Careers Newsletter: April 2024
Careers Spotlight: AI Whisperer
As artificial intelligence (AI) spreads to more and more industries, it’s becoming clear that the future of technology has already arrived here. Also, there are rumors that AI will soon take over jobs and make humans obsolete. But that’s not entirely true. Together with all the changes, it’s likely that new kinds of jobs will be AI generated.
Starting from chatbots to robots to voice assistance, AI has demonstrated over time that it is here to stay and will not disappear. So, it’s time for all those who are interested in AI or want to work as “AI whisperers” to start getting ready.
“AI whisperer” jobs are for smart engineers who know how to use ChatGPT or other generative AI tools. These professionals often start their journey by taking a data science course to acquire the necessary skills.
This guide will assist you learn about the skills, responsibilities, pay, and scope of an AI whisperer job.
Skills You Need
The attractive job description calls for AI specialists with a lot of skills. This level of knowledge doesn’t happen all at once; rather, it’s a steady process that requires constant work. Businesses demