An engineer’s education does not stop once they receive their diploma, not even after they have completed training with their new company. Engineers must constantly learn to keep up with the fast-paced, ever-changing world of technology. In order to best prepare for tomorrow’s technology, engineers need to be turning their focus to Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Taking these Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from Coursera, MIT, Harvard and other reputable sources can help engineers increase their knowledge while giving them a competitive edge in the workforce.
AI AND MACHINE LEARNING ON THE RISE
People are becoming more and more comfortable allowing machines to make decisions for them, from which video to watch next on YouTube, to taking total control of their transportation in self-driving cars.
The budding AI industry is growing fast, now utilized by companies all over the world. AI is used to create near-human telemarketing calls, intelligent digital personal assistants, and even military simulations. As AI is incorporated into the daily lives of people all over the world, the demand for professionals that can develop it is increasing significantly.
WORLD-WIDE DEMAND FOR AI SPECIALISTS IS RAPIDLY INCREASING
Worldwide demand for AI is increasing far more rapidly than the supply of qualified professionals who are trained to develop it. According to the New York Times, there are fewer than 10,000 people in the world that have the necessary skills to work in artificial intelligence.
This shortage of qualified candidates has caused the salaries offered to those few AI specialists to continue to skyrocket past the $300,000 mark. These high salaries are being offered to specialists with high levels of education, as well as those with less education with some years of experience. Now is the time to get in to this industry, and it can can be done from the comfort of home.
LEARNING FROM HOME
Rather than returning to the classroom and investing thousands of dollars on another degree, some engineers are taking control of their own education by taking Massive Open Online Courses. Coursera offers several MOOCs from Harvard, MIT and other universities that teach the most effective Machine Learning techniques, including supervised and unsupervised learning. The top techniques of AI specialists in Silicon Valley while also providing practice in implementing these lessons to solve problems using Machine Learning and AI.
Many of these courses can be taken online for free, but there can be even more value derived from them by paying a fee to receive a certificate upon completion of the course. Some offered for as low as $79 a course, these certificates are a great way to demonstrate commitment to learning AI and Machine Learning to current and future employers.
This is a cost-effective and time-efficient way to start a career in the lucrative and growing AI industry. Courses can be taken from the comfort of home at any time, flexibility that works with the schedules of even the busiest engineers. With increasing global demand for qualified AI specialists, time is of the essence to start developing the skill sets required to enter the industry while the demand for trained AI engineers is still high.
MACHINE LEARNING & AI COURSERA OPTIONS
- UW: Machine Learning Specialization
- Stanford: Machine Learning
- University of Toronto: Neural Networks for Machine Learning
- University of Buffalo: Intelligent Machining
- DeepLeaning.ai: Deep Learning Specialization
See even more Machine Learning courses here.
INCREASING VALUE
While working on today’s technology, engineers should prepare to work with the technology of tomorrow. Technology shifts roughly every 6 months, so it is best to dive in sooner rather than later.
Certificates earned from MOOCs add another line to their resume that shows potential employers the steps they’ve taken to begin their career in the AI industry. This can be an important indicator of a potential or current employee’s value to a company that is trying to implement AI into their own processes and services, in some cases could even be the deciding factor between candidates during the hiring process.
Developing skills in Machine Learning and AI can help engineers to improve their current work, as well as open the doors to promotions within their current companies. Such knowledge and skills are crucial assets that could protect against layoffs in the event of an economic downturn.
With the continuing rise of demand for qualified AI specialists showing no signs of slowing down, as well as the shortage in the current supply of qualified specialists, this is proving to be an intelligent and lucrative career path. Preparing for the future just got a little easier.
