FYI, It’s Totally Normal To Have A Non-Linear Journey Towards A Career In AI
These two current Microsoft employees got an untraditional start in AI.
Generation Hired x Microsoft
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Voice assistants, movie and song recs from our entertainment streaming services, and suggested text for email and text replies — ICYMI, AI is already a huge part of our daily lives. That’s exactly why so many people are curious about a career working on (and with) the newest tech craze. But, you may not realize it’s what you want to do until you learn more about AI.
When Noa Ghersin and Bichlien Nguyen started their careers, neither expected to have a career in AI. But now, they both work at Microsoft: Noa as a Principal Product Management Lead for Microsoft AI and Bichlien as a Principal Researcher for Microsoft Research AI4Science.
“[In college], I studied bioengineering, mechanical engineering, and business and operations. And, you can notice that interestingly, there’s zero AI or computer science [mentioned in any of my majors],” Noa said, highlighting that she knows firsthand how non-linear the career journey can be.
Bichlien can relate, as she also has an AI-focused career now in application-driven research and machine learning in sustainable technologies but notes that she got her Bachelor’s degree in economics and chemistry.
“I have never taken an AI machine learning or computer science course in my entire career, all of it has been kind of on-the-day and on-the-job learning,” Bichlien said, sharing a connection she found with her two paths. “My background is in science, but when you think about it, science is the language of nature. Then AI is the language of connecting people, and is a universal tool that allows you to intersect with people.”
Bichlien explained that just as she grew up with the Internet, the current generation is growing up with AI, and will be learning more about AI the more they use it, similar to both her and Noa’s experiences with the technology.
“The world of AI has been around for a while, but hasn’t become a household term until recently,” Noa said. “My journey with AI started when I worked in consulting and would get questions from customers like, ‘How do I develop AI technology? What does AI in healthcare mean? Where do I find the right partner to develop AI?’”
Noa said that as she started learning more about the technology to help answer her customer’s questions, she realized that it made her happiest to be not to be consulting, and instead decided to go back to school where she took a machine learning course and fell in love with puzzle-solving type thinking. And, that’s a good reminder that no matter if you’re learning in a classroom or on the job, the learning will never stop — especially for those growing up with AI.
“The space is evolving so rapidly, that there’s constant learning that needs to be done on the job,” Noa said, highlighting that the constant change is an opportunity for anyone new to enter into the space. And, with AI evolving, advancing, and improving so quickly, we’ll have the chance to continue to perfect the way we use it in our everyday lives — both passively and intentionally.
“AI is a tool that humans have created, and we’re really good at adapting to using those tools,” Bichlein said. “Even though there are always going to be inefficacies and limitations with AI, it’s going to continue to change how people work.”
Bichlien made it clear that AI will not replace humans, and if anything, it’ll just create more growth because “humans will evolve to use it.” When we do use AI, however, we need to make sure that we don’t abuse it.
“It’s important to not turn a blind eye to the fact that AI is a technology that could be abused and misused, but it’s on us as AI practitioners and developers to ensure we’re using it responsibly,” Noa said, expressing that she feels proud when she goes to sleep at night that she has a hand in “guiding Microsoft’s product teams to use AI responsibly.”
But, you don’t need to study AI or work with AI to know how to use it responsibly, or to use it at all! Noa said that because AI is “a ton more accessible these days,” anyone can learn how to use it, and to do so responsibly.
“It’s just so easy,” Noa said. “You no longer need to be a programmer. You no longer need to have a computer science degree. And I think that’s extremely exciting.”
Bichlen agrees and believes that you don’t really need to know what you want to do, or where you want to be. “[College] is about learning, it’s about exploring and being curious,” she said. “I got my career in AI just by being curious, by making mistakes, and by continuing to learn about myself.” And, you can too.
To learn more about Noa and Bichlen’s career journeys at Microsoft and hear more about a career in AI, check out the full webinar at GenerationHired.com!
