According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates in the US in June was 4.8%, higher than the overall rate for the entire workforce of 4%.

However, amid this bleak backdrop, young people with hands-on experience in machine learning and an understanding of AI are seeing explosive opportunities.

Many of them, in their 20s, are earning upwards of $1 million a year.

Not only do they receive "dream" salaries, but they also get promoted to management twice as fast as their peers in other tech fields.

who expert
AI-savvy talent is sought after by businesses despite the gloomy job market. Photo: NDTV

According to a report by recruitment firm Burtch Works, from 2024 to 2025, the base salary of AI employees (non-managerial) with 0-3 years of experience increased by about 12%, the highest increase compared to any other experience group.

Big tech companies are hunting for this young talent pool. Databricks, a data analytics software company, plans to hire three times as many new graduates this year.

Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi commented that they are “natural AI gurus,” while the group of long-term employees had a hard time adapting.

According to job postings from Databricks, a generative AI researcher with just two years of experience can expect a base salary of $190,000 to $260,000 per year. When stock awards are factored in, total compensation can be much higher.

“There are very young people who are making a big impact and getting paid very well,” Mr. Ghodsi revealed. “Under 25, you can make a million dollars.”

Jure Leskovec, a professor at Stanford University, sees a clear divide among young AI professionals. One group includes 20-year-old PhD students who have excellent research and are sought after by companies with attractive offers despite having no real work experience.

The remaining group are AI-savvy users who are able to learn and think quickly to leverage technology and become more efficient.

Despite not having advanced degrees, the gap between them and regular programmers is widening. According to Professor Leskovec, it seems that a new generation of software engineers is emerging.

Machine learning engineer jobs requiring 0-1 years of experience at companies like Roblox can pay over $200,000 per year.

Data from Levels.fyi shows that 42 cases received offers of more than $1 million from AI companies. Of those, 9 candidates had less than 10 years of work experience.

At Scale AI, a startup recently acquired by Meta, about 15% of employees are under 25. The base salary for new graduates here is about $200,000 per year.

“We are very keen to hire AI-savvy professionals, and many of these candidates are early in their careers,” said Ashli ​​Shiftan, Chief People Officer at Scale AI.

Cyril Gorlla, 23, co-founder of CTGT, an enterprise risk management software startup, said the average age at his company is 21. Some young employees have shares worth about $500,000.

He even received a resume from a 16-year-old boy who had published a paper at an AI conference. “A few years ago, this was definitely something I couldn’t have seen,” he said.

(According to WSJ)

Stanford expert: AI makes it harder for new programmers to find jobs Artificial intelligence (AI) is making it harder for new workers in the US to find jobs, especially in fields like software development or customer service.

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