As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to invade different verticals, it is getting obvious that the future of tech is already here. Also, there are talks that AI will soon eliminate human jobs and will take the driving seat. However, it is not completely true — with all the advancements, it will very likely create new types of jobs as well.
Form chatbots to robots to voice assistance, AI over the years has proved that it is here to stay, not to fade. So, it is high time for people who are into AI or want to make a career in AI, should start preparing.
In this article, we lay down the 5 crucial steps to follow to start a career in AI.
1) Understand the AI Career Landscape
AI is a sound career choice for a while now and as the adoption of AI in various verticals continues to grow, the demand for trained professionals to do the jobs created by this growth is also skyrocketing. Even though many AI pundits have prophesied that this technology will wipe out a massive amount of human jobs, there other pundits too who have said this will offers many unique and viable career opportunities. Therefore, if you are an AI enthusiast then be optimistic and prepare for a great career in AI.
2) Popular Job Roles In The Field Of AI
- Machine Learning Engineer: It is considered to be one of the most sought-after careers jobs in the AI space and to be a machine learning engineer, one must have a strong hand on software skills, have the knowledge of how to apply predictive models and utilise natural language processing while working with huge datasets.
- Robotic Scientist: A Robotic scientist is someone with significant formal education and builds mechanical devices to perform various tasks — whether it is about machines to go where humans can’t go or robotic hands for microscopic tasks. A robot might automate jobs, but it requires someone who can create robots. To be a robotic scientist, one should at least have a bachelor’s degree related to computer science or engineering.
- Data Scientist: A data scientist is someone who collects, analyse and interpret data from various sources by using machine learning and predictive analytics to better understand how the business performs and builds AI tools. To be a data scientist, one should have expertise in using Big Data platforms and tools including Hadoop, Pig, Hive, Spark, and MapReduce. Also, one should have a strong hand in programming languages including SQL) Python, Scala, and Perl.
- Research Scientist: A research scientist is someone who is responsible for designing, undertaking and analysing data from controlled laboratory-based investigations, experiments and trials. Also, to be a research scientist, one should have a strong knowledge of different AI disciplines.
- Business Intelligence Developer: The demand for Business Intelligence developers has skyrocketed in recent years. BI developer spends a lot of time researching and planning solutions for existing problems within the company. Whether it is about analysing complex data or look for current business, a BI developer plays a vital role in increasing the profitability and efficiency of the organisation.
3) Educational and Knowledge Prerequisites
If you’re intrigued by AI and wondering how to get started, then the first and foremost step is to hold a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science. However, most of the time, a Bachelor’s degree only lands you an entry-level position, but it will at least get you started. So, once you get into the industry and understand how things work, you can plan your future career. Talking about positions entailing supervision, leadership or administrative roles, you need to have a Master’s degree or a Doctoral degree.
Before you dive in AI, build up a base in these areas:
- Computer Science: Coding expertise with popular programming languages such as Python, Java, Julia, Lisp etc.
- Physics, engineering, and robotics
- Mathematics: Algebra, calculus, logic and algorithms, probability, statistics
- Bayesian networking (including neural nets)
- Cognitive science theory
One step ahead: If you’re already a software engineer, it becomes a bit easy for you to enter the AI industry compared to those who are just getting started. Some additional courses on AI (at a brick-and-mortar school or an online school) will win you the brownie points with a job in the AI field.
Word to the wise: Also, have great communication skills. Whether you are a newbie or programmers, or someone with some relevant experience, apart from different skill sets required by different industries working in AI one should also possess great communication skills.
4) Three top-tier online AI resources to learn from
This platform by Google provides a course that starts from a basic introduction to machine learning to getting started with TensorFlow, to designing and training neural nets. The best thing about this course is that you don’t need to have any prior knowledge to get started; it is designed in such a way that whether you’re just starting with coding or you’re a seasoned machine learning practitioner, you’ll find information and exercises to help you develop your skills and advance your projects.
Udacity: Machine Learning Course From Google
This course from Google through Udacity is on deep learning, giving us an overview of what deep learning is all about. Aiming at the people who are looking to put machine learning, neural network technology to work as data analysts, data scientists or machine learning engineers.
Also, if someone wants to dig deep more, then Udacity has a full-fledged Deep Learning Nanodegree program to have a more hands-on experience.
MIT: Deep Learning for Self-Driving Cars
With so many courses available on the internet about AI, MIT takes the approach of using one major real-world aspect of AI — self-driving cars. This course (an introduction to the practice of deep learning) by MIT is focused on people who have just started in the field of machine learning. However, according to MIT, this course is also helpful for those who are already working in machine learning or deep learning space.
5) Three Must-Try Job Hunting Platforms
It’s a technology-driven age. You don’t have to roam around, knocking doors of the companies to hire you; we have AI, the internet and 4 billion years of evolution. Let’s have a look at some of the best job hunting portals/platforms that would help you land your next job in the field of AI.
Indeed
Indeed is the most popular of the job sites today. With a simple and effective interface, the portal makes it easier for the job hunter to search jobs that fit hit well. From company hiring pages to direct job/hiring posts, Indeed scrape down all.
How to search? Just type the relevant job title keyword and location. When you get the job you were looking for, just hit apply. You can also sign up and create a profile, which makes it easier for you to apply for jobs.
LinkedIn Job Search
With more than 562 million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. And talking about the job search, LinkedIn Job Search is one of the best platforms, delivering great job listings. One can also reach out to the industry power players and have a conversation about hiring.
Google For Jobs
When it is about searching for anything online, one can never ignore Google. Google’s job search engine (don’t get confused! It is not Google job board.) So, it’s basically the same as the google search engine, but here, google only performs searches for jobs. It displays jobs already posted on different portals.
Compared to job searches in different portals, Google job search is convenient as it saves a lot of time. So, if you are looking for a job in the field of AI, then try out Google Job Search first then check out other platforms.
Outlook
Since its inception, AI has been playing a vital role in the technology space, improving the quality of life across various industries. And talking about what the future holds, it is hard to predict. However, the way AI is evolving, it seems the innovations in the coming years are going to be marvelous and those innovations will be successful only when there are people who are trained and working in the field of AI.
If you have a dream of working with amazing technology, then it is high time that you should start paving your path towards a career in artificial intelligence.
