Should I remain a generalist or switch back as a machine learning engineer ?
I have a masters/doctorate in the area of ML, and have solid experience as a backend/data engineer for hybrid cloud platforms. For last few years, I've been the lead infrastructure engineer at a startup. I am pretty solid at being a generalist but from compensation perspective I believe ML engineer are hitting gold mines. For career growth+compensation, should I switch and focus back on ML or remain a generalist? CurrentTC: Doesn't really matter, as it is a startup
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The median generalist probably makes less than the median ml eng, but of course, ml positions are fewer. As you go higher, that difference goes away pretty quic. As you go lower, it’s better to be a generalist because more jobs. The 80th percentile ml eng who’s also an 80th percentile swe likely makes well above the 80th percentile ml eng. Based on where you think you are, and what you like, you can try different options and see which one makes you happier.
I've seen posts talking about how generalists are rare - people you can put on any job and they can figure it out and get it done. I think the biggest differentiator is what kind of companies you want to work at. If you like startups, do generalist for sure. If you like big companies, consider moving towards ML roles.
ML of course. You can probably get 350K to 500K with your credentials as a ML engineer.
With such a background why it’s even a question?
Well there are a number of experienced and interesting fellows on Blind. Wanted to have their insights/opinions.