PhD -> Applied Scientist -> Next Step?

Oct 11, 2019 9 Comments

Would like to solicit blind crowd source opinions on what my next move should be.

T+0: BS grad in engineering field (not CS)
T+5: Finished PhD in engineering (not CS). Job prospects suck. Worked as researcher in academia. Self taught myself ML and DL.
T+8: Landed first tech job at MSFT at L63.
T+10: Today. Doing well TC $260k. Usually 120% rewards. Still L63 though...

I'm stronger in research/science than in software engineering, but I've been learning more engineering skills in the past few months.

What should my next step be if I want to maximize TC?
- Gain more experience to be "full stack" ML scientist/engineer, can do basic research to deploying models at scale?
- Be engineering manager?
- Move into SWE space? I find that ML is being commoditized more and more.
- Move out of ML? I feel that is a bubble. But which field/specialty should I move into?

comments

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TOP 9 Comments
  • ML is a hot place to be. Why do you think it's a bubble?
    Oct 12, 2019 3
    • Because every person in the world wants in to AI now. So many bootcamps have spring up. Also basic ML is increasingly commoditized. I see even some MSFT groups using our commoditized ML products!

      So this means demand for SWE will rise relative to ML people. You need devs to make the software to sell ML as a service. So what do ML scientist do?
      Oct 12, 2019
    • I kind of look at it more optimistically. Automation is fine. And more folks is also fine. SWE roles handle both pretty well. If ML scientists can take latest research and turn in into V1 implementations for specific business problems that SWE can turn into generic products / services, that field will keep evolving. Coz research will never stop and same with business problems.
      Oct 12, 2019
  • How old are you and what engineering filed? Your programming skills good enough to be a software engineer?
    Oct 12, 2019 1
  • First promote to 64, or jump ship
    Oct 11, 2019 1
  • Amazon / R&D
    jpCx51

    Go to company page Amazon R&D

    PRE
    Goldman Sachs
    BIO
    PhD in CS with focus on ML and NLP
    jpCx51
    I think your story is pretty inspirational, in terms of how much you have worked and learned.

    why do you think ML is a bubble though?
    Oct 11, 2019 0