3 ms·
Ask HN: Escape from ML/DL, How?
Hello HN,
I had the luck (did I?) to study machine learning when it wasn’t cool yet (master degree in 2012). I went for the PhD route and by 2017 I was happily employed in a promising startup as ML researcher with a focus on Computer Vision. Great salary, challenging topic to work on, great.
Fast forward to 2023 and the startup is now a big company, R&D hacking days are gone and I’m a senior software engineer with an even better salary.
Truth is that I never trained for a SE role and I don’t fit at all. My research mindset is of no use and I end up being assigned all the “exploratory” work that no one in interested about.
I contributed a lot to the success of this company and now I feel like the person who cannot be let go but with nothing to do.
I’m looking for job posts but I have the feeling that ML positions are pretty much all the same, fundamentally boring.
I dream of going back to academia but I cannot afford the salary 50%+ salary cut (family grown too in these years).
Anyone in the same situation managed to pivot to something else?
- sharemywin 3y agodo consulting. pay off your house and then find academic job plus consulting.
- GianFabien 3y agoFrom your description, you have the ability to learn whatever you chose. So if being a SE appeals to you, why not learn whatever is required in whatever domain you chose? Being a serial specialist is rather lucrative and intellectually stimulating. Having been both a researcher and adjunct lecturer in academia, my observation is that the MBAs have hijacked the institutions and universities have become just another large bureaucratic business focused on maximizing profits.
- jstx1 3y agoIf you like research over engineering and want high pay, there are well-paid commercial ML research jobs. They're competitive but given that you have a PhD and a decent amount of experience, you might have a good chance.
- bombcar 3y agoStart researching FIRE. You make a lot of money, put it to good use.