AI, or artificial intelligence technology made big headlines off late when people across the world witnessed instances of Alexa laughing out of the blue. Such news reports attracted people’s attention globally, and as a result, jokes were made on computers taking over the world in the near future. However, there’s least fun associated with the said emerging tech as it has affected, and in a positive way, every single industry we can think of. In healthcare, AI is being used in drug discovery, medication management, robotic surgery, and medical imaging.
In e-commerce and retail, companies are leveraging AI to detect shopping patterns of customers, and accordingly sending product recommendations. In the food tech domain, AI technology is being used in the farming sector to manufacture and develop intelligent tractors and plucking machines, while in the banking and financial trade industry, robo-financial advisors are helping investors take better investment decisions.
Career Scope in AI
Avg. pay by experience levels for an AI Engineer in the US
Source: Payscale
AI has become one of the top career choices globally in the recent past, given the unprecedented increase in the adoption of the said disruptive technology across industries. There is a huge need for skilled artificial intelligence engineers all over the world, especially in countries like US and China, where AI innovation is growing by leaps and bounds.
Pundits and industry experts have predicted that AI is going to create about 2.3 million jobs in 2020, however, it’s also estimate that it will eliminate 1.7 million traditional jobs during the same period. If you do the maths, AI is basically helping generate half a million new job opportunities for the world population in 2020 alone.
Getting Started in the AI Domain
For the aspirants preparing for an AI career, starting with acquiring knowledge of advanced mathematics and machine learning would help significantly. They are highly recommended to take up industry-relevant credentialing programs online that teaches AI/ML fundamentals. A range of valuable AI certifications for beginners are available online to choose from, for AI aspirants out there. However, they must keep in mind to select the certification program as per their long-term career goals and professional aspirations.
Professional Credentials Do Enhance Your Job-Readiness: Certifications available online, on AI & ML (machine learning) don’t take much time of yours, and at the same time, are cost-efficient. Even the qualifying examinations for the same are held online. You don’t need to go out for anything, whether it’s learning, or attending skill-nurturing classes by experts, as everything is available digitally in a majority of such credentialing programs.
Other Vital Skills for a Potential AI Engineer: Strong grasp on computer skills and a mastery in programming/coding in languages such as C++, Python, R, and Java would help significantly while starting out on your career journey. Try learning as many Machine Learning languages as you can, especially R & Python. MySQL is another software framework you should have a command on, as an AI aspirant. Besides, strong communication skills will always come handy, and will offer you a distinct competitive edge at the job interviews.
Hot Jobs in AI
The hottest jobs for which the hiring is ‘on’ across the globe, comprise:
- AI Engineer
- Data Scientist
- Machine Learning Researchers
- Business Intelligence (BI) Developer
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Data Mining and Analysis
Concluding Words
The innovation in the field of AI we are witnessing at the moment is giving a strong signal about another million new jobs getting created in the next couple of years in the said sector. And, given the pace of growth of AI across industry sectors, it’s a certainty that the demand for AI professionals is only going to grow stronger than it had ever been. Hence, it’s highly advisable for aspirants to get certified and acquire an extensive skillset in the said technology, as you will be reaping the humongous benefits very soon.
