiting for you. I held off on experiencing the things I wanted to experience in life because I only wanted to experience them with you by my side. Now that I know that is not an option, I can't hold myself back anymore. I would only be hurting myself.
I forgot who I was because I dedicated myself to becoming someone you would accept and appreciate. I became someone else, because you never showed any interest in me. I thought I had to be perfect in order to get your attention. I won't make that mistake again.
It wasn't your fault. I did these things because I was so desperate to be with you that I was willing to pay any price, even if it destroyed me, and I'm sorry for that. But that wasn't love. That was obsession, desperation and fear. Having gone through all of this, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I feel now for you truly is love. I just want both of us to be happy, with or without each other.
I'm not sure when I'll be here again. A friend of mine is in a bad place, and I'm not sure how I can help him, but I have to find a way. If you need me, you know how to reach me. I'll send updates when I can. I miss you, and I'm here for you too.

Salut à tous, My goal in this post is to share my raw TAPIF experience from this year now that I’m home and have reflected. I will be listing challenges that I and others faced (I’ll be discussing the cons rather than the pros).
For reference, I’m American and was placed in primary in the Académie d’Orléans-Tours. I had already worked 8-5 in a school the previous year so I came in with a fair amount of savings and work experience working in language schools.
• You might have to act as the sole English teacher of your school(s). This includes creating curriculum sometimes from scratch with little to no guidance. The term “assistant” can be very misleading. At the primary level it is unfortunately common that you will be leading 30+ students per class while the teacher uses this time for a coffee break. Some might think you are an intervenant(e) and not an assistant(e) who takes over the whole classroom even though they have worked with assistants in the past. Even your principals might not know your role (or care). It’s your responsibility to advocate for yourself in order not to be taken advantage of and break the cycle so the next assistant doesn’t have to go through this.
• You might have a housing crisis. I arrived and spent nearly $2000 to stay in an airbnb for a month. I didn’t have a French guarantor and with the low tapif salary it is virtually impossible to find an apt through an agency. They will reject you. I did the online guarantor called “VISALE” and they granted me a max rent of 380€ a month. I applied to live with two French roommates “en coloc” but couldn’t be accepted as the rent was 450€ and VISALE granted me 380. I eventually was so desperate to have a permanent address (for bureaucratic stuff) that I found an apt on leboncoin with an independent landlord who didn’t need me to supply any guarantor. The rent only had water included and was 820€ a month (the entirety of our monthly salary). I had to, without any help, order and install the wifi and tv box and set up an electricity account through EDF. BEWARE if you didn’t know- electricity/heating in France is extremely expensive. I ended up having to keep my heat around 15 C (59 F) in order to not have the bill exceed 100€ per month during the cold months (I.e. the duration of our assistantships). When I moved out 2 weeks ago, the landlord blew up on me saying everything was “dégueulasse” or disgustingly filthy- which surprise it wasn’t- it’s a typical tactic to take money out of your initial deposit (dépôt de garantie), which he plans on doing. You will be vulnerable as a foreigner in this position. I would recommend NOT renting an apt by yourself unless it’s last resort as it was for me.
• The nature of the program can be VERY isolating. As others have emphasized, this is NOT any way similar to a study abroad. No one is keeping tabs on you or making sure you are adjusting well. Depending on your schools and schedule, you might not be able to form close relationships with your colleagues either. You MUST be okay with spending time by yourself in a foreign country. Many people end up leaving at Christmas because of these difficulties, usually citing they have a “family situation” to tend to back at home. I encourage you, if single, to try to befriend or date French nationals, as it will provide extra support and protection to you as a foreigner living in France.
• Mental Health- just to expand on my point above, you will need decent mental health to complete this program. If you are on medication it’s best to see if you can ween off before coming to France as certain meds are hard to find or impossible for doctors to prescribe. For example, adderall, for ADHD, is virtually impossible to have prescribed in Europe.
• Seasonal Depression- Unless you are from the Pacific Northwest in the US, you are more than likely going to experience some seasonal depression as the majority of France becomes very gloomy during the months of the assistantship. If you are from California, Florida, or anywhere in the south or southwest, you will more than likely miss seeing the sun more than once every two weeks. In my region, it wasn’t uncommon for it to rain several times a week with no glimpse of the sun. Of course, if you are placed in the Côte d’Azur or DOM TOMs this will not apply to you.
• Incompetent Prof Refs/Conseillère Pédagogique–your person of contact who will meet with at the beginning of the program may very well be misinformed and useless. I was told by people at my rectorat that I wouldn’t receive my carte vitale (health insurance) as it’s only for French nationals. When I tried to explain that we are all entitled to health insurance with this job they became hostile towards me. Again ADVOCATE for yourself!!! I learned more from the WhatsApp chat and Facebook group than I ever did asking my schools or local rectorat for help. I would have literally NEVER received my carte vitale if I had listened to my “superiors” in this program. They told me incorrect things several times.
Thank you for reading this far! These are some of the realities I and others encountered. I plan on making a list of pros as well if anyone would be interested. (:

