This is not a defense of not having a degree. It is an explanation of the path I chose.
At 17 or 18, I did not know exactly where life would go. I could not have predicted multiple countries, 40+ nations traveled, cross-industry work, and eventually AI labs and systems architecture.
Culinary School and Pressure Training
My formal qualification was a culinary diploma. Fine dining kitchens taught mise en place, quality control, coordination under pressure, and precision at speed. Those habits stayed with me.
Starting Over in the Netherlands
I arrived with one suitcase, lived in a tiny room, took a large pay cut, and rebuilt from scratch. That experience trained rapid systems learning, cultural adaptation, and trust-building from zero.
How I Learn
I am not exam-driven. I am question-driven. In insurance I struggled early, then shifted method: show up earlier, study internal systems, policy logic, and ask structural questions. Performance followed.
That pattern repeated across industries: kitchens, warehousing, insurance, SaaS, and now AI-focused systems work.
From Courses to Application
Before 2024, I completed hundreds of LinkedIn Learning modules. Not for certificates, but for capability. Today I rely more on building, experimentation, multi-model workflows, and primary documentation.
The Trade-Off
A non-linear path has costs. Some recruiters filter for degrees. I accept that. But it also builds pattern recognition, adaptability, systems thinking, and humility under real constraints.
A degree would have been one path. This was mine, and it shaped the architect I am becoming.