So you want a Job in AI?
- nbmoore9
- Feb 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 13
Preparing for a Successful Career in AI Based on a Stanford Engineering talk with Andrew Ng and Laurence Moroney (Google's Lead AI Advocate)
Are you considering a job in AI? Andrew Ng and Laurence Moroney have some recommendations for you: Build a Portfolio Now Don't wait for a job — start creating AI projects today. Tools are available to everyone, so there's no excuse not to have hands-on work to show.
Watch out for AI Hype Cycle
Ng also notes that software is accelerating fast, making engineers who can also think like product managers especially valuable.
Learn from the Right People Your professional circle matters more than the company name on your resume. Prioritize working around people who challenge and teach you over chasing big tech titles that may offer little more than clerical work.
Laurence's Three Pillars of Success
A solid academic foundation in AI
Discernment — separating real AI value from hype
The ability to ship — delivering tangible results, not just ideas.
Laurence explains the current industry outlook
The trusted advisor role is key: like when Laurence pushed back against a client who wanted an AI sales tool but actually needed a research tool. Good AI professionals identify what's truly needed.
Where are the AI Opportunities?
Where the Opportunities Are Moroney expects the AI bubble to burst, leading to consolidation. Two models will survive: large players (like OpenAI) and smaller, privatized AI models serving industries like law and healthcare that need data privacy. Key growth areas include:
Fine-tuning small, custom models
AI risk mitigation (protecting companies from AI-related harm)
Edge AI via new hardware like Scalable Matrix Extensions, already in some phones (Vivo and Oppo), reducing reliance on cloud processing.
It is important to diversify your AI skills
Six Things to Do
Master the fundamentals — ML, language models, AI foundations
Build a smart professional community; much of AI knowledge isn't written down yet. You will learn the latest and greatest concepts from others in your community or circle.
Deliver results, not just ideas to business
Build a portfolio before you get hired
Go beyond coding — learn UX, app development, and product thinking
Be someone people actually want to work with.
I prepared several video vignettes that are easy to consume and will tell you more here:
Professor Andrew Ng discusses the importance of connecting with others to accelerate learning.
Ng discusses key skills needed in AI
Laurence discusses emerging opportunities in AI
This video confirms what Ng and Laurence mention about a new career preparation strategy. You have to show your work and network through people to find opportunities.
While this video is about the gaming industry, it applies to other tech roles.
Resources to Obtain Practical Experience
Resource | Why it is Effective | Best For.. |
The "frontier" of AI careers. Their 2026 guides emphasize Agentic Workflows—moving from chatbots to autonomous systems. | Foundational Mastery | |
Ideal for students who have the theory but need to "ship real value." It provides step-by-step guides for deploying production-ready models. | Practical Tutorials | |
Essential for the "Small AI" path. If you want to prove you can optimize a 7B parameter model for a laptop, this is where you learn and host your Spaces. | The Open-Source Edge | |
A global community that runs high-intensity sprints. It’s the fastest way to turn an idea into a functional AI prototype with a team. | Rapid Prototyping | |
Open to students worldwide. It allows you to contribute to open-source AI artifacts (like OCR for ancient texts) under the mentorship of industry experts. | Mentored Production | |
A massive annual global competition where you build models to solve pressing needs like clean water suitability, providing a high-visibility portfolio piece. | Real-World Impact | |
The world’s largest data science community. Competing here proves you can handle messy, real-world data, which is a core requirement for any AI role. | Data Grit |
Do you have other suggestions for practical AI experience? Please contact me: nmoore15@nl.edu or simply list in the comments below suggested resources. Thank you!
Epic Education, Learning & Training. (Year). Navigating the job market as an emerging creator [Video]. ArtStation Learning. [https://www.artstation.com/learning/courses/WQg/career-connections-empowering-the-next-generation-of-creators/chapters/gg7L/navigating-the-job-market-as-an-emerging-creator] I think this is a fantastic example of how career planning and placement offices can help new career entrants. See this: https://asgc.gg/
Stanford Online. (2025, December 17). Stanford CS230 | Autumn 2025 | Lecture 9: Career Advice in AI [Video]. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuZoDsNmG_s
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