A Data Science Journey
Hi there and welcome, to the first installment of an indefinite series of ups, downs, smiles and frowns. Along the way there will be some rather technical subjects gleaned upon, but for now let me take you on a little trip down memory lane.
Our story begins on a tropical night in paradise, where the flood lights blare down on a pristine turf pitch. Under those lights is a young man who’s love for sports began many circles around the sun ago. He eagerly awaits his chance to race down the field passing brick-footed defenders to ultimately score a goal for his team and enjoy a night full of toasts and cheers with his dearest chums! But tonight was a peculiar night you see. No one could have predicted what would end up being the spark to the flame of this young man’s Data Science Journey.
With the blow of a whistle the game was afoot! The first few minutes of the period were quiet with neither team taking a chance at goal. The key was to control the ball with fluid, intentional passing. Yet, there’s no action in that! The young man, (who we will refer to throughout as Beta which translates loosely to young boy in Hindi), sees his opening and blazes down the sideline. He calls for the ball and his teammate dishes him a beautiful through ball where he can take any angle he wants at goal. Beta knows his speed is elite, he can fly past defenders make one move and win the game for his team right here and now. He feels a flood of adrenaline as he makes a proper touch on the ball in stride slipping past one defender, now two, oh geez now three he’s going to score! Just then, a rogue defender screams into his field of vision and makes a play at the ball. The defender manages to interrupt young Beta’s stride and they are about to crash into the turf. Beta, being the savage that he was begins to tuck to absorb the momentum of his fall thus to quickly get up on his feet to score. Now, what nobody that night expected was a second rogue defender to come into frame. This was the same brick-footed defender that Beta had been making a fool of the entire game. We’ll just call him Kaka, which translates to…well you have an imagination for a reason. Kaka smashes into Beta and the other defender who are midair with momentum carrying them at an alarming pace to the ground. This was now something Beta had never experienced with two defenders taking his feet from underneath him. Now, as he lands he rolls onto the turf leading with his left shoulder and as this happens the weight of two defenders hinders his roll and kisses his body to the ground. All the force of their momentum drives his shoulder deeper into the ground…he feels a resounding pop. As he shoots up from the ground after being tackled he feels a brief chill and immediately heat coming down from his left shoulder. He examines it and sees something is not right at all. A bone was protruding out of place and quickly clouds began to cover the field.
With a strike of thunder, the sky releases all of its moisture onto the pitch, onto the players, onto the fans. Everyone is quickly soaked by the rain, but Beta is in immense pain. The referee walks over and awards not one but two red cards to the defenders and Beta walks off the field. The trainers examine Beta’s shoulder dejectedly knowing there isn’t much they could do, but take him to the hospital.
Fast-forward one year. Young Beta has lost a significant amount of weight in his upper body and stands frail with an injured frame. The doctors have told him there was not much they could do and the ligaments would heal naturally though never back to the way it was pre-injury. Prior to the accident, he would workout everyday building his body to be strong and able for competitive sports. All that remained that day was the shell of a man that used to be.
As he dedicated his life to strengthening his body again he also made a vow to strengthen his mind. He dreamed of a reality in which he could do the things he loved without fear or inhibition. He set his sights on a new goal that would revolutionize the way human beings approached fitness. A world where people did not have to be in fear of pre-existing injuries haunting them as they attempted to regain the strength they once lost. He wanted to take this concept and bring it life so that all those that had something taken away from them could once again feel liberated and independent of their crutches.
Going into college he aimed to be a marine biologist on a research vessel far from the reaches of his home in the Silicon Valley. After this injury, Beta knew he wanted to be in a field where he could help people that have felt the pain he had and explored the realm of Kinesiology. Despite, getting into rehabilitative sciences he found that this was not the medium of which he’d wanted to help people. With a final switch to Business Administration focused in Entrepreneurship he discovered a whole new world of possibility where he could reach hundreds, thousands, even millions more if he could execute his plan. After graduating from university he was faced with a decision of what to do next. He went back and forth on grad school and starting a career from square one. He realized neither of those options then and there would put him on the proper trajectory to see his goals through. With a swift decision upon recommendation from peers and family he settled on a Data Science Immersive program that would lay the groundwork or foundation for his concept. With the plan in motion, Beta realized that this would be the start of his journey to revolutionize peoples’ perception of the capabilities of machines, as well as, address a serious restructuring of the fitness industry as a whole.