A step forward
Training with Microsoft AI-103 to strengthen my path as a AI Platform Engineer
Hello world!
It has been almost five years since I last wrote in this personal blog. The last time I was here, I was trying to gain a foothold in the tech industry. I was preparing to land the best possible opportunity as a mid-level engineer. Back then, I was reading about JavaScript, development best practices, and basically everything web-development related. I wanted to position myself for a successful career in tech. Now, I’m back here again. This time, I want to future-proof my career.
Riding the AI Wave
Over the past few years, I have dipped my feet into Search, AI, Web engineering, and DevOps. However, I still lack the confidence that my skills and knowledge can stand tall against the massive wave of AI. In my current job, I am lucky to be on a project that pioneers the use of AI within the company, with a heavy focus on search. I believe that exposure to both search and AI gives me excellent career positioning. It gives me a specific focus. In search, we have to fit search relevancy optimization to business requirements, regardless of data quality. And with AI, you can only get good answer with a good search results. I feel I have already gained a good amount of experience in this area. But to get the confidence I truly need, I want a better understanding of where the industry is at the moment. I need to know the current standards, best practices, and available services in the intersection of AI and search.
Consulting Copilot (and Beating Impostor Syndrome)
Recently, I took the liberty of flattering myself by asking Copilot how I should label my resume to be future-proof. Based on my experience in Search, AI, and DevOps, Copilot told me I could already go by the title AI Platform Engineer. Aside from helping me kick my impostor syndrome to the curb, it provided solid recommendations on how to live up to this label—or rather, this career path. Copilot noted that I already have a strong foundation. To improve further, it recommended two things:
Solidify my knowledge in Search & AI.
Solidify my knowledge in Platform Engineering.
I was incredibly happy with these recommendations. In fact, it made me trust Copilot's output even more because before I even asked, I was already thinking about what training to take. These two goals were exactly what I had already envisioned for myself.
First Steps: AI-103
Now, I am taking the first step. I have decided to take the AI-103, which is Microsoft’s AI Engineer certification. When I asked Copilot about it, it mentioned that AI-103 would be of “moderate” value to an AI Platform Engineering path. It will provide me with a structured knowledge of AI architecture, a better understanding of RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) beyond basic search, and a clearer picture of AI governance and product operations. These insights are already an amazing motivation for me, especially since they align perfectly with the long-term career paths I am eyeing: Staff AI Engineer or AI Architect.
Final Thoughts
That’s all for now. I am mostly writing this blog to hype myself up for the training ahead. I learn much more effectively when I have a crystal-clear picture of what I want. Writing this out helps me gather my thoughts on the path I am determined to take. If you read this far, thank you! Wish me luck! 😂
