How much would you have loved to do your high school work experience at a startup agency? Such a dream has just come true for Ali Kafaei.
East Doncaster Secondary School student Ali is fifteen years old and enjoys coding, research and AR. Attracted to subjects that are intensely meaningful, he blends his passion for technology with his intuitive understanding of philosophy, and is blazing a trail of glory in multiple academic fields.
Over the past month, he has been undertaking work experience at Hatch Quarter and sparking conversations about AR and VR everywhere he goes. To delve deeper, we had a chat to Ali find out about his recent learning experiences and future career goals.
Hatch Quarter: How do you usually describe yourself?
Ali Kafaei: I am a man who tries to move beyond his plain existence to do something interesting that aligns with my deeper ambitions.
HQ: Do you have an idea about what you might study when you finish school?
AK: I would like to study machine learning and artificial intelligence—ideally at Stanford University.
HQ: What kind of jobs are you interested in?
AK: Being involved with startups and starting a company in Silicon Valley.
HQ: You’ve previously highlighted your passion for research. What about this undertaking do you find the most rewarding?
AK: When you look at everything you know and then consider everything you think you need to know to build a really good foundation for something (like a new startup or company) it becomes obvious that research is crucial. Research gives you a really good understanding of competitors and insight into how they’ve got to where they are, which can lead to a great idea and great work.
I’ve tried the other way—which is to analyse the idea independent of research—and it simply doesn’t work! You need to work from the outside in.
HQ: Are there other aspects of your study and work that you are passion about?
AK: Passion is everything to me. Whatever I am working on, having a really strong reason behind what I do is the most important part.
HQ: Can you tell me a bit about the work you have been doing in the time you have been here?
AK: I have been learning how to research ideas that may lead to a new startup, as well as gaining some experience working on application prototypes. I’ve also been given the opportunity to create some designs for a new website landing page.
HQ: It sounds like there’s plenty of variety! Can you tell me about the research process?
AK: For new startup ideas, we start by doing research into the present market, and then the next step is analyse market forecasts. We also look at which partners could be suitable for the startup to engage with.
HQ: Did any of your research surprise you?
AK: Yes, I was surprised to discover that the AR and VR market is huge! Also, and not surprising, but of interest to me, is the fact that the machine learning market is practically non-existent right now—it’s about 0.01% of the market, maybe less.
HQ: What are some of the things you have learnt at Hatch Quarter?
Ali Kafaei: The two main things are probably my research skills and my written and oral presentation skills. I’ve spent years wondering how to improve to my ability to present data and communicate its meaning for others to understand. I’ve also been shown how to deliver a pitch.
Hatch Quarter: What have you been able to explore in your time here that you haven’t previously done at school?
Ali Kafaei: Working on what really reflects my passions 100% of time, undertaking market research and programming, and getting a new perspective on what being an entrepreneur entails through my conversations with people at Hatch Quarter and also by attending the startup conference I went to as part of my work experience.
Hatch Quarter: What five words would you use to describe HQ?
Ali Kafaei: Professional, welcoming, cooperative, well-positioned—and it’s a good temperature.
Hatch Quarter: What’s your impression of Melbourne and Docklands now that you’ve done work experience here? Has it changed?
Ali Kafaei: Yes it has, and it’s even better than I expected. Working in the city gives you a lot of passion and the vividness of city spurs a productive morning on. Hatch Quarter itself is great for focus, and it is an optimistic environment where I receive lots of advice from others on a daily basis.
We love Ali’s enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and technology! It immediately made him a fine addition to the team at Hatch Quarter and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented young individual.
If you want to find out more information on joining the Hatch Quarter community as an individual or team, contact us.
Contributed by Jessica Locke, head of communication at Mo Works Creative Agency.