Learn about the different AI roles at Amazon to jumpstart your career in the hot field of AI.
Note that I am referring to the definition of AI, which is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines. So, in this context AI is an umbrella term that encompasses, ML, CV, NLP, etc…
With the advent of AI, the number of AI related jobs has increased drastically, as has the desire for such positions. This short guide serves as an introduction to the different roles at Amazon that can lead to a career in AI. I hope you enjoy!
Software Development Engineer- We are going to start with the most obvious role here. There are many teams under the Amazon name, especially when it comes to the plethora of Amazon Web Services (AWS) service teams. Becoming an software development engineer at Amazon is not a guarantee to doing AI work, but it is the easiest way if you are already a developer in the industry. There are many teams at Amazon that are pushing the boundaries of AI. Just from a quick search on the AWS website, there are 19 service teams listed under “Machine Learning.” Software engineers are responsible for building and deploying state of the art platforms that power AWS. Responsibilities could include developing platforms to service billions of daily requests or diving deep into systems to optimize for performance and maintainability.
Take this snippet for example from a publicly posted software development job by Amazon
“As a Machine Learning Software Dev Engineer on the Amazon AI Team, you will design and develop fast, efficient, and highly scalable deep learning algorithms that are applied to challenging every-day use case problems. You’ll work with senior scientists and engineers within Amazon AI and develop high quality software that is robust and reliable.”
As with most software development engineering roles, the needed requirements for these positions can vary. Gone are the days of needing a bachelor’s degree to break into FAANG, as long as you have solid equivalent experience and a wicked good programmer, you can get in. Having a master’s or PhD can help you start at a higher level, assuming you meet the requirements.
Research Scientist vs. Applied Scientist- These roles are where the positions at Amazon can get confusing. A research scientist at Amazon is not the same as a research scientist at Google or Facebook. The equivalent position at Amazon is the applied scientist role. A research scientist or applied scientist at Amazon is typically filled by a person holding a master’s or PhD in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a related field. While the degree requirements between the research and applied scientist are very similar, the positions differ when it comes to expectant proficiency with coding.
A research scientist at Amazon is expected to be able to design and develop system prototypes in simulation. These prototypes are typically then handed off to an applied scientist for implementation. An applied scientist is required to pass the coding bar of an entry-level software development engineer, where the research scientist does not. This does not mean the research scientist will not have any technical questions, just that the research scientist is not expected to have the same coding capabilities as an applied scientist. An applied scientist is expected to work with the research scientists to develop new models and algorithms, but then take the prototypes that the research scientists develop and implement them at scale. Amazon is all about scale and this ability to deploy at scale is the key difference between an applied scientist and a research scientist. As part of the hiring process at Amazon, if you interview for an applied scientist role and meet all the requirements except the entry-level coding bar, you can still be hired as a research scientist. So have no fear! If you desire to become an applied scientist, but are still polishing your coding skills, the research scientist position is a great way to develop those skills before moving to an applied scientist role*.
*please note, while these are the general guidelines for the research and applied scientist roles at Amazon, they are by no means indicative of the employees in these roles. Plenty of research scientists are fantastic programmers and have the same responsibilities as applied scientists.
#amazon #ai #industry #jobs #machine-learning #deep learning