foundation first
Before touching the tools, I make sure I understand the problem, the people involved and what success should look like. If the foundations are wrong, AI only helps you build the wrong thing faster.
product builder and systems thinker
CiaraWearen
I build products that help people become more confident using AI
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how i work
architecture thinking
I think in systems. I map how the pieces connect, where information moves, what could fail and where a human needs to stay in control.
trust but verify
AI can generate things quickly, but it can also be confidently wrong. I build workflows where people test, check and decide what is good enough to use.
about me
I took a less conventional route into the tech world. I started in finance, then joined a startup where I got really varied experience, including working alongside the developers and doing QA. From there, I moved into product management.
I don’t have a computer science background, and I struggled with formal education because of the way my autistic and ADHD brain learns. Growing up, I often struggled to speak and communicate, even when I understood what was happening.
“My brain loves pattern matching and systems thinking”
AI came along and changed how I could learn. I could ask the same question ten different ways, get visual examples and stay with a problem until everything clicked. It meant I didn’t have to force myself into somebody else’s idea of how learning should work.
My brain loves pattern matching and systems thinking, and that’s always been with me. AI gave me a way to use it.
Then an opportunity came up to host live courses on Maven. Honestly, I never thought I’d be able to do that. But I felt passionate about AI and the opportunities it could open up for people. It was something I really cared about, and it gave me the confidence I needed.
Teaching also showed me where non-technical learners were getting stuck and the problems they were facing. Those recurring problems became frameworks, tools and eventually products.
Now I build products and systems with an amazing team at 100 School, helping people use AI confidently in their real work.
what people
say
“A major thank you to Ciara. This course was a truly eye-opening, hands-on opportunity to explore the future of AI. Thanks to this course, I already have several implementation plans and two in the works.”
“Eventually I gave up and admitted I needed help. Ciara immediately pointed out the solution. I needed to run Python on the backend. It was an elegant solution, one that AI, for all its intelligence, completely missed.”
“The prototyping tool Ciara created is awesome! It’s an impressive tool to get the learning journey going and keep us builders focused on our ideas. Kudos!”
it all adds up
I’m a generalist. Finance, product management and teaching all shape how I build.
When I want to learn something new, I ask AI to explain it like I’m five, then like I’m in high school, then as a working professional, with visuals along the way.
It gets rid of the blank page. From there, I can start trying things and build my understanding as I go.
2004–2018
financial accountant
understanding how a business works
2018–2025
product manager
figuring out which problems matter
2024–2026
teaching AI on Maven
seeing where people get stuck
2026 / now
founding CTO
100School
bringing it together to build useful products
