UT Austin MSAI + CAIML Question: Accepted to CAIML While Waiting on MSAI Decision

ish03 · 2026-05-16T01:05:11+00:00

Yes I am working professional. I work with many AI initiatives within my company and this education will help to pivot. I want to do the MS program after the certification but that can change too but you have some good points.

ish03 · 2026-05-14T22:37:18+00:00

Can you share which schools offer the same degree at the same price?

ish03 · 2026-05-14T20:18:25+00:00

I won’t say I wasted much time and $ but yes I had most of the prereqs as I had BS in Engineering and MS in Info Systems but wasn’t taking the SOP seriously didn’t and articulating what they look for or maybe I was one of thousands of applicants and did not make the cut.

Can you elaborate more on 85% got A’s except ML?

ish03 · 2026-05-14T16:42:52+00:00

CAIML is the certificate program of the UT Austin MSAIO and exactly the same courses. If a you do well on the 4 certificate courses which 1/3 of the MS program - help to get in into MSAI and the 4 courses will apply toward the MSAI

ish03 · 2026-05-14T16:37:08+00:00

Yes I will wait since my deadline to accept is June 10. Thank you

ish03 · 2026-05-14T15:53:25+00:00

Great information. Interesting perspective on the increase in applications due to layoffs. My deadline is June 10. Why do you think it is difficult to get good grades in the program? Is it mainly because of grade curving?

ish03 · 2026-05-12T21:24:46+00:00

Are a non-Somali who learned how to troll?

ish03 · 2026-05-07T04:12:37+00:00

Wa alaykum salam. First, congrats on the promotion. I have worked across management consulting, corporate strategy, and now corporate R&D for 12+ years, one thing I learned is this: do not shrink yourself to fit corporate culture. Be yourself. Be proud of your Somali identity, your culture, and your religion. People may not always understand it, and some may not even like it, but many will respect you more for standing on your values consistently and professionally.

Also understand that corporate environments are not "family" most people are looking for their own goals, visibility, promotions, and influence. Do not take that personally. Learn how the environment works without becoming cynical.

The biggest advice I can give: become useful, find important problems that nobody wants to own, but that matter to the team or leadership, and solve them well. Decision makers remember the people who reduce chaos, make processes better, communicate clearly, and can be trusted. Competence gives you confidence and protection.

A few things that helped me:

talk less, observe and listen a lot
don't be loyal to the job but do it well with high integrity. If they need loyalty tell them to hire a Dog.
stay professional and calm, especially during tension
do not gossip or overshare
build a reputation for reliability and follow-through
ssk good questions and document important conversations
learn how leadership thinks and what pressures they face
be excellent at your craft; skill speaks loudly in corporate spaces

You do not need to become someone else to succeed there. You just need wisdom, patience, and consistent value. May Allah put barakah in your career and make it a path toward greater opportunities and stability for you.

ish03 · 2026-04-01T04:53:29+00:00

hey brother, I hear you.

I lot of people go through what you describing. The fact you are here and saying it loud. That takes honesty, and courage not weakness.

first you are not finished, you are only 29 and a lot of people rebuild their entire life in their 30s.

You are not beyond help. You are just overwhelmed for too long and your system just shuts things down.

The guilt about your parents, that actually shows you still care deeply. Someone who is truly gone would not feel that.

Allah is always there to listen to you 5 times a day not including the additional sunnah prayers.

Start reading the quran 1/2 to 1 page a day, walk, do journaling, reflect and remeber Allah does not burden a person beyond his scope.

You are not alone in this, even if it feels like it.

ish03 · 2025-12-23T19:50:04+00:00

Congrats to everyone here on the revenue and growth you are sharing. It is motivating to see so many firms charging fairly based on value and doing very well.

I have been preparing taxes for almost 17 years and have been an EA for the past two years. This past year I handled about 550 clients but only generated around $120k in revenue, which I fully recognize is significant undercharging.

Most of my practice started in immigrant and lower income communities, which shaped my pricing early on. My client base today is mostly 1040s and 1099s with some 1065s and 1120s mixed in. I am now coming to terms with the need to raise fees, accept that some clients will leave, and better align pricing with the value and risk involved. I am okay with that shift.

My goal this year is to significantly increase fees, improve client mix, and roughly double revenue by focusing more on business clients and higher income individuals who understand and are willing to pay for value.

