- GRATITUDE DRIVEN
- Posts
- How I Went from Non-Tech to Senior Machine Learning Scientist at Amazon
How I Went from Non-Tech to Senior Machine Learning Scientist at Amazon
And some recent favorites.
Marina Wyss
September 18, 2025
Welcome to Gratitude Driven, a weekly newsletter where I share practical ideas and insights across personal growth, professional development, and the world of AI and data science.
In This Newsletter
Thank you for your support <3
AI You’ll Actually Understand
Cut through the noise. The AI Report makes AI clear, practical, and useful—without needing a technical background.
Join 400,000+ professionals mastering AI in minutes a day.
Stay informed. Stay ahead.
No fluff—just results.
New Videos: Cynicism and Career Growth
Last week I released the second video on my new mindset channel. This one is all about how to remain optimistic and clear-eyed about the world, even in the face of negativity.
Blog version for this video is here.
I also made a breakdown on my entire career path from non-tech to Senior. This goes into studying, extracurriculars, how I got my first internship, and how I got each job and promotion on my way to where I am today:
Blog version here.
What I Learned From a Solo Digital Detox Weekend
Last weekend, I spent a couple of days alone in a tiny house in the woods. I kept my phone off, and did a “digital detox;” Besides no phone, that meant no music, TV, etc. I just hiked, read, and journaled. I didn’t speak or hear anyone talk for a couple of days.
I expected to have some “breakthroughs.”
Surprisingly, I didn’t!
It was a nice time. I am so aware of how lucky I am to be able to do something like this. But overall, nothing revolutionary happened.
Which I guess is a good sign — there’s nothing lurking in my subconscious that I wasn’t aware of. I feel pretty good about my direction right now, and my mind is pretty peaceful despite being busier than I’ve ever been.
I will be making a video about the experience on my second channel soon. In the meantime, if you want to be subjected to my shower thoughts from the weekend, follow me on X.
Things I’m Enjoying Lately
Fiction: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. The first couple of pages were a bit too artsy-fartsy for my taste, but OH BOY did it hook me in after that. I blew through the whole book in a single evening. 10/10.
Non-Fiction: The Existentialist's Survival Guide by Gordon Marino. A nice introduction to existentialism, especially Kierkegaard. Also taught me some fancy new words. 8/10.
Work Music: BRÄLLE. Techno beats from a friend.
YouTube: Why Eating Healthy is Impossible Now from Joe Delaney. Big fan of his fitness content and now I’m taking a ton of inspiration from his production style.
Podcast: Dwarkesh Patel on Modern Wisdom. Some interesting takes on AI and the future of work.
Want to chat 1:1? Book time with me here.
Forwarded this email? Sign up here.
Note: This email may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase I may make a small commission, at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!