Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning graduate roles

I'm looking for good opportunities in the UK that make use of AI/ML in some way - non research roles. I would think quant work may fall into that, but I come from a computer science background. Anyone heard of any specific companies/have any ideas?

Also, I'm wondering how a masters affects job prospects in the UK. Is it usual to expect a slight starting salary increase? I intend to get a Masters in Computer Science from Cambridge University. The first internship I did in London was 42k/year, so I'm hoping to get more starting as graduate role.

Reply 1

NX172

There are plenty of companies that require these skills for purposes of data mining. Look for companies that are involved with 'big data'. One such company is The Hut Group (the guys behind Zaavi and others), in fact, they attempted to head hunt me a few months back for my AI knowledge. (PM me if interested, I can put in a word for you and pass your CV along)

One thing to bear in mind, though. Is that most small to medium companies may not be interested in AI in terms of Software development. As lovely as it is, due to the nature of machine learning, you cannot guarantee deterministic results. Whereas, software is typically tested in an automated and predictable fashion (a.k.a 'Continuous Integration'). It may be a more valuable skill to have as a tester, perhaps in non functional testing.

Regarding your second question; this obviously depends on the employer's perception of the value of a master's. Although not crucial, it is highly recommended to have a masters for applying to larger organizations such as IBM and Google. Now from experience, I'll share with you my observations and opinions:

The majority of employers:
- Treat real world work experience with heavier weighting.
- Hire people from a huge variety of academic backgrounds. (Do you think everyone working in company X owns a masters / degree from top 10 universities? Highly unlikely!)

Not ideal to use myself as an example but this is information given to me by my first employer - When I was applying for an entry level job, I was against a candidate with a phd, I got the job simply because I had some relevant work experience (personal and side projects).

I also know a ton of people who have landed graduate jobs beating highly qualified candidates with anything from BTECs, GCSEs to no qualifications at all. Why is this? This is simply because most graduates are pretty useless to begin with, due to lack of experience. What employers are looking for is potential. This can come from their a huge variety of things: be it side projects, personality, academia and even just a 'can-do attitude' may be enough.

Although a bit more old fashioned, some however, do still use qualifications to filter the applicants. (Generally having a bachelors is enough, unless the job you're applying for specifically requires skills from post-grad)

I would discourage the idea of getting a master's purely on the basis you think it'll give more money to begin with. Your first salary job should be aimed at entering a company that can develop your potential and set strong foundations for your career. Most starting jobs are relatively low pay anyway (still good for this industry, though); just get some experience under your belt and from there, the world of work will become your oyster.

Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning graduate roles

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