AI is undeniable, a booming sector, and a career option at the same time that promises unparalleled growth in the times to come. And, that’s the reason for people breaking into the said sector while coming from diverse educational and professional backgrounds. What recruiters seek in a candidate is creative thinking, an innovative bent of mind, and technical prowess in AI & ML specific coding.

Pay Range for AI Professionals in the US

Source: Payscale.com

As per Payscale, the average annual pay of ML/AI professionals vary amid $100k and $134k in entry-level roles. Basis the number of years of work experience, one can earn much more than what’s mentioned above.

Professional and industry-relevant AI Certifications are a good option to increase your chances of bagging an entry-level job in the said sector. Companies that have recently adopted AI in their operations are desperately looking for skilled AI professionals who would fit the bill, and that’s why the observed surge off late in the AI-specific job openings across the global job markets.

Who is an AI Developer?

These are trained professionals who are adept at infusing AI functionality into diverse kinds of software apps pertaining to varied industries. The role primarily involves integrating AI algorithms into software applications that belong to a specific IIT project.

In general, a full-stack AI professional would create, test, and deploy code. He would help convert Machine Learning APIs so that they could be used by other software apps.

Skill Requisites for an AI Developer

An efficient AI developer would be a great coder, that’s for sure. Added to that, he will have a fundamental knowledge of common programming languages such as Python, R, and Java. A good grasp of soft skills is a must, which would involve problem-solving, logical reasoning capabilities, and an ability to effectively work as a team.

According to Udemy, the fast emerging skills in 2020 in the AI domain comprise – Gatsby.js, an advanced tool to create web development frameworks, Next.js, SwiftUI (user interface tool for iOS), and React Hooks, ESP32 for IoT, and quantum computing.

Familiarity and working knowledge of cloud infrastructure are critical, as many firms these days rely completely on the same to produce the end deliverables.

Other vital skills for an AI professional:

  • TensorFlow has emerged as one of the most crucial tech skills for an AI developer in the recent past, whose popularity is increasing with each day passing by.
  • Demand for data science skills has constantly been on an increase in the last couple of years in the global AI job markets, apart from other crucial AI skills such as knowledge of varied web development frameworks, and cloud computing.
  • A strong grasp on SAP has almost become a necessity to bag an AI job role across industry sectors and geographies.

Concluding Words

Making yourself stand out in the highly competitive job markets is the need of the hour, especially in coveted job roles, such as AI. One can take a competitive lead over others by proving that he can do more than just coding. Instead of it being a technical role, the winners get highlighted before the recruiters with their excellent grasp on the soft skills that comprise problem-solving, out-of-the-box thinking, innovative bent of mind, and creativity.

Other factors that give an edge to candidates comprise familiarity with the ongoing trends in the AI industry, number of industry-relevant professional certifications in AI, ability to execute on case studies that are presented before the interviewees at a hiring event.

We hope, by now, you must have got the hang of the number of preparations required before attending an AI job interview, and the skillset needed to crack one.

Best of luck!