The journey to Machine Learning Nirvana -- a traveler's guide

I cannot emphasise how much that last point has contributed to my motivation to keep going. I'm personally not the type of learner inclined to spend months getting to know the basics before i get my hands dirty, so figuring out a small project on which i can start working right away proved to be an immense help in keeping me motivated throughout my learning journey. Let's be clear: you will not know how to do most of the things you want to do; but the simple fact that you WANT to get something done will help provide the motivation to search for more info on how to get it done. That will then lead you to other questions, then other questions, towards something that will soon feel like a bottomless rabbit hole! Keep going though, as many others have also gone into that deep pit and came out safely at the other end!