Anna Lalova

At 35, I made a decision that felt equal parts terrifying and exciting: I left my career behind and jumped into an AI and data bootcamp with no roadmap and no guarantees. This session is my honest account of what that felt like - the confusion, the exhaustion, the moments of joy when something finally clicked, and the very humbling experience of being a complete beginner again as an adult. It literally felt like learning to read again! But this talk is not just my story. In a field moving faster than anyone can fully keep up with, we are all beginners at something right now - whether you are a seasoned DBA encountering agents for the first time, or an analyst trying to make sense of LLMs. This session is an invitation to reflect on what it means to learn in an era of permanent disruption, and to find peace with not knowing yet. Because the most valuable skill in the age of AI is learning how to learn.