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need advice on choosing AI/ML as a career (beehaw.org)
submitted 2 weeks ago by to c/askbeehaw@beehaw.org
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I know very little so please don't mind a lot of stupid questions. bee emoji

I want to do my masters in AI/ML but afraid that it will be difficult for me to understand. I am not a bright student and struggle with understanding maths a lot. how much maths does an average AI/ML person do in their job? what things I should keep in mind while learning AI/ML?

does whole AI/ML landscape has been taken over by LLMs? I have seen a lot of people complaining about CEOs shoving LLM every where instead of just a simple ML model.

what does AI/ML people do exactly? I mean what are their roles? does the most important task for an AI/ML person is to decide which model to use or is it preparing the data or understanding the requirements?

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[–] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

I don't mean python and SQL. Anyone with a decent software background can pick that stuff up. As an example, my background is in high performance computing, networking, systems, and FPGAs. All of these are fields (well, maybe not FPGAs) that ML/AI rely heavily on, but if AI/ML disappeared tomorrow they'd still be incredibly relevant. Another approach is to study a domain science and apply AI/ML. For example, high energy physics leverages AI/ML, at least in research.

TBH, "wanting a good job" is a very generic response that needs more context. Are you moving from somewhere other than software? If you already have a software background, you might be better of self-teaching. If you are actually interested in research/teaching, that needs to be thought through very thoroughly. I say this as someone who just finished their PhD in CS, just to give context as to why I am being particularly intense on this point.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 2 weeks ago (2 children)

    I am sorry for the terse response.

    here is some context:

    I have done bachelors in CS and didn't do very well. I wasn't that bad at it either. now the reason I am interested in research/teaching because I love learning new things and teaching helps retain stuff I have already learned. yes I am willing to give hours into it.

    it's really hard to pick a subject though, I was thinking of AI/ML because it's currently hot and one might have more opportunity in it. besides it I would want to know other fields for research. you have PhD in CS, could you guide me what we do and dont etc. what's the process if I chose let's say cryptography ( which I like ) then what would my next step will be?

    the other person said AI/ML is saturated so don't know what to do. it's for sure that I want to get into teaching/research just don't know if it will be AI/ML.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    I simply chose my field based on what I knew I enjoyed. I already had a job with working in systems, and I had HPC/FPGA experience from undergrad. Basically, I choose topics that I had at least a basic understanding and desired to expand into mastery.

    I will be honest and say I don't think you've really thought this through. I would really weigh the pros and cons of the degree. Think about what you'd do instead of pursuing a degree. Identify a specific job you would want after you get your degree. If you only want to teach, you could be an instructor at a University, but the pay will not be good. If you want to do research, doing reaearch at a university level will require a PhD. Research centers will hire MS holders, but as engineers rather than researchers. If you want an industry job, make sure you actually need the degree you are thinking of getting.

    For 99% of people, carrying on with the degree they have is the better choice. In your case I'd either make sure you consider the above or only pursue a master's if you truly cannot get the job you want with self-teaching.

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