Leal’s story: From AI novice to startup founder

Leal Oburoglu, a former student from batch 2 of the Mastering Generative AI short course, shares how the program not only deepened her understanding of AI but also sparked the idea for her own startup. In this interview, she walks us through his journey—from being motivated by the AI hype to gaining hands-on coding experience without any prior background.
 

What initially motivated you to enroll in the Mastering Generative AI course?

Leal: Honestly, the hype around Large Language Models (LLMs) was hard to ignore. There was so much buzz, and I didn’t want to miss out. I had this fear of being left behind if I didn’t take the time to learn about them. That curiosity, mixed with a bit of FOMO, pushed me to dive in and explore what LLMs are and their potential.
 

How was your experience throughout the course? Were there any moments that particularly stood out for you?

Leal: The course was incredibly inclusive, which I appreciated, especially since I didn’t have any coding or computer science background. Coming from a biology background, I was fascinated by the module on artificial neural networks—the parallels between them and the human brain were mind-blowing! But overall, the entire experience was smooth. It was so well-designed that even someone like me, with zero coding experience, could follow along and actually learn.
 

How do you feel the course enhanced your understanding of generative AI compared to where you were before?

Leal: To put it simply, I knew nothing about generative AI before the course. I was a complete beginner. But by the end of the program, I had learned so much—not just in theory, but in practical applications as well.
 

What was your favorite part of the course? Was there a specific session or module that had the most impact?

Leal: I’d say the hands-on work in Colab was my favorite part. Despite my lack of coding experience, I really enjoyed playing around with the code—optimizing prompts and tweaking things to see different outcomes. It made everything feel real and practical.
 

Were you able to apply any of the skills or knowledge from the course in your work or personal projects?

Leal: Definitely. In fact, the project idea I developed during the course grew into something bigger. I ended up transforming that idea into a startup! Understanding the potential of generative AI and LLMs gave me the inspiration and confidence to move forward with it.
 

How did the interactive components of the course, like live sessions and discussions with mentors, benefit your learning compared to a self-paced course?

Leal: The live sessions were essential for me, especially the exercises on Colab where we could actually see how the code works in real-time. Being able to discuss things with mentors was crucial as well. That kind of personalized support wouldn’t have been possible in a self-paced course.
 

Speaking of mentorship, how did the personalized feedback impact your learning journey?

Leal: It was invaluable! The mentors really helped me optimize the code for my project. As someone with very limited coding experience, I don’t think I would have been able to figure that out on my own.
 

What would you say was the biggest difference between this course and other online tutorials or courses on generative AI?

Leal: This course went much deeper into the subject. It didn’t just focus on what LLMs can do but also took us through the history of machine learning, how models have evolved, and what their future potential could be. The technical breakdown of how these systems work was really well explained.
 

Would you recommend the Mastering Generative AI course to others? Who do you think would benefit the most from it?

Leal: Absolutely. I think everyone should take it, regardless of their career stage. The sooner we understand generative AI, the better prepared we’ll be because it’s only going to keep expanding.
 

How did the course inspire you? Did it change your perspective or deepen your interest in generative AI?

Leal: It inspired me! The course made me realize how central AI will be to our future. It’s given me a new perspective as a student and someone who now wants to build with this technology.

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Leal’s story is a testament to how the Mastering Generative AI course offers not only technical knowledge but also the inspiration to turn ideas into reality. Whether you're an AI novice or an experienced professional, this course has something valuable for everyone. Apply today and get inspired, learn and create!