Look, ma, I'm a language teacher!
08 Aug 2025
Table of Contents
I shared yesterday’s LLM prompts for requirements analysis and project scoping post with a friend, and they said:
“You got to teach languages this week!”
I teared up, and nearly dropped what I was holding, when I read that comment.
Abandoned natural language career
I was going to be in foreign languages, not tech, for a living.
- Side notes:
- Admittedly, I always loved studying them for the semi-mathematical “codebreaking” vibes, not so much for the “access to more literature” aspects.
- Since I so adored language imitating math, these last few years it’s been fascinating to try to grok the linear algebra behind math imitating language.
For a variety of reasons, including abysmal grades disqualifying me from specialized advanced studies, I gave up.
I went into industry instead of academia because industry offered a lower barrier to entry for professionally “analyzing and teaching how things work.”
Teaching natural language after all
This week, I’ve literally been teaching programmers English.
A bit unexpected, since I’d thought my passion was “foreign” human languages. I don’t think I ever expected to be teaching “creative writing” in my own tongue. 😉
On the other hand, prompt engineering is a bit of a “foreign” way of using one’s own native language, since it’s so new in society.
What a surprise.
I’ve always been home. And also, unexpectedly … I just found my way home. 🥰
Love y’all, everyone who’s believed in me all through this unexpected journey.
