How to Prepare for a Career in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

23-Dec-2021

Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have the potential to bring about some of the most significant and transformative advances of the century. The AI revolution that is altering our lives and work includes self-driving cars, robotic helpers, and computerized disease diagnoses. With the spiraling advancements, endless opportunities are surfacing for those interested and who wish to tread the ever-dynamic field of cutting-edge AI research and development and machine learning jobs. The endless chances are prompted by the demand for skilled and expert engineers which has been doubled in recent years.

While jobs developing and upgrading AI applications are on the rise, some analysts believe these efforts will have a substantial impact on the economy. This is because AI systems are capable of handling large amounts of data, whereas humans, potentially millions of people in today's labor market, are not. Hence, now is the best and the most ideal time to venture into this career path.

To delve into the ways and means to prepare for a machine learning job and a career in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, let us first understand the concepts in a broader sense.

Defining Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Essentially, Artificial intelligence (AI) has been characterized as the creation of computer systems that can do activities that would normally need human intelligence. To put it another way, AI allows computers to solve issues by thinking and acting more like humans. Machine learning is a type of data analysis that allows computer programs to improve their performance by learning from large amounts of data. Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to learn and evolve when they are exposed to data-driven scenarios. This type of AI is based on data science and is significantly more effective than standard AI approaches in many areas. While AI and machine learning are closely related, they are two separate fields: Machine learning is a component of AI, although it is not the only component. Nonetheless, both fields offer significant career prospects, with AI and machine learning positions primed for considerable expansion.

The Future of AI Jobs

AI is gaining even more popularity as a result of recent breakthroughs that have grabbed headlines. However, due to the expanding use of AI across industries and the demand for skilled individuals to fill the positions produced by this expansion, AI has been a good career choice for a while. However, it is estimated that this technology will eliminate approximately 1.7 million jobs while creating roughly half a million new ones around the world. Furthermore, AI provides a variety of innovative and viable job options. Although AI is employed in practically every business, from entertainment to transportation, there is a significant shortage of qualified, skilled experts.

Job Trends in Machine Learning: A Growing Number of Possibilities

You can't go wrong with a profession as a machine learning engineer if you are envisioning a strong, secure future. The epidemic has brought a stronger focus on the disciplines of artificial intelligence and machine learning, making it the second most sought-after AI profession.

Jobs in AI and machine learning have increased by about 75% in the last four years and are expected to continue to rise. Getting a machine learning job is a great way to get a high-paying job that will be in demand for decades. Healthcare, education, marketing, retail and eCommerce, and financial services are among the industries that have already adopted AI and machine learning.

How Can You Prepare for Artificial Intelligence?

Touted as the future market's game-changer, the field of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is heavily reliant on strong computing power and strong data which requires a solid and robust theoretical foundation. To prepare for a machine learning job thus entails undertaking extensive training and acquiring the prerequisite skills.

To begin with, having a technical background although not mandatory helps a lot more. Having comprehensive and foundational knowledge in advanced mathematics and programming languages is a necessity.

Enrolling in a training course thus helps a lot for those coming from a non-technical background. Multiple online courses are out there for interested candidates with specializations in computer vision, neural network technology, machine learning, deep learning, and the likes.

What Skills are Necessary for a Career in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning?

A good artificial intelligence and machine learning engineer must have a thorough understanding of data science and statistics, as well as a working knowledge of data processing and software engineering. For those preparing a career vocation and wants to prepare for AI jobs, below is a list of a few of the most critical artificial intelligence abilities that professionals and hopefuls in the field of AI/ML should consider –

Practical or Hands-on Data Science and Statistics Experience – One thing to keep in mind is that machine learning, often known as artificial intelligence, is not a theoretical or academic term. As a result, diving deep into research and grasping the theoretical nitty-gritty of statistical ideas isn't required to become a great AI engineer.

Fundamentals of Computer Programming - Because the role of an AI engineer is to simulate a machine to behave like a human, an in-depth understanding of computer software basics is essential, starting with data structures, trees, graphs, optimization techniques, linear programming, and computer architecture. As a result, it would be difficult to cope without understanding how systems work.

Statistics and Probability Distribution - Statistics are at the foundation of data science, which is a key component of machine learning. Conditional probability, Bayesian principles, Markov models, and other probability ideas are required for ML engineers. They should also be familiar with univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, as these are the foundations of machine learning approaches.

Data Modeling and Model Validation - In machine learning, data modeling techniques are widely employed to uncover valid patterns and classifications on datasets.

Software and Design Engineering: Although design and software engineering may appear to be the least relevant skill for a machine learning or artificial intelligence engineer, professionals and hopefuls must be aware that the final outcome will be software. As a result, becoming a successful ML/AI engineer requires a basic understanding of system design and implementation.

How do You Prepare for a Machine Learning Job?

The first and foremost primary step to prepare for AI/ML job is to gain the requisite education and skills. An aspiring individual is required to possess the level of knowledge and intelligence to navigate through the process of prepping for an AI job.

Despite the high learning curve in AI, the advantages of pursuing a career in AI much outweigh the time and effort necessary. To excel in the area, a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related discipline, such as mathematics, is usually required. A master's or Ph.D. may be required for more senior positions. However, note that leading businesses like Apple and Google no longer require a college diploma. Regardless, your chances of success will be largely determined by variables other than formal education.

Below are a few tips that will come in handy for those aspiring individuals preparing for an ML/AI career.

Get to Know Machine Learning: Each machine learning job is unique, and each will have a distinct focus. For example, some people are interested in machine learning, while others are interested in machine learning pipelines, and yet others are interested in large data and deep learning. Demonstrate your machine learning skills by working on a variety of projects. Create your simple systems to learn how they work. Learn about Spark, a big data platform, and Pytorch, a deep learning library.

Create a Machine Learning Portfolio: Wherever feasible, be inventive and proactive. Using GitHub to build your profile can be beneficial. Write a lot of code and deal with a wide range of issues. Finding these on your own can be difficult, but entering Kaggle tournaments is a wonderful place to start.

Another way to expand your portfolio is to work on programming projects. It's one thing to grasp the idea, but it's quite another to develop code and put mechanisms in place. You'll want to make sure you can accomplish both when applying for a machine learning job.

Improve Your Coding Skills: This is the most important aspect of your preparation because, at the end of the day, a machine learning engineer is still an engineer. While it may appear to be a bad method for selecting the correct person, it remains a part of the current structure, so if you want to work as an MLE, you'll need to be familiar with the numerous data structures