7 steps that helped me transition from a software engineer to machine learning engineer
I receive a lot of inquiries (a LOT) about how to transition from a software engineer to a machine learning engineer (MLE) at FAANG companies. Having successfully transitioned myself, I can say that the biggest challenge I faced was not knowing where to start and feeling lost without a clear plan.
In this article, I am sharing the step-by-step approach that will help you navigate this change. These 7 steps helped me transition from a software engineer to Machine Learning engineer.
Let’s dive in.
Find out why
Why Machine Learning? Machine Learning and AI are super hot right now, but you should understand why you want to get into it. This personal motivation will keep you going even when the AI hype dies down.
What Got Me Hooked: For me, it was about how Google search was developed. The way Google could find exactly what I needed so quickly really made me want to know more about the tech behind it. That curiosity got me into Learning to Rank algorithms starting with PageRank and then broader machine learning.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
- What part of Machine Learning really grabs my interest? Is it the hot trend or something else?
- Are there any specific ML applications I like? For me it is Natural Language Processing and Recommendations, but maybe you’re into using ML in FinTech.
Take Your Time to Explore
It took me 4 years (1 year in Masters, 1 year in PhD where I dropped out, and 2 years in the industry) to realize what I really wanted to do. This is ok. It takes time to build experience and know enough about a new field which is as big as ML.
- Build the Basics: Start with the fundamentals like statistics and machine learning basics. This solid base will help you get a better grasp of the field and find the area you’re most excited about.
- Networking and Mentorship: Chat with people who are already in the field, find some mentors working around you, and get a feel of their day-to-day work to see if it excites you.
- Understand Your Options: Find out what kind of ML role interests you, whether that’s being an Applied ML Engineer, ML Researcher, or working in MLOps. Learn about different roles in one of my previous article here.
Understanding your motivations and interests will naturally lead you to identify where you can best apply your skills within the ML landscape.
- Be Strategic: Often ML roles will have certain required qualifications like 5 years of relevant industry experience or PhD. If your experience does not match with the required qualifications, it may not be the right fit at that time. Focus on building your skills step by step and find roles strategically that aligns more with your current experience.
- Find the Sweet Spot: If possible, use your current domain knowledge to your advantage. Transitioning within a domain you’re already familiar with is easier. As a software engineer, you are already aware of critical metrics, business goals and domain specific problems. Identify where you can contribute the most, take ownership, and aim to lead in that area.
I started working as a software engineer in the Amazon Pricing team. Even though Pricing as a domain was not my preferred choice, but due to extensive amount of experience I acquired there, it helped me to transition to MLE much faster.
In your career, you’ll sometimes face decisions that require short-term sacrifices for long-term gains, especially when entering a new field. Here are some tough choices I had to make during my switch:
- Rejected my dream company Google’s offer twice: I received offer letters from Google, which offered a higher salary, but I turned them down because the role involved Android development, which had no ML opportunities. Instead, I chose Amazon, where the role didn’t initially involve ML either but allowed me to work more closely with ML teams. To date, the best choice I have made in my life!!
- Delayed my promotion for almost 3 years: I had the chance to be promoted to senior software engineer at Amazon much sooner. A senior software engineer transition to a senior MLE is much harder due to increased expectations. Knowing this, I chose to delay my promotion to keep my options open.
If you’ve pinned down a domain you’re passionate about, you’ll still need a supportive manager and company to make the transition successfully.
Find the Right Environment:
- Look for ML Opportunities: Seek out teams within your company that offer the chance to work on ML projects. Join a team that has both software engineering and ML teams working closely, luckily most teams are like that. If your current company lacks these opportunities, consider looking outside.
Tip: Find teams that has transitioned Software Engineers to MLEs in the past. This can greatly accelerate your transition as these teams often have a clear guideline for the transition.
- Find a Supportive Manager: A manager familiar with ML roles and who is supportive of your learning and career growth is crucial. They should not only support you verbally but also take active steps to facilitate your transition.
Tip: Always draft a document outlining your transition plan and the projects you’d like to work on and discuss in your 1:1s with your manager. If they repeatedly show disinterest, they might not be motivated to help you switch roles.
In my first team at Amazon, I gave my 200% as a software engineer, even though the role wasn’t my ideal choice. My goal was to make myself indispensable, allowing me to choose the projects I wanted to work on. This effort built a trusting relationship with my manager, where we valued each other’s advice.
Why is this important? Typically, only top engineers get to choose their projects, while others must tackle the tasks assigned to them. Demonstrating reliability can give you opportunities that might otherwise be unattainable and give you more control over your career path.
Once you’ve joined a team with ML opportunities, a supportive manager, and relevant domain space, it’s time to apply your foundational knowledge.
Work on small projects on the side:
- Collaborate with experienced ML engineers to work on small features for model training or minor model changes. These tasks might fall outside your primary job responsibilities.
For instance, I worked on a project to improve the AWS SageMaker training pipeline in my team at Amazon. This allowed me to work more closely with ML engineers in the team, understand their development process and contribute to development of new features in upcoming model iterations.
Expand Your Scope:
- As you gain confidence in the problem space, begin to explore the broader domain. Research extensively to understand the challenges and limitations of current system and identify potential areas for improvement.
Tip: Read blogs and research articles from other companies within the same space to understand challenges faced by companies to get potential ideas for improvement. For example when I was at Amazon, I followed tech articles from other eCommerce platforms like eBay and Walmart.
- This is your opportunity to think creatively and identify original solutions. Maintain a detailed document to track all your learnings throughout this. Include design documents, technical insights, practical challenges, solutions you’ve implemented, and any feedback or evaluations you receive. Not only is it a valuable learning tool to keep track of your learning, but it also acts as tangible evidence during your transition evaluation.
Transitions like promotions are lagging indicators, meaning that any new role requires the individual to already be performing at the level expected for that role. Identify the criteria that will be used for evaluation during your transition to an MLE role. Generally, Software Engineers and MLEs are evaluated differently during performance feedback sessions.
With Software Engineer, often the emphasis is more on scalable system design, code quality and project complexity. With MLE, generally the emphasis is much more on Impact to the business metric and technical expertise. This is because, ML has a longer cycle of development compared to software engineering and are often directly tied to specific business metrics.
The Software Engineer to MLE transition can be as challenging as it is rewarding. It requires a blend of strategic planning, continuous learning, and adaptability.
Few more bonus tips:
- Find a Mentor: Seek out a mentor within the team where you are making the transition. This mentor will support you throughout your transition process, help resolve any blockers, and identify new opportunities for you.
- Track Your Learnings: Maintain a detailed record of all your learnings throughout your transition. This documentation will allow you to revisit and refine ideas and also act as a reference during performance evaluations.
- Communicate Proactively: Regularly communicate with your team and manager about both the challenges you encounter and the successes you achieve. Open communication will help in adjusting strategies as needed and ensure continued support from your team.
These strategies have been instrumental in navigating my career transition effectively. By following above steps, you can improve your journey and set a solid foundation for success in your new role as a Machine Learning Engineer.
Best of luck and as always Happy Learning!