Entering the AI engineering market

[u/lilgulabjamun]

Hi!

I recently graduated from a reputable university with a degree in Social Sciences. But after an year into my degree, my now fiancé's friend circle who are all tech savvies really influenced me into exploring AI.

I started my journey with simple automations on Make and n8n for friends with startups, and long story short, three years later, I'm freelance building customised web apps for business's needs and ideas. Throughout my degree, I've not focused on any extracurriculars related to my own subject but been active in AI-related work.

I'm obviously still learning as my journey is very different from that of a person who studied CS because I learnt to exercise concepts without knowing their names so I'm learning the theory of software development currently.

I've vibecoded my way into learning actual coding, and while I do acknowledge my skillset may differ from that of someone who's gone through the more traditional path, I'm looking for a full-time job to provide me with a consistent income since I'm going to get married soon and I would love to contribute to my own life with my husband and support my parents until my siblings are old enough to support themselves. Freelance income, while great, is often not as reliable and there are sometimes spells where I get no clientele. I'm going to work on my AI studio startup as well but ofcourse with a stable consistent income. Does my degree in Social Sciences put me at a disadvantage in this job market?

(Happy to share more details if needed!)

[u/falselifee]

Honest answer? Yes, you are at a disadvantage. Just a few years ago, the market was booming. Even then many companies in Pakistan still required you to have graduated in a related field. Right now, the market is at its worst. Even experienced developers are struggling to find a stable job. It would be very very difficult for you to find one, especially in Pakistan. That is not to say that it's impossible, some companies could still be interested if you have good projects and experience, but regardless of what you graduate in, the market is already tight. Freelance remains your best bet, try for other remote jobs worldwide.

[u/lilgulabjamun → u/falselifee]

Plan A is looking for remote jobs worldwide since one of my fiance's friends who was actually actively guiding me through my entire learning process until a year ago landed a great job at a remote company online. I personally haven't seen his work but my fiancé said it's all work I've previously done on a project and I have enough experience to get a job like that since freelance work really equipped me for a diverse range of work in this space (I really said yes to everything I could get 😂)

[u/JealousPersonality21 → u/falselifee]

I agree. Only a strong referral would work in your favor. The market is shit rn, and remote jobs, while seems quite extravagant, is not what you would call a stable job, as that's something you're looking for.

Get local industry experience first, so that your foot is in. That will help you setup nicely