Looking for companionship within Metro Manila.
About me: - 26 BISEXUAL femme chinita (people say Im conventionally attractive) - sensible and love to talk about sensible and deep topics - my interest rn includes: running (we can go running together and join marathons), yoga, filmmaking, and acting - single but not yet ready to enter dating scene (would love to get to know people tho) - hunting coffee shops in Makati every Sunday haha (we can co-work or just hang-out and talk)
What Im looking for: - femme; attractive physically and mentally (physical attraction matters to me a lot at first but mentality and character is what I’ll like about you) - single; no baggages whether emotional or exes; not hung up with the pasts or anyone - 26 years old up; 5’3+ - passionate about something - not egoistic - good listener; open-minded; receptive - important that you also share the same interest with me so we can talk about something - sensible - prefers to hang-out in person rather than get to know most of the time online
❌smokevaper
Tell me something about yourself and your interests :)
Willing to swap photos in tg

Hi! I'm an online college student who lives at home caring for my disabled mother.
I worked for a company as a cashier for about 4 months before being offered a job stocking for another company for higher pay so I switched jobs. I enjoy this job and I've been at it for about 3 months now. However, it has taken a huge toll on my wrists and elbows as I stock for one of the major soda companies. I had inquired about tuition assistance, but its only offered to full time employees. I am not full time.
I have an interview today with a new company, it should pay more but I'd end up likely switching to night shift (though I'd rather not tbh because it's opposite of my mother's and boyfriend's schedules). I also worry I've moved around too much. But because km part time I have no health insurance to help with whatever is currently happening.
I guess I'm wondering what other people think? I do like my current boss, he's been awesome. However, I lost about $400 of additional income I was receiving and I'm not sure the pay can keep up with rising expenses. Especially since my mom, who does work, was supposed to get venefit any day, only for us to realize her boss screwed us by scheduling her not quite full time and she has lost government benefits by working more so her medication went up from about $100 to almost $1000.
I feel awful about considering switching given I van listen to classes at my current job, but I'm not sure what else to do.

I really need to get this off my chest.
10 years of diarrhea and frequent urination. Seborrheic dermatitis. 10 fucking years.
17 different doctors. I kid you not, i counted.
8 years years of "You are imagining things", "Take this useless pill and gtfo", "Its because you drink coffee on an empty stomach mate, stop dat and gtfo". 0 tests. 5 minutes and out the door. Ok i said, its what it is. Ill live with it.
Queue 2 years ago - Rapid deterioration of symptoms. I now cant leave my house. I live in constant pain and bloating. "Ok" i figure, time to stop going to different doctors. Pick the best one and stick with him.
So i open the website with the doctors, pick the best GI one based on reviews and queue an appointment. Its online trough the phone because he now works in some fancy hospital in UK. Great i figure - he's too good for my shithole country, he might actually solve the case.
We make the video call, he listens to me for an hour and a half. An hour and a fucking half, that's more than the 13 before him combined. He says "Let me think this trough and ill get back to you". Great.
He writes back after a day - "I want to call a forum in the ultra famous university hospital in London. I want to invite leading doctors in all the relevant fields - allergologist, dermatologist, whatevergist (4 more). It will cost you 5k though - do you want to do it?"
"Sure" i say. Maybe finally we get somewhere. 5k is like 2 monthly salaries in my shithole country, but im ok on money, i can afford that easily. He gives me his own fucking personal Revolut. No red flags there, huh?
Anyway, the "forum" passes. He gets back to me.
"Its all stress related OP. Its IBS-D due to stress. The forum is unanimous and the diagnosis is certain. Here is your treatment":

1. Shitty antidepressant/sedative - Deanxit
   
2. Even shittier antihistamine - Ketotifen - but this is just to help with your allergies OP, you can not take it if you want.
   
