Ever wonder what really happens behind the scenes of your tech education? What separates successful students from those who struggle? How do you go from watching tutorials to actually thinking like a developer?
We sat down with Ahmed Al-Rashid, Lead AI Trainer at MEX Academy and former Machine Learning Engineer at a major tech firm, to get real answers to the questions that keep aspiring tech professionals up at night.
Meet Your Guide: Ahmed Al-Rashid
Before we dive into your questions, let us introduce Ahmed. With over a decade of experience spanning Silicon Valley and Riyadh’s growing tech scene, Ahmed has mentored hundreds of students from complete beginners to job-ready professionals. His passion? Demystifying complex tech concepts and watching that “aha!” moment when everything clicks.
The Questions You Actually Want Answered
Q: I’m completely new to tech. Can I really succeed in a program like yours?
Ahmed: “This is the question I hear most, and my answer is always the same: your background matters less than your mindset. Some of our most successful students came from non-technical fields like marketing, finance, even medicine. What they shared was curiosity and persistence.
I had a student, Sara, who was a literature teacher. She struggled initially with programming logic, but she approached it like learning a new language—which it is. Within six months, she built a natural language processing application that analyzed classic Arabic poetry. Your unique background can actually become your strength in tech.”
Q: What’s the biggest mistake you see beginners make?
Ahmed: “Trying to learn everything at once. The tech landscape is vast and constantly evolving. Students often jump between Python, JavaScript, data science, and cloud computing without mastering any one area.
My advice? Pick one path and go deep. If you choose AI, master Python fundamentals before touching machine learning. Build a strong foundation, then specialize. Depth before breadth always wins in the long run.”
Q: How important are grades versus practical projects?
Ahmed: “Let me be direct: employers care about what you can build, not what grade you got. I’ve seen students with perfect scores struggle in interviews because they couldn’t explain their project decisions. Meanwhile, students with average grades but impressive portfolios received multiple offers.
At MEX, we emphasize project-based learning because that’s what the real world demands. Your portfolio is your proof. One completed project that solves a real problem is worth more than a dozen perfect quiz scores.”
Q: What’s your take on AI tools like ChatGPT for learning?
Ahmed: “They’re incredible assistants but terrible teachers. Used properly, they can help debug code or explain concepts. But many students become dependent—they let the AI solve problems rather than developing their own problem-solving skills.
Here’s how I recommend using AI tools: try to solve the problem yourself first. When you get stuck, use AI to get unstuck, not to avoid the struggle. The learning happens in the struggle. Our AI tutor is designed specifically to guide you through that process without giving away answers.”
Q: How do you keep the curriculum relevant when technology changes so fast?
Ahmed: “This is where our industry partnerships become crucial. We’re in constant conversation with hiring managers at top companies across MENA. We don’t just track what technologies are popular—we track what skills companies are actually hiring for right now.
For example, when generative AI exploded, we didn’t just add a module. We redesigned our entire AI curriculum to include prompt engineering, LLM fine-tuning, and ethical AI development—skills our partners specifically requested.”
Q: What does a typical successful student look like?
Ahmed: “Success stories vary, but they share common patterns. The successful student isn’t necessarily the one who codes the fastest. They’re the ones who:
- Consistently put in the time, even when it’s hard
- Ask for help when stuck
- Help other students in discussions
- Build projects they’re genuinely curious about
- Treat learning as a marathon, not a sprint
One of my current students, Khalid, spends just one hour daily but does it consistently. His progress has been remarkable because he never loses momentum.”
Q: How do you balance teaching cutting-edge tools versus fundamental concepts?
Ahmed: “This is where many programs get it wrong. We teach fundamental concepts through modern tools. For example, we don’t just teach TensorFlow—we teach how neural networks work using TensorFlow.
The tools will change. Next year, there might be a better framework than TensorFlow. But if you understand how neural networks function at a fundamental level, you can learn any new framework quickly. We’re teaching you how to learn, not just what to learn.”
Q: What’s one thing you wish every new student knew?
Ahmed: “That feeling confused is normal—even for experienced developers. I’ve been coding for twelve years, and I still spend hours debugging what turns out to be a simple typo. The difference between beginners and professionals isn’t that professionals don’t get stuck; it’s that they’ve developed systems for getting unstuck.
The goal isn’t to never feel lost. The goal is to become comfortable being lost and confident in your ability to find your way back.”
Q: How does the bilingual approach actually work in technical courses?
Ahmed: “Many students worry that learning in Arabic might limit their opportunities. Actually, it’s the opposite. We teach technical concepts in the language you’re most comfortable with, while ensuring you master the English technical vocabulary used globally.
Think of it like this: we’re building your understanding in Arabic but your professional vocabulary in English. This approach has helped many students overcome the initial barrier of technical English while still being job-ready for international companies.”
The Trainer’s Perspective: What Makes Teaching Rewarding
Q: What keeps you excited about teaching after all these years?
Ahmed: “That moment—I live for it. The moment when a complex concept suddenly makes sense to a student. When they go from ‘I can’t do this’ to ‘I built this.’ Recently, a student who’d struggled with algorithms for weeks came to me beaming. She’d not only solved the problem but found a more efficient solution than the one I’d suggested.
Watching students surpass their own expectations—that never gets old. We’re not just teaching code; we’re helping people transform their careers and their lives.”
Your Invitation to Learn Differently
As our conversation wrapped up, Ahmed left us with this thought: “The biggest barrier to learning tech isn’t intelligence or talent—it’s the belief that you can’t do it. Every expert was once a beginner. Every senior developer once wrote their first ‘Hello World’ program.
The journey seems daunting until you take that first step. Then the next. And the next. Before you know it, you’re looking back at how far you’ve come.”