- Companies are hiring machine learning engineers to expand their AI talent pool.
- Some say this role requires a PhD, while others say no advanced degree is required.
- An engineer is considering a Ph.D. “Red flag”.
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”.
Perhaps good news for the original poster, but many respondents don't think not having a PhD is a barrier to entry.
In fact, Cristian Garcia, a machine learning engineer who works in Google's DeepMind AI division, wrote on There are even red flags (in my opinion).”
Garcia, who doesn't 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.
“Just understanding machine learning is not enough,” Garcia told BI. “In other words, the actual work is only slightly related to ML.”
Different X user, For those who claim to have a Ph.D. in the field of computer vision, recruiters see a “Ph.D.” on a job seeker's resume, indicating that the candidate lacks industry experience and It may seem too expensive and 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 in a booming AI job market. 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 prefers “skills and He said he values ”experience.”
Similarly, applicants from non-traditional backgrounds can also stand out if they can clearly highlight career milestones, leadership abilities, and the impact of past projects, says Lindsey Duran, vice president of global recruiting at NVIDIA. said.
Alex Shapiro, chief human resources officer at AI startup Jasper AI, says employees with less traditional backgrounds are more attractive to hire than those with technical degrees. I even said it was a possibility.
In one X user's reply to the original post, a Ph.D. This is just one of his ways 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 a risk, and please use that experience to join a good company.''
On February 28, Axel Springer, the parent company of Business Insider, joined 31 other media groups in filing a $2.3 billion lawsuit against Google in Dutch court, alleging losses caused by the company's advertising practices. I woke you up.
