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Ask HN: Advice for getting into AI for an experienced PM or TPM

6 points by none2022 ↗ HN
I got laid off recently and am taking the time to scratch an itch around AI. I've done a few Codeacademy tutorials on Python to get started, watched the future of AI series from MIT and am now working through Andrej Karpathy's video on Nano GPT and getting familiar with Pytorch too.

All of this has been and is fun, however I am wondering if this is the best use of my time from the perspective of getting a job as a PM or TPM in the field and if not what should I be doing instead.

I've been been a PM for about 20 years in three FAANGS and its been a while since I've found myself getting excited about something. However I also have mortgage and retirement to think off

Love to get suggestions and ideas from folks.

4 comments

[ 1.9 ms ] story [ 17.0 ms ] thread
ripvanwinkle
what other courses have you considered taking. You might want an official degree from some place to signal to recruiters etc.
tikkun
"Networking" (cold emailing, cold DMing, interacting with people on twitter) will be more beneficial for getting a job than just going through the courses. The courses will be helpful too, but I might suggest weighting it at 80% of time to networking and 20% of the time to the courses, at least until you get to the point where you know multiple people in AI companies that you're excited about. Then you can ask them if they think you're an easy hire as is, or if not, what skills they need.
tikkun
And also, I'll note that:

Generally the startup hiring market is slower than normal

There aren't that many exciting AI startups that are hiring a lot. Midjourney has a tiny team, Runway ML has a pretty small team, that's a common pattern at the moment

So, consider also a) building the company you wish you could join and b) getting a job that isn't in AI and building AI side projects to stay involved.

0proboy0
I'm sorry to hear about your layoff, but it's great that you're exploring AI. To improve your chances of getting a job as a PM or TPM in the field, consider networking, specializing in specific AI areas, building a project portfolio, continuously learning, and tailoring your resume to highlight your AI skills. Good luck!