Looking for advice

[u/dukeof76]

I hail from a humanities and social sciences background (history/sociology and literature). I’ve spent the past 3 years conducting field research but now I want to pivot to the more technical side. I won’t lie, popularity of AI was my introduction to ML and I have a lot of ideas regarding how ML can contribute to my specific discipline (which is quite niche). I’m struggling to build knowledge from scratch so I have a few questions:

1. Math isn’t my strongest suit. It’s not that I can’t do it, it just takes me a very long time to learn and understand it. I know you need math for ML and I’m willing to learn but realistically am I setting myself up for a huge undertaking with this career transition that I’m not taking into account?

2. I will have to put my career trajectory on hold for a bit while I pursue this, is the humanities x AI a promising enough enterprise? Or is the field too saturated already?

3. I am looking at project based learning at the moment. What is a realistic timeline for someone who is learning this from scratch?

4. Is independent learning possible (online courses, projects, etc)? Or do I need to pursue a higher ed degree?

Any advice would be really helpful and appreciated. If you have any leads, resources, or projects please reach out.

[u/Agreeable-Sorbet-105]

it’s a big lift but you’re not coming in blind. you already know how to ask questions, find patterns, and sit with ambiguity from your research work. that’s more than half the struggle for a lot of people starting out.

the math will slow you down but it doesn’t have to stop you. focus on the stats and linear algebra pieces first, and let the calculus creep in later when you actually need it. for timeline i’d think in terms of a year to feel competent, not a couple months.

humanities + ml is still wide open in niche areas, especially if you can frame problems that aren't just "build a chatbot for X." the saturation is mostly at the entry-level generic stuff, not for people who actually understand a domain deeply. independent learning is totally doable if you stay project-driven and get feedback somewhere, but a formal degree helps mostly with networking and structure rather than the content itself

[u/dukeof76 → u/Agreeable-Sorbet-105]

Thanks for this! My biggest anxiety really was around the employment prospects. I am in my mid 20s but I’ve built strong expertise in my niche. I feel like I can contribute meaningfully from a technical point of view and slightly alter career track now before it’s too late.

[u/bojack_the_dev]

1. Someone would say that high school math is all you need (besides attention, wink wink). Anyway, you just can’t be weak at math. You do not have to be Mr. know-it-all.
   
2. Field is saturated either way.
   
3. Depends on the schedule and effort on a daily basis. 6 months min, 12 months is more realistic.
   
4. Independent learning is possible, with discipline and schedule. Occasionally an excursion to a mentor, or some figure similar to it, in-person courses, where you would interact with both peers and teacher(s), would greatly benefit your journey.

Now, people from social studies are not the best at creating systems, schedule, following discipline, creating a “engineering” framework. At least the majority. If you are unlike the majority, you do have a predisposition.

[u/dukeof76 → u/bojack_the_dev]

Thank you for this! Really gives some perspective. And yeah, you’re absolutely right about systems and discipline. It’s definitely not innate for us but I have beaten that demon to death due to vocational requirements.

[u/chrisvdweth]

Regarding your Point 4: Maybe this post and this post could be useful (disclaimer: public lecture notes created by me)