3. Cut out all stress from your life if you can.
   

Great. I take the pills. All of them. Allergies suck.
Deanxit immediately transforms me into a fucking sloth. Im sleepy all the time. I can barely think. Im a programmer, i kinda need to think.
But. Lo and behold. For the first time in 10 years im ok. Every fucking symptom disappears.
Shit i figure. My stress was really killing me. Time to solve that.
Team lead in a billion dollar company at 30? Doing a great job at it? Hahaaa not any more boss. I quit.
But why do you quit he says? - "I cant handle the stress. Its literally killing me"
Take 3 months off then. We'll find you a replacement team lead. We will demote you back to senior and you can take it easy. We'll take you off supporting the most important website in the company.
Queue me taking 3 months off. - God bless that man for not letting me go. But im no longer a team lead. Im no longer in charge of my website. Im just another programmer now.
Queue me cutting ties with half my family because they stress me out.
Ketotifen disappears from the pharmacies. "Its ok" i think. Its for my allergies anyway. I just get another antihistamine.
5-6 days pass. Symptoms start to slowly reappear. Im now back at work tho and getting stressed again.
Symptoms progress ever so slowly, but progress anyways.
Im constantly in contact with the doctor trough the app. Every single month i pay to have access to him.
Every time i tell him its getting worse he just says its due to stress. Keep at the treatment. No changes.
Symptoms progress to basically no treatment levels. I go to a urologist for the frequency. He says its due to stress also. Here's this sedative, good luck programming on it. Great, fuck that. Second opinion. Go to second urologist - its stress mate, go to a psychiatrist. You are depressed.
I go to another GI doctor for a second opinion. "Its IBS-D due to stress mate, go to a psychiatrist".
"Ok" i figure. "Time to dive in the deep". I go to a psychiatrist. I tell him my symptoms. I tell him im a bit under the weather, which is understandable being unable to leave my house and in constant discomfort. "The body symptoms are psychosomatic which means you are SEVERELY depressed. Here are these 2 HEAVY antidepressants. Take one in the morning the other in the evening. "
I try. I fail. Too many side effects. Queue arguments with the wife because i refuse treatment.
I try with a different psychiatrist. Same diagnosis. Another treatment. Same result. Cant keep at it.
More arguments with the wife. Now she is properly mad and wants to leave me because im constantly mad and in a bad mood. This has been going on for 2 years. I dont leave the house. Im 32. Everyone is telling me im insane. Sad.
I start reading up the internet for rare diseases. I basically turn myself into a mini Gastroenterologist. I read everything concerning IBS.
I do every test i can think of. Microbiome. Full blood panel. Histamine. Zonulin.
Lo and behold - histamine twice the range (while im on Ketotifen again). Zonulin 25x.
I figure it must be a food allergy and the histamine is causing all the problems. Im now a fucking internet doctor. But i know its bad to self diagnose and self treat. So i go to an allergologist. I tell him my stomach troubles and that i think its food allergies. He is unimpressed. "Go to a GI doctor he says. There are plenty of tests that can be done. Check enzymes, check for parasites, check for more stuff".
By now i have figured out the UK doctor has basically scammed me and is just milking me for money every month. He refuses another call. He refuses to rethink the diagnosys. He insists that its correct.
Ok. I start an elimination diet because i'm now a doctor. I suspect allergies. I suspect the Ketotifen fixed me the first time. Meanwhile i queue an appointment with doctor #17.
I go to the new doctor. By that time EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY SYMPTOMS IS GONE. I tell her my test results. I tell her i seem to be able to control the condition 100% by food. "You have enterities" she says. "But whats causing it?" i ask.
"I dont know. Here's some enterol and an anti-diarrhea med".
OK. Diet continues. Now enterol added. anti-diarrhea? Why? Whatever. Not taking it. I don't have it anymore.
Im now at the point where i can eat quite a selection of items. I sit down and think. What have i eaten basically every day of my life for the past 10 years? Pork. Its pork.
I eat some pork day 1.
Day 2 is a little bad. Eat some more.
Day 3 is quite bad. Eat some more. It might be a fluke.
Day 4 is back to all the symptoms. I schedule an appointment with doctor #17. I go. This is today.
I tell her my findings. I ask if it sounds correct. She says yes. It sounds like an allergy. But. But.
Why are you coming to me? Im a GI. Go to an allergologist. "But he sent me to you.". Crickets.
She proceeded to scold me for 20 fucking minutes for self diagnosing and asking treatment questions.
Sister. 17 of you failed. I killed my career, cut ties with my family, Lost 100k+ in salaries. Lost untold amounts in options packages that i now woun't get because i'm no longer a manager. I no longer have friends. I almost separated with my wife. I could have retired at 40. I lost 2 years of my life. All of that because of your lot's wrong diagnoses.
And i get scolded for 20 minutes. For self diagnosing. CORRECTLY. Fuck this country and its healthcare man.
Anyways, PSA - If you have IBS-D, frequent urination and some rosacea go check your histamine in stool. And don't forget to always discuss with your healthcare professional. Unless you live in Bulgaria. Fuck this country.

