Hey all,
I am at the moment 24, working as an IT Support Specialist in corporate but since high school I am passionated about AI, and would like to start a career in Machine Learning Engineering. My question is, I do not have a degree (I do self-pace learning) and I do not have a lot of knowledge yet. My questions are:
Thanks a lot in advance!
@falexa I only want to be honest with you-- And your experience may be different, but I have three degrees (though none of them are directly related) and taken DLS here as well as NLP as well as additional course programs elsewhere and I have not had any luck thus far.
I recently got some advice about this from a Distinguished Engineer previously at Microsoft and former VP of Prime Air (and, not like āa VPā like the VP) who is a heavy weight in ML.
His suggestion to me is perhaps to get started seek out a scrappy startup, where you might get paid nothing for your work, or try to do more volunteer type projects for an NGO to get some work credit on board.
Again, not to discourage you-- One way another it is both great and I feel important to learn in this day and age.
However, set your expectations accordingly. Donāt expect āI take a few coursesā and someone is going to just throw a $250k job at you.
Best,
-A
Hey @Nevermnd , thanks a lot for your advice. I was thinking exactly the same, a startup might definitely help until eventually you gather some more knowledge and experience, but I do think that is the hardest part (to even find one, I am guessing).
And thanks for your honestly, highly valued of course. Maybe anything changes and eventually I will go for a degree if nothing else works. I guess it is a matter of luck nowadays.
I think that a portfolio with projects might help in the long run?
Thanks again!
@falexa I think it is really getting that first job that is the big deal.
And yes I think a portfolio of original projects is huge-- Fill your github, thatās how you make a name for yourself.
Also, consider, if you are that sort of person, there is also the possibility of starting your own business/consultancy. Yet, of course then you have to be endlessly bullishly confident in yourself and really know what you are doing to produce real world results for your clients.
I wish you all the best.
-A
@Nevermnd , definitely! And yes starting my own thing is my idea at some point, I just really (like you said) need that confidence that I can deliver results to clients. I also saw your resume and thanks for the reference, also it is impressive, that is definitely a motivation 
.
Cheers!
@falexa also join a project that is announced in the ai-project section and start contributing it. As I see the main problem is the computational part of the project requested to run the model. Anyway, you should find a sponsor that helps you to realize your first AI project, to publish on Github.
@falexa P.s. One other important caveat-- Obviously I donāt know where you live. Iām in the States, so again, mileage for your situation may vary.
Hey @gpacetti , thanks for the advice, will start looking for beginner-friendly projects in that section. 
And, for the sponsor, do you know how I would be able to find one? Is it here?
I am located in the Netherlands at the moment (originally from Portugal) so yes it might be a very different situation but not too much. @Nevermnd
Another way to get your first machine-learning role is to discover a way to apply ML techniques to a job you already have. If there is an IT process at your current job which collects a lot of data, perhaps you can apply ML to it and provide your employer some benefit while you build your reputation.
While I am almost in the same situation as you (finished multiple courses, currently doing PhD in Neuroscience, and looking forward to getting a DS/ML job after I graduate), I really think that having 1-2 solid, well-documented, pet projects on GitHub will make a difference, and help landing that high pay job. It might not be exactly 250k/year, as mentioned above, but still a good entry-level salary. Speaking from experience of my peers who made that career switch.
@iworeushankaonce thank you for your input. I mentioned the ā250kā scenario because I have seen ads online for sites offering courses (undoubtedly much less reputable than this one) saying āTake our courses and then be eligible for 250-500k FAANG jobs !ā. And I am just like, um, noā¦
A further note worth mentioning, if your undergraduate degree is in Mathematics (unfortunately mine are not), ātaking a few courses onlineā might actually be enough for an entry level position.
I totally agree with you, itās hard to imagine that you can attend a couple of online courses and get a 250k salary as a starter. but I think (hope rather) that if you start with entry-level 50-70k, and advance to mid-senior level, you can definitely achieve that pay over the years. But being devilās advocate, and rather sharing hopes than my own experience
@iworeushankaonce yes, well one of the challenges Iāve found at least in my own search (and, again, I think it all depends on which country you live)-- But āentry levelā ML/AI positions seem to be few and far between.
I think for one, I mean to be really proficient, letās be honest, you need to know a ton of stuff. I mean even with all the courses here, really, we are barely scratching the surface. We donāt even cover diffusion, and in NLP, real LLM style models (with the exception of BERT) are not really covered. It is not like being a Data Analyst were maybe you use some Excel, run a few regressions, make interpretive graphs.
And, second, while especially everyone and the brother in terms of companies wants to get in on āAIā in some way-- Maybe you are a member of a small team, or even expected to be the only one whom has that knowledge, so there are not a lot of peers already in place to train/mentor you.
Which is not to say entry level positions do not exist. I just have not found a lot of them.
And as yourself, Iām not trying to discourage anyone either. I mean h*** that is why I have been studying this, to get an interesting, at least decent paying job. So only sharing my own experience. Yourās (and others) may vary. 
I agree with everyone about having a github portfolio with multiple projects. Find something you are passionate about and make a project about that.
Thanks all, this means a lot to me, I will follow everyoneās recommendation with the projects, etc, and letās see where i will be in at least a year (Hope at least with an entry-level job 
) !
Hello, fellow Portuguese in the Netherlands. 
How adamant are you that what you want is deep ML Engineering? Have you considered moving from IT Support to Application Development, maybe in a project that includes/integrates ML/AI first?
e.g. Maybe jump into OutSystems low-code development (home team advantage ahaha) and join a client or implementation partner that is using it with AI?
Well, hello!! 
@msmelo
That would be great actually, but my problem here is: almost no experience yet (in general, in the work industry) so it is hard to find something like this still so specific. Of course when I send out my resume to these type of jobs, they will definitely choose someone either with a degree or someone who has years of experience, was denied to a lot of jobs I applied to, happens to the best of us!
I do like your idea, my problem is, how to start. Sometimes a lot of different ideas overwhelm me 
.
Hi, I also have the same worries as you about the AI job market, where the majority of the employers require a masterās or doctorate, but I believe that it is also possible to get into an AI internship without a thesis or to be a software engineer in an artificial intelligence research. Those are also suitable for me and may be ideal for you. I suggest you look at Linkedin, git, and other AI forums. You have already started looking for something, so there is no need to worry about not getting into a job. Moreover, I suggest that you do something related whenever you worry about something. For example, take AI courses, talk about topics you are unsure about, and do not let what makes you worry get stuck in your mind; share it. Good Luck in your career.
Hi Falexa!
I would firstly like to say dont make the mistake of going for courses with big fees and promising you the sun
Secondly, you need to look at your resume and you need to add experience on it as suggested by everyone (projects seem to be a good way to go)
What I truly feel is just talk to people who are already doing what you want to do and find out what is it that they are doing? Are they learning some computer languages? Are they strategising more? Are they doing a lot of projects? No one is going to tell you right away but network and then look up āinformational interviewā. Try getting those to get a sense of things
Find a mentor if you can. This is very important. Someone you look up to. They can help you chart a career path from where you are to where you want to go
Finally, I want to say while certifications, degrees, projects, experience are all good look for what is it that is going to help you make the cut. What I mean is what kind of work? what kind of skills? Thats very important