However, not all agree, with some arguing that Ph.D. students can bring innovative approaches to real-world problems. The debate comes as the AI job market booms and employers assess which skills and education are most useful. Some tech companies, including IBM and Nvidia, have said that job applicants don't necessarily need advanced STEM degrees to be hired, focusing instead on skills, experiences, and the ability to demonstrate AI knowledge.
Key takeaways:
- Companies are increasingly hiring machine learning engineers, and while some believe a Ph.D. is necessary, others argue that it is not required and may even be a 'red flag.'
- Cristian Garcia, a machine learning engineer at Google's DeepMind, believes that a Ph.D. is an overkill for a machine learning role and that the job requires skills beyond just knowing machine learning.
- Some tech professionals believe that having a Ph.D. might make recruiters think the candidate lacks industry experience and is too theoretical, while others argue that Ph.D. students can bring innovative approaches to real-world problems.
- Recruiters at tech companies like IBM and Nvidia have stated that applicants for AI-related roles don't necessarily need advanced STEM degrees to be hired, and that skills, experiences, and the ability to demonstrate AI knowledge are more important.