As AI technology continues to advance, the demand for skilled AI engineers and researchers is on the rise. But what sets apart the highest-paying roles in this field? Recently, I came across a fascinating Reddit post that shed light on some surprising patterns in high-paying AI engineer and researcher roles. The author scraped over 500 job listings from LinkedIn, Wellfound, and private talent boards, focusing on roles that pay between $180,000 and $550,000 in total compensation. Here are three interesting patterns that stood out:
Firstly, the ability to move models from ‘demo’ to ‘live’ is highly valued. Nearly three-quarters of the job listings prioritize ‘make it run in production’ skills over pure math or paper writing. This emphasizes the importance of being able to turn a proof-of-concept into a real web service that can handle thousands of user requests per second.
Secondly, Series-B companies are outbidding Big Tech companies in terms of salary. The median cash and equity offers at 30-150-person Series-A/B startups were a whopping $308,000, which is 16% higher than FAANG-level postings in the same sample. This suggests that chasing a brand name might not be the best strategy for maximizing salary.
Lastly, having a public footprint is highly desirable. More than half of the job listings require a public Github, Kaggle gold, or published paper. This highlights the importance of building a personal brand and showcasing one’s work to potential employers.
These insights can be valuable for those looking to break into the AI field or advance their careers. By focusing on developing skills that are in high demand and building a strong online presence, AI engineers and researchers can increase their chances of landing high-paying roles.