As the AI field rapidly grows, companies are scrambling to hire the best machine learning engineers, some of whom pay well over six figures. Many of these jobs require applicants to have a Ph.D.
But earlier this week, members of the tech community pushed back on X (formerly Twitter) over the availability of advanced computer science degrees. Really You need it to land a coveted machine learning role.
“I don’t want to get a PhD, but I want to work as a machine learning engineer,” user X wrote, starting a discussion. “The Dilemma of the Century”.
I don’t want to get a PhD, but I want to work as a machine learning engineer. dilemma of the century
— Tanay Mehta (@serious_mehta) January 23, 2024
Perhaps good news for the original poster, but many respondents do not believe that not having a PhD is a barrier to entry.
In fact, Cristian Garcia, a machine learning engineer working in Google’s DeepMind AI division, wrote in X that “a PhD is overkill, or even a red flag, for the ML engineer role (IMO)” (the post was later deleted).
Screenshot of a now-deleted X post by a Google DeepMind engineer. X screenshot
Garcia, who does not have a college degree and is self-taught in machine learning, told Business Insider that he has a Ph.D. Programs don’t always teach skills related to DevOps, data cleaning, data engineering, and the backend work typically required to do the job.
“It’s not enough just to understand machine learning,” Garcia told BI. “In other words, the actual work is only slightly related to ML.”
another Dear X user, Those who claim to have a Ph.D. in the field of computer vision write that recruiters are looking at “Ph.D.” A job seeker’s resume can make it seem like the candidate lacks industry experience, is too expensive, and is too theoretical.
1 respondent He said the PhD is only related to research and not machine learning engineering. Another suggested that companies with Ph.D. As a difficult requirement, you are most likely looking for a researcher instead. “Or I don’t know what they’re looking for.”
However, not all engineers believe that an advanced degree is unnecessary. Ann X user The person, who claimed to be a computer science graduate student, said: Students can bring innovative approaches to real-world problems, which can be an asset to employers.
The debate comes as employers and prospective workers evaluate which skills and education will be most useful as the AI job market booms. Recruiters at technology companies large and small say job seekers applying for AI-related roles don’t necessarily need advanced STEM degrees to be hired.
Chris Foltz, IBM’s chief people officer, previously told BI that when recruiting for AI talent, the tech giant is focused on “prioritizing skills and experience” over “traditional degrees” as long as candidates can demonstrate knowledge of AI.
Similarly, Lindsey Duran, vice president of global recruiting at NVIDIA, said applicants from non-traditional backgrounds can also stand out if they can clearly highlight career milestones, leadership abilities and the impact of past projects.
Alex Shapiro, chief human resources officer at AI startup Jasper AI, even said that employees with less traditional backgrounds may be more attractive to hire than those with technical degrees.
In one X user’s reply to the original post, a Ph.D. This is just one way to become a machine learning engineer. and one more person I suggest. ”When I try to get a job at a startup company, I find that people who don’t have a Ph.D. say, “You’re willing to take risks, and then use that experience to join a good company.”
