Technology

How to become a Machine Learning Engineer

From software developer or data analyst: every step, how long it takes, and the credential it earns.

Time to get there

2–4 years

Typical pay

$125k–$180k

Starting from

Software developer or data analyst

Pay is an estimate of typical US entry-level pay for this role and varies by state, employer and shift. The timeline assumes you are starting from software developer or data analyst and includes any licence or programme legally required — not just course length.

The route

1. 1

   6–12 months

   Get strong in Python and maths

   Linear algebra, probability and statistics. Skipping this caps you permanently.

   Course that covers this380+ Exercises - Python Programming Mega Pack - Built-inUdemy · around $19.99 →
2. 2

   6–12 months

   Learn the modelling toolkit

   scikit-learn, then PyTorch. Understand evaluation better than you understand architectures.

3. 3

   6–12 months

   Learn to ship a model

   Serving, monitoring and retraining. Most ML work is engineering, not modelling.

   Course that covers thisTerraform for the Absolute Beginners with LabsUdemy · around $19.99 →
4. 4

   1–2 years

   Come in sideways

   Most ML engineers arrive from software engineering or data, not from a course.

5. ✓

   Destination

   Machine Learning Engineer

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