[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":208},["ShallowReactive",2],{"lastUpdated":3,"blog-volta-a-universidade-engenharia-ia-en":4},"2026-09-08",{"post":5,"displayLang":206,"isFallback":207,"hasOtherLang":197},{"id":6,"title":7,"body":8,"category":193,"date":194,"description":195,"extension":196,"featured":197,"meta":198,"navigation":197,"path":199,"seo":200,"stem":201,"tags":202,"__hash__":205},"blog_en/en/blog/volta-a-universidade-engenharia-ia.md","Back to University: Applied AI Engineering",{"type":9,"value":10,"toc":187},"minimark",[11,15,23,67,72,75,82,85,94,98,101,164,176,184],[12,13,14],"p",{},"For some of you this might be news, but for me it's been over a month already. Am I late to share it?",[12,16,17,18,22],{},"The big news is: ",[19,20,21],"strong",{},"I am back at university!"," 🎓",[24,25,34,35,54],"div",{"className":26},[27,28,29,30,31,32,33],"flex","flex-col","lg:flex-row","items-start","md:items-center","gap-6","mb-8","\n    ",[36,37],"img",{"src":38,"alt":39,"className":40},"/embaixador-pos-ia.png","Rafa Pedrosa - Applied AI Postgraduate Ambassador at UNIPDS",[41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53],"w-full","max-w-sm","mx-auto","md:max-w-xs","md:float-right","md:ml-8","mb-6","rounded-xl","shadow-lg","dark:shadow-none","border","border-gray-100","dark:border-gray-800",[55,56,57,58],"span",{},"\nFor over a year, I have been asking myself deep career questions: How do I elevate my professional baseline? What is the best way to showcase my technical capabilities and engineering maturity to the market?\n",[12,59,60,61,66],{},"As I shared in ",[62,63,65],"a",{"href":64},"https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7432901732835377152/?originTrackingId=88KEM0WNmyxrrKzHPl8XNg%3D%3D","this post",", sharing more on networks like LinkedIn to showcase real-world projects and daily workflows is great for showing \"who I am\". But what about technical foundations? How do I validate and deepen the foundation built over the years?\n",[68,69,71],"h2",{"id":70},"the-new-challenge-postgraduate-degree","The New Challenge: Postgraduate Degree",[12,73,74],{},"I decided to pursue a new academic degree to consolidate over 13 years of practical experience in technology.",[12,76,77,78,81],{},"Currently, I am pursuing a postgraduate degree in ",[19,79,80],{},"Applied AI Engineering"," at UNIPDS. I am dedicating myself fully, not just for a title, but with the genuine goal of contributing to an active learning community that goes far beyond a traditional course.",[12,83,84],{},"Over the coming year, my focus will be on building deep practical skills in Artificial Intelligence. And best of all: I am actively participating as a Student Ambassador, helping peers, answering technical questions, and fostering rich knowledge sharing among students.",[86,87,88],"blockquote",{},[12,89,90,93],{},[19,91,92],{},"💡 Insight:"," Returning to formal academic education doesn't replace real-world experience, but it provides a structured foundation for mastering complex domain areas like Artificial Intelligence.",[68,95,97],{"id":96},"academic-degree-vs-online-courses","Academic Degree vs. Online Courses?",[12,99,100],{},"This is one of those topics that always sparks debate. What holds more value: a formal academic degree or five certificates from quick online courses?",[102,103,104,121],"table",{},[105,106,107],"thead",{},[108,109,110,115,118],"tr",{},[111,112,114],"th",{"align":113},"left","Criterion",[111,116,117],{"align":113},"Academic Degree (Postgraduate)",[111,119,120],{"align":113},"Short Online Courses",[122,123,124,138,151],"tbody",{},[108,125,126,132,135],{},[127,128,129],"td",{"align":113},[19,130,131],{},"Depth",[127,133,134],{"align":113},"Structured, deep theoretical and practical immersion",[127,136,137],{"align":113},"Direct focus on fast skills and specific tools",[108,139,140,145,148],{},[127,141,142],{"align":113},[19,143,144],{},"Networking",[127,146,147],{"align":113},"Strong (continuous interaction with professors, community, and peers)",[127,149,150],{"align":113},"Generally limited or asynchronous",[108,152,153,158,161],{},[127,154,155],{"align":113},[19,156,157],{},"Validation",[127,159,160],{"align":113},"Formal recognition endorsed by educational institutions",[127,162,163],{"align":113},"Fast validation, ideal for short-term trends",[86,165,166],{},[12,167,168,171,172,175],{},[19,169,170],{},"⚠️ Reflection:"," In my view, ",[19,173,174],{},"both are valid and essential",". However, for those who believe software engineering no longer requires academic updating, or that degrees carry no weight... the question remains: is that really true?",[12,177,178,179,183],{},"Who are your technical role models today? Do they rely solely on quick tutorials, or do they also possess a solid formal grounding? I believe combining both — true ",[180,181,182],"em",{},"Lifelong Learning"," — is the real differentiator for long-lasting engineering careers.",[12,185,186],{},"Food for thought 🤔",{"title":188,"searchDepth":189,"depth":189,"links":190},"",2,[191,192],{"id":70,"depth":189,"text":71},{"id":96,"depth":189,"text":97},"AI","2026-03-11","Why I decided to return to university after 13 years of tech experience to study Applied Artificial Intelligence Engineering.","md",true,{},"/en/blog/volta-a-universidade-engenharia-ia",{"title":7,"description":195},"en/blog/volta-a-universidade-engenharia-ia",[193,203,204,182],"Career","Machine Learning","GonZJ7HFyfx93S6couKXYOqvNmQHMxH4f3hUYn11vCE","en",false,1789775732480]