Hello there! 35M here, single and never married. Have time and can put some efforts to take it slow and get to know someone. I work in IT, I am workaholic and when I am not at work, I like to listen to music or go for a walk. A movie buff, I watch a lot of Malayalam movies though I don't understand Malayalam. I like group traveling (minus the drama) compared to solo travelling, but it's been long I ever stepped out with a group. We can share music, watch movies, play games online and one day maybe travel together and watch some movie in person :p
Please do not message if you take eternity to reply to messages or you have no intention to be open and vulnerable. I don’t mind you being clingy, needy. In fact, I would love that! Looking for some long-term connections, friends and more. Send me a DM, I don't bite..
M4F!

tldr; I know I can probably finish WGU in less than a year based on the CLEP and Sofia exams and if my university's and associates credits will transfer, but would WGU be helpful for someone like me whos just starting their career, because it seems like the vast majority of people enrolled are already knees deep in their career and are just doing WGU in order to move up to a new position.
My main concern is how helpful would WGU be (like their career services and student support) if I'm applying to entry level tech jobs just starting my career, or would I be better off finding a different way to get into tech like continuing to make personal coding projects to maybe make a business out of them/applying to WITCH company contractors like Accenture? (problem with WITCH companies is they also require a bachelors degree now)
I completed a coding bootcamp in 2022 and I'm actively working on a few portfolio projects but it seems like having a bachelors degree is a bare minimum to be taken seriously by employers nowadays and projects are just for talking points in interviews to show you have the skills for the job to keep the conversation with the interviewer going for more than 10 minutes (if you're lucky to have an interviewer who understands coding projects even)
-----------------------------------
Long Story:
I'm in a tough spot. My current school I'm attending is called Grand Valley State University but I'm not having a good time because of their traditional 4 month semester like you have to be on pace with everyone else, I rather just get assignments done quicker or if I want to slow down and truly understand the material but if you were to ask to do that at my school they would imply you're being inconsiderate and rude...
My school posted their stats on their demographics proving my suspicions, the non traditional above 22 year old students here are in the single digit percentage here. I'm a non traditional student, meaning I'm not my state university's usual student who just graduated high school and are under 22, I'm 25 I been out of college since 2021 I just recently came back last year, there's nothing I can relate to these kids and it feels awkward being around 18 year olds when I look like their age but if they were to somehow find out my actual age that would be even more awkward. There's that saying "you don't want to be the 25 year old whos still in school with kids".
I just don't fit in with their traditional teaching model, I excelled at online learning but it seems like my local schools in general are doing away with online based learning and going back to a sit in a classroom setting because they're apparently paranoid with rampant cheating with ChatGPT and stuff so much that they're making everyone required to be in class and do everything on paper now. The only strength my school really has for me is the local connection to internships, that's pretty much it... All my friends graduated in 2021 so the socialization attraction of college left 3 years ago
The school is a 50 minute daily drive which is horrible, they do not offer convenient online classes, it's your typical brick and mortar sit in a classroom and listen to the lecture type school which has never worked out for me since like middle school. Then there are those professors who do flipped-classrooms where the professor does not teach, you and your classmates are teaching each other which is a horrible experience like how do you expect students to teach people stuff they don't know about and you get mad at us for teaching it the wrong way
My school also does not offer semester-round for certain classes, so theres certain mandatory classes you have to take but it's only offered once a year like only in the Fall or Winter of that year, no other semester offered, so if you miss out on that specific class at that very specific semester or if it becomes full and no one drops so you can't enroll, you'll have no way to take those classes, better luck next year. They expect to have 25k students enrolled this year (half of that will be in CS/IT/Data Science) when they do not have enough professors, resources and local internships to handle all of that, it's a small ass university in the middle of farms.
This caused my graduation timeline to actually be late 2026 or ealy 2027 and there's no way in hell I want to wait that long, I rather graduate as soon as possible and get to the money now instead of having to wait like almost 4 years to start my life.
I graduated from an online community college with a business technology management associates of science in 2021 but there's a major problem with my state university, I have 82 credits and they classified me as a Junior but I'm basically a freshman because all of those credits are free electives, my credits basically weren't accepted because they're from out of state even though they're all business/CS related. Annoying the registration department of my school didn't help, they were very firm on holding their "standards" claiming my community college credits aren't rigerous enough for the school how Ohio and Michigan has different standards...
Ohio colleges and unis are not compliant with Michigan transfer guidelines or something is pretty much what she said. Ohio schools are starting to do competency based learning, but Michigan is extremely hesitant in adapting, they're insistent on staying traditional "because we have different standards"
I couldn't find a course transfer equivelancy page on WGU's website to show what specific classes will transfer from certain universities, does anyone have information about what credits can transfer without having to call WGU? (I don't want to get spam called by them) I've been spam called by SNHU from different people when I requested to see what credits might transfer. The wild thing is I checked my university's transfer equivelancy and they don't accept any CS credits from WGU, only basic business classes but as free electives mostly: GVSU Course Equivalencies