My Beginning At TKS
A little about me
My name is Marko Youngson, and I am 16. I live in Ottawa, Ontario, and I go to Glebe Collegiate Institute. I am very interested in emerging technologies and how they will have an impact on the world in the future. Currently, I am looking into AI and how to use Python to create neural networks. Hence the title I am an Innovate at The Knowledge Society (TKS), and I am just beginning my journey.
To start, what is TKS
TKS is a 10-month human accelerator for teens. It a place where you learn how to use exponential technologies to impact billions of people. It is designed to help you develop a foundational mindset that will allow you to think differently and achieve success not only in some areas but in life. TKS was created by two brothers, Nadeem and Navid Nathoo. I want to share one of my favorite quotes from Nadeem that I think has a very powerful message.
“To reach unconventional success, you must follow an unconventional path ” -Nadeem Nathoo
What I Have Learned so Far
At the moment, I have attended three sessions. Every single one of them has blown my mind. I understand more about myself as a learner, as well as how I can become the person I want to be.
One of the things that I thought was really impactful was that they said: “You should not be afraid of failure, without failure, you can not grow” This may seem simple, but in reality, it isn’t. What some people don’t know is that all leaders of the top companies: Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, etc. have all failed multiple times in their lives. Steve Jobs even got fired from his own company. However, the thing that separates top-level CEOs from other people is there ability to never be fazed. You have to be able to move on and keep working hard. After Steve Jobs got fired, he took some of his former employees and started a new company. This company was such a success that it lead to Apple buying it, and Steve Jobs ended up as CEO again. He then led Apple to become the most valued brand in the world.
My main takeaway from this is, if you never take any risks, you will never be able to take that leap that will separate you from everybody else.
The Culture
One of the best and interesting parts of TKS is culture. You are surrounded by other people that all have the same goals and mindset and is a community where you are constantly pushing each other to be great. Having a group of people that you can go too to give you feedback or advice on topics that you are interested in is extremely helpful. I really want to try and use this to my advantage over these next couple of months.
What is next for me
One of the things that are stressed at TKS is developing your network. Networking is one of the essential skills to have if you want to succeed, and it is always better to start early. It is important because so many opportunities can happen through networking, whether it be a job opportunity or meeting new potential mentors or clients. Networking is the foundation of your success, so in these next months, I will really try my best to connect with as many people as I can.
On the more technical side of things, I have started looking more deeply into AI and machine learning. At the moment, I am doing a Udacity course for learning AI and how to use Pytorch and other tools to create neural networks. This is a really great course, and I recommend it to anyone interested in machine learning. It is pretty technical, so before you start it, I would recommend that you have a basic to intermediate knowledge of Python.
So far, I think TKS is a great program, and I am very happy that I was accepted. I think with the tools I have at my disposal. I will be able to impact the world.
Thank you for reading my first article. I hope you enjoyed it!