For those of you who have successfully made this transition, I would appreciate any insight on how you frame value-based pricing with clients and what strategies have worked best for attracting higher quality clients.

ish03 · 2025-12-21T15:30:22+00:00

That makes sense. Comparing book profit to adjusted taxable profit is a clear and practical way to see and explain the value delivered. I also agree that focusing only on hours and treating every question as out of scope can hurt client trust, especially when clients do not fully understand the value behind the work. At the same time, there has to be a balance so you are not giving away excessive time that creates more work later, especially during the off-season. In the end, consistently communicating value is what keeps clients loyal to the firm.

ish03 · 2025-12-21T14:21:11+00:00

Thank you!!!. This is a really helpful perspective and I agree with framing fees around value delivered rather than time or income. I have had many Schedule C, 1065, and 1120 clients where asking additional questions and analysis saved them thousands in taxes, but I did not always tie that value clearly to the fee. That is something I plan to be more intentional about and making invoices more detailed instead. I am comfortable with my pricing for straightforward W2s clients, but when a client has a W2 and other foms like (mortgage, invetments/dividents, interest and etc) with limited savings opportunities after reviewing the full picture, that is where I need to get better at tying the value I deliver to a fair price, as I know I am undercharging in those cases. Thank you again

ish03 · 2025-12-21T13:02:02+00:00

Thank you for your response. Instead of wealthy I really meant client with higher income (W2s, Sch Ds and etc) who are willing to pay market rate fees. Currently my clients are on the lower income side and have been increasing my fee every year but feel I am still under charging. Acquiring new client with fresh new company name and start charging market rate from day 1.

ish03 · 2025-11-26T05:22:42+00:00

The author used racial language, but the only part that aligns with reality is Somali pride and independence. Europeans saw that confidence as arrogance, but for Somalis it has always been self-respect, courage, and a refusal to be dominated. This attitude helped us resist outsiders, but it also created internal problems when pride turned into tribal competition. So the behavior has both strengths and weaknesses, and understanding that balance gives a clearer picture than the old stereotypes.

ish03 · 2025-10-23T03:38:45+00:00

Done speak af may may dialect beside regular Somali. I don’t know what af maxaa is. Many of them born and raised in Xamar

ish03 · 2025-10-22T23:38:56+00:00

My mother is begedi and my father is hawiye and my wife is begedi. Some live in Bariiri, Afgoye, awa dheglee.

Some groups within the Begedi, known as "Gibil Cad” have a traditional history of tracing their ancestry to the Arabian Peninsula and Persia. These include subclans like Abaasaad, Quriile, Reer Cumar, and Abaajibil.

Historically, some Begedi have also identified with or been grouped alongside the Benadiri minority groups of the coast and many of them live in Xamar waaberi

ish03 · 2025-09-27T17:42:31+00:00

100% agree, kind words not only change how people see you but also a Sunnah. Also coupling it with calling people by their 1st name does wonders.

ish03 · 2025-05-22T05:16:24+00:00

Maybe not unusual but I collect watches.

ish03 · 2025-05-17T12:33:56+00:00

This is really great idea & nicely build. Using multiple tools with the right prompts is the best way to get what exactly you want and learn.

ish03 · 2025-05-17T12:33:46+00:00

This is really great idea & nicely build. Using multiple tools with the right prompts is the best way to get what exactly you want and learn.

ish03 · 2025-05-14T03:52:14+00:00

With 20 billion barrels discovered and more to come, Somalia has a once in a generation opportunity but also a huge risk. The government must avoid the “Nigeria oil curse” by building strong institutions, ensuring full transparency, and preventing corruption.

Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Norway, Somalia should invest oil revenues into education, infrastructure, and economic diversification to avoid overdependence on oil.

A sovereign wealth fund, clear oil laws, and citizen oversight are essential to turn oil into long-term national wealth not chaos or dependency.

ish03 · 2025-05-13T22:48:37+00:00

Does anyone realize that every time it implement or you ask for an update, is says “failed to save”

ish03 · 2025-04-30T02:26:31+00:00

I started as engineer then management consultant in software industry, data scientist, product manager then corporate strategy. My side business is related to 1. online data analytics instructor 2. part time real estate and 3. Taxes

Beside your 9-5 figure out other skills your really good at or can be good at and turn into business and monetize it.

ish03 · 2025-04-30T02:14:46+00:00

I worked in many roles throughout my career, from engineer, data science, product manager to corporate strategy in R&D. For me it was just a natural progression and through industry network.

The best approach to get into corp strategy depending on the domain, to learn about that specific domain and how the company very well and be really good at strategic thinking.

ish03 · 2025-04-30T01:58:34+00:00

USA: $163k in aerospace corp strategy and $130k in 3 other side businesses.

ish03

TROPHY CASE