Artificial intelligence has become the backbone of daily operations, from advancing the procurement process and automating repetitive business processes to fixing complex scientific problems. As more organizations prepare to embrace this technology revolution, the demand for highly trained individuals to aid its implementation in business keeps rising.
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This article provides in-depth steps to becoming an artificial intelligence specialist and securing your dream job.
Secure the Necessary Education and Training
The first step to excelling in artificial intelligence is determining the amount of education you need. Most entry-level jobs in this field require a diploma or bachelor’s degree in data science, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or other related science courses.
To stand a better chance of working in a full scope of AI specialist jobs, it is best to aim for a master’s or doctoral degree in related fields. You may also need to specialize in system languages, computer programming, and IT systems analysis.
As you research to become an AI specialist, ensure you choose the right major. The most common majors for AI specialists include data science, computer engineering, and computer science.
While the majority of artificial intelligence specialists possess a college degree, you may still become one with just a high school diploma, provided you have prerequisite knowledge of IT, science, English, math, and computer language.
Get Certified
You need to get certified in the field of artificial intelligence so that employers can know that you have the skill set required for this position. It shows potential employers that you know what you are doing and that you have a good grasp of your job’s technical and business side.
You can easily get certified by completing a certification program from an organization or a certification body like the Artificial Intelligence Board of America. This body offers various certification and accreditation programs related to Machine Learning, Data Science, and more.
Other certifications to pursue include the Certified Data Scientist (CDS) and the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). The CDS exam is geared more toward data scientists, while the CISSP focuses more on information security.
Develop the Required Skills
Before applying for an AI specialist job, ensure you develop most of the skills requested in the job descriptions. They include:
- Programming skills, including object-oriented programming and data structures
- Solid understanding of algorithms, frameworks, machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing
- Good communication skills
- Strong critical and logical thinking skills
- Exemplary presentation skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Mathematical knowledge and reasoning
- Ability to exercise discretion when handling confidential data
- Ability to organize large data amounts
Research About AI Specialist Duties
As you strive to become an artificial intelligence specialist, it is vital to understand the responsibilities and duties that await you for the position. Some of the primary responsibilities for this role include:
- Helping employees learn and understand systems’ functioning by developing online learning materials and training manuals. That way, they can navigate through your designed systems with relative ease
- Preparing the infrastructure for data collection, importation, transformation, and storage
- Automating all the processes needed to streamline the data collection and analysis
- Undertaking statistical analysis on those systems, you have created and written the results in a language that can help organizations make better decisions.
- Converting machine learning models into Application Program Interfaces to help outline how other components and applications use them
- Maintaining database security and performance by ensuring that all data is stored safely and efficiently, according to company policy
- Creating algorithms that analyze data sets to identify patterns or trends within the data for further exploration
- Integrating other systems into the application architecture, such as web services using REST calls to send data or client-server architecture programs
Complete Relevant Internship or Training
On average, artificial intelligence specialists spend about one to three months on post-employment or on-the-job training. An internship can help you gain hands-on experience in artificial intelligence by working on real-world projects under the guidance of experienced professionals. A good internship will also allow you to learn about different industries and applications of AI technology.
This can be in any field of computers, but it should be something that covers the basics of artificial intelligence. In addition to learning the fundamentals of programming and logic, you should also learn how to use various software packages.
Build a Professional Portfolio
Creating a solid portfolio is essential for all professionals as it enhances credibility. LinkedIn is a great place to start building your network and looking for new opportunities. If possible, try to research companies that are hiring AI specialists as you create various projects to showcase your capabilities and post on the platform. You can also build a portfolio website and use it to showcase your work to potential employers. Participate in community forums to network and interact with other AI experts. It will enable you to share ideas while learning from each other.
Artificial intelligence is a hot industry, and jobs are being created at an unprecedented rate. The demand for AI professionals has been exploding, with companies like Google and Facebook investing heavily in AI research. If you want to work as an AI specialist, it’s essential to pursue education, training, and certification that will make you stand out from the crowd.
