I discovered research when I reoriented myself after a few years on very different studies. It doesn't have to be a straight line, and reorienting yourself is not a failure.

Tunnel vision

I've always pretty much liked school. Although I did enjoy some subjects and dislike others, I've always been a kind of "classic" student. Not doing too much but just enough. I didn't have big ambitions, I just wanted to do something I liked and that would allow me to live decently.

High school

After a few years, I realized that high school wasn't the best period for me. I played football A LOT and wasn't very worried about school: my goal was to become a physiotherapist. Studying for this job in France relies on medical studies: the only condition to be accepted was to have the Baccalauréat (which is the most common exam when you finish high school). Which I obtained with low grades.

Medicine ➡️ Foreign languages ?

After obtaining the "Bac", I did a few months in PACES (Première Année Commune aux Études de Santé, translated as "Common First Year of Medical Studies"). This didn't go well and I realized the requirements to pass the year: study, learn by heart and do not even try to understand (spoiler: it's useless). That wasn't for me at all. After this year, I decided to go to university to study foreign languages. I've always been decent at English and this was my security blanket. I did a year of English and Spanish but realized that it didn't suit me either. After a few searches and an internship where I wrote my first lines of code, I decided to give a try to the "DUT Informatique" which is a 2-year technical degree in computer science.

Discovering computer science

DUT Informatique

These 2 years were a revelation. I discovered a new passion, computer science. I loved learning new things, discovering new stuff everyday and the fact that you can basically create anything you want. I really enjoyed some subjects like databases and web development.
During DUT, Franck Silvestre was one of my teacher for databases and project managements. He was the one who introduced me to research and the possibility to do a PhD. I didn't really know what it was but I was curious.
These 2 years have been marked by COVID-19 and the lockdowns. I was lucky to live at my parents' house, so I was never alone. After obtaining my diploma, I decided to pursue my studies in computer science and I joined the MIAGE of Paul Sabatier, Toulouse.

L3 MIAGE

MIAGE stands for "Méthodes Informatiques Appliquées à la Gestion des Entreprises" which can be translated as "Methods of Computer Science Applied to Business Management".
It is a good mix between computer science and project management. An important aspect to me was also to be able to start my apprenticeship in a company. After a 2 months internship at R2N, RAGT, I decided to continue one year with them as an apprentice.
This experience was very enriching and I learned a lot about the professional world. I worked on a variety of projects and I was able to apply what I learned at school. At the end of this year, Franck contacted me to offer me an apprenticeship in his research team and within a company called Kosmos. I accepted and started my apprenticeship in September 2022.

Discovering research

Master MIAGE & Apprenticeship

My Master has been a 2 years full of discoveries. I worked a lot on personnal projects and discovered the world of research thanks to the apprenticeship. I joined TALENT team at IRIT and worked on Denis Ollivier thesis about Testing and Spacing effects.
My main mission was to develop an application to help students to revise. It was really interesting since it was a mix between research and full-stack development. This opportunity led me to my current position: PhD student in the same team.

PhD opportunity

For the past 2 years, my goal has never changed: I want to do a PhD. Discovering it for 2 years with the environment of Denis' thesis has been the best way to know if I wanted to do it. After several iterations about the subject, administrative stuff and a lot of discussions, I finally started my PhD in November 2024. The subject is yet not officaly translated but a draft of it would be: "Technology-supported regulation of learning: what contributions from generative AI?".
This is only the beginning of a new adventure and I'm really excited about it.

See you soon! 👋