Career transition into Artificial Intelligence
This week's newsletter is dedicated to all my friends at Amazon impacted by recent layoffs and to those who are still in some fear of what if they are next? Well, I can't give you any assurance for your job but I can guide you in transitioning your career in to Artificial Intelligence (AI). Let's get started.
What is AI?
I am sure all of you know what AI is but to set the stage, here is the picture outlining AI, Machine Learning(ML), and Deep Learning(DL).
If you want to understand more details about AI fundamentals, don't hesitate to go through some of the wildly popular AI courses which explain it in depth. [shameless plug: I have created a video-based course on AI/ML fundamentals which requires no technical background, look at this Udemy course (rating: 4.7/5 with 1,375 students) and, of course, I can offer it at the discounted price of one cup of coffee, or even for free, if you promise to treat me to a cup of Chai.]
Is market in favor of AI?
Those who are not living under the rock would know that everyone is talking about AI since the launch of chatGPT so there is a momentum but show me the money!
Above chart from precedence research shows that the global AI market size is growing year-over-year. The global AI market size was valued at USD 454.12 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit around USD 2,575.16 billion by 2032, progressing with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19% from 2023 to 2032. I still think these are conservative estimates when we are looking at next 8-10 years but even if we grow at 19% CAGR, I am happy.
But you may be wondering this data is very generic - where is the impact in the industry I work in - say, financial services or healthcare. You are in luck. The chart below depicts the dollar impact (Y-axis represents USD billion) across multiple industries.
But what about the jobs?
While there is a study done by our friends at McKinsey about generative AI and future of work in July, 2023, it's considered dated in the world of AI, isn't it? AI is moving way faster (and slower at the same time) than many of us had anticipated. So how about something more recent - a similar study McKinsey published (April 2024) about jobs impact with generative AI in New York. While New York being financial capital of the world, if New York is getting impacted, similar or maybe more impact be seen by rest of the world. The study publishes that the one third of the jobs in New York are expected to shift - means what people (including me and some of you who are in NY area) are doing today may not be the exact work they would do in 2030. Thanks to Generative AI :)
Still don't understand.. what about the jobs?
Well, would you like if Mr. Zuck himself email you or call you and offer you a job at Meta? Well, it's not an April fool joke at least.
It's not just Zuck who is hiring. The entire hiring market in technology is shifting from traditional IT talents to pure play AI talent - don't trust me? Ask any headhunters. Better yet, take a look at this chart:
What else?
Remember the A16Z report came out couple of weeks ago where they said how enterprises (Fortune 500 and beyond) are building and buying the generative AI is changing. I discuss it at length in one of my YouTube video. But what does it mean for jobs and career? Here are the four points which I think are very relevant to the jobs and career:
If budgets for generative AI is rising, that means that budgets are not only for hardware and software, it's also for talent, particularly AI talent.
Enterprises don't have enough in-house talent, means they are going for either hiring or asking some of those consulting firms for help (It was recently reported that Accenture booked over a $1 billion USD business for generative AI in only six-months) - so chances are higher of landing an AI job either with enterprise or those consulting firms - or if you are bold enough, now is the right time be in the service business focused on Generative AI, seriously. [call me if you need tips]
"AI is eating the software", something like that was said by Sam Altman few years ago but it's becoming true were AI is eating the budget of software in enterprises' annual budget cycle - means lesser work for non-AI related work.
Enterprises wants to venture into their own models - by way of fine-tuning open-source models. Well, they can't do it themselves as there is lack of talent - so either you build that service company which provide such services or upskill yourself to be that person who can either lead that project or be tech savvy enough to do it yourself and be a hero (or heroine)
I am hoping that by now you are somewhat convinced that taking AI as a career isn't something you will regret for at least next 5-7 years. If not, next few points will certainly convince you.
As of 5th April, 2024, there are 84,443 results for AI jobs - in the US. As you can see below the spread of the jobs paying anywhere starting $120K/year to $200K/year and beyond.
But which jobs are HOT ??
Let pictures say thousand words !
(disclaimer: this data is sourced from LinkedIn based on the job posting)
Remember, for most of these jobs, numbers would be total compensation (base salary, stocks, bonus, etc. etc.)
How do I get started?
Okay, hoping now you are convinced that AI career isn't that of a bad move! So how do you get started.. well, start small, at least, or go big! choice is yours. But from where do you start?
Yep, Python is a very much starting point. If you don't know it, start learning Python programming language today!
What else should I learn?
Every job requires different skill set but there are core theme of skills you want to learn to be successful in any of the AI career we talked above:
Foundational machine learning and deep learning skills, such as common ML algorithms, model training, evaluation, hosting.
applied LLM knowledge - such as how to create prompts, what it takes to build a RAG system, how would one end up fine-tuning a model - whether a language model or vision model.
The depth of knowledge required is dependent on the type of the role, like engineer would required a depth vs. project manager need to know enough to run the project.
Here are my take on the skills required for various roles we talked earlier:
Alright, now we know what skills you need to be in one of these job. How do you acquire those skills? There are many ways:
Go for on-demand video-based courses (e.g. Coursera, Udemy)
Go for University certificate courses (6-9-12 months duration)
Learn via cohort based live courses (e.g. Maven)
I am doing my part on sharing my learning in various forms:
live learning (in-person, virtual) as well as async video-based course
As I mentioned in the beginning, I have on-demand video course on Udemy
I also run a live interactive virtual cohort based course on Maven platform as well as in-person for group of 15 or more. My "AI for Leaders" is highest rated AI leadership course on Maven with successful students transitioning their careers in AI after going through the course
Additionally, I am excited to share with you all about launching a new course "Master AI Engineering" - which is meticulously designed for aspiring tech enthusiasts, developers, and AI aficionados, places them at the forefront of this transformation. We delve into the world of LLMs, prompt engineering, fine-tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and model deployment, equipped with the knowledge to navigate and shape the future of AI. Wait list is open to gauge the interest - with tentative start date as 27th April, 2024. If you are interested in learning more, feel free to drop-in your email address here. [Python and open mind is prerequisite]
Conclusion:
Alright, so we've dived deep into the AI world, looked at the numbers, the job trends, and even tackled the big question: "Is AI the right move for me?" If you've stuck with me this far, I'm betting you're more than just a little convinced. Transitioning into AI isn't just a smart career move; it's practically a no-brainer with the way things are heading. The AI wave isn't coming; it's already here, and it's reshaping the landscape of jobs, industries, and what the future of work looks like.
So, what's the bottom line? Jump in, the water's fine! Whether you're totally new to this, looking to switch lanes, or just aiming to brush up your skills, there's never been a better time to get your hands dirty with AI. This isn't about keeping up anymore; it's about leading the charge. With AI, you're not just future-proofing your career; you're getting a front-row seat to the most exciting show in tech.
Remember, it's all about taking that first step. So, lace up your boots, arm yourself with Python (or whatever your tool of choice is), and let's make a splash in the AI pool. Who knows? You might just be the next big thing in AI. And if you ever need a hand or a bit of guidance, you know where to find me. Let's turn this AI dream into your reality. Let's get cracking!