Prompt Engineering: Your next big career move
How to become and excel as a prompt engineer even without a Tech Background
Imagine this, ChatGPT and all its cousins only came into the scene last November!
Doesn’t it feel like they were always here and became an integral part of our digital experience?
Articles, pictures, videos and all sorts of contents are being mass-produced with these Generative AI tools.
With the popularity and widespread use of this immaculate tech, there is an increasing demand for skilled individuals who can develop, design, and implement these intelligent systems.
Enter “Prompt Engineering”, the hot new career, and the topic of our discussion. This involves crafting prompts that can guide generative AI tools to produce human-like outputs.
And the reasons why I want to elaborate on this are:
A) It pays up to Six Figure salaries, ranging anywhere between $100,000 to $300,000
B) It doesn’t necessarily need a STEM degree. You can potentially make a great career in this field if you are good with words and ideas.
In this article, will explore more about prompt engineering. How it is influencing the new AI revolution? And, how one can learn prompt engineering even without a computer science background and make a career out of it.
What is Prompt Engineering?
Prompt engineering involves creating prompts that provide guidance to generative AI tools such as GPT-3.5/4 to produce outputs that align with the desired goal. The prompt is a set of instructions or inputs that a generative AI model uses to produce an output. Prompt engineering involves selecting the right words, phrases, and context that can lead to the desired output.
For example, if the goal is to generate a summary of a long article, a prompt engineer would develop a prompt that provides relevant information to the AI model such as the title, author, and key points in the article. The AI model would then use this prompt to generate a concise summary.
“Prompt engineering is a game of Mad Libs with an AI.” — Jeremy Howard, co-founder of fast.ai
“Prompt engineering is like having a very smart puppy that you can teach to write.” — Chris Nicholson, co-founder, and CEO of Skymind
A quick confession, I am constantly playing around with these tools. Sometimes to mess with them and create funny videos and avatars. I mean, in my defense, it’s too much fun. Right!?
But as it turns out, this mad scientist obsession can turn into a million-dollar career. And the art of prompt engineering is so much more than a plaything. It involves not only crafting the prompt but also understanding the intricacies of the generative AI model being used.
Impact of Prompt Engineering on AI Revolution:
Prompt engineering is at the forefront of the AI revolution. It’s playing a critical role in advancing this technology. And creating new possibilities for language generation. With the ability to design prompts that can generate specific output from language models, prompt engineers can create chatbots that can understand and respond to human language in a natural and nuanced way, generate high-quality content for websites and social media platforms, and even write stories and scripts that rival those produced by human writers.
One of the most significant impacts of prompt engineering on the AI revolution is its ability to make language generation more accessible and user-friendly. By designing prompts that are easy to use and understand, prompt engineers can create language models that are more user-friendly and can be used by a wider range of people.
Chance for the Non-Techs to ace the Tech world
This new AI revolution has broken the notion that high-paying tech jobs are only reserved for STEM degree holders.
One of the key skills that non-tech individuals can bring to prompt engineering is a strong grasp of language and communication.
Another important skill is the ability to think critically and creatively about language tasks. Prompt engineering requires individuals to think outside the box. And develop prompts that can generate language that is both accurate and compelling.
While a technical background can be helpful in prompt engineering, it is not always a must. Many successful prompt engineers have come from non-technical backgrounds. And they bring their unique perspectives and skill sets to the field.
How to become a Prompt Engineer?
As I said, while it may sound like a technical field, non-technical individuals can learn and excel in this area too. Here is how you can also become a prompt engineer if you are a non-tech like me:
1. Start by learning the basics of natural language processing (NLP) and how it is used in AI. There are many online courses and resources available that can help you gain a foundational understanding of NLP and its applications. Find those out in the next section.
2. Familiarize yourself with different language models and the prompts used to generate language. You can start by exploring OpenAI’s GPT models, which are widely used in the industry.
3. Practice designing prompts for different language tasks. You can use free online tools like Hugging Face’s Transformer or OpenAI’s GPT Playground to experiment with prompt design.
4. Get hands-on experience with building language models and designing prompts. This can involve working on personal projects, collaborating with other prompt engineers, or participating in open-source communities.
5. Stay up to date with the latest developments and advancements in prompt engineering and AI. Follow industry experts, attend conferences and events, and read industry publications to stay informed.
6. Consider earning a certification in prompt engineering or related fields such as NLP or machine learning. There are many online courses and certifications available from reputable sources like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning.
7. Finally, network with other professionals in the field. Seek out mentorship opportunities to further develop your skills and expertise.
There are several free resources and practical ways of learning prompt engineering:
- Online courses and platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, edX, TensorFlow, etc. They have several free tutorials, videos, and courses on the topics of building machine learning models, Natural Language processing, and Prompt Engineering. These courses provide a structured learning experience with video lectures, exercises, and assessments.
- Degree programs in artificial intelligence or computer science
- Internships and research projects related to AI and natural language processing
- Workshops and conferences on AI and natural language processing
- A website called Learn Prompting has some very useful resources on the subject matter. In their own words, it’s “A Free, Open-Source Course on Communicating with Artificial Intelligence”
For those looking for prompt engineering jobs or gigs, the following are some of the places to look:
AI and NLP companies, such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple (I mean, why not?!)
Startups that specialize in AI and NLP
AI research labs, such as OpenAI and DeepMind
Technology consulting firms
Freelance job sites, such as Upwork and Fiverr
PromptBase is a prompt marketplace that launched last June, allows people to hire prompt engineers or sell their prompts.
It is worth noting, although you don’t explicitly need a tech background, most high-paying roles do still require a background in STEM fields.
In conclusion, prompt engineering is an exciting and growing field that offers many opportunities. Individuals looking to combine creativity, critical thinking, and technology can excel in this field. With the right skills and training, anyone can become a prompt engineer and contribute to the AI revolution. So why not give it a try and see where it takes you?
Thank you for reading.
If you like my writing, don't forget to tip a little and inspire for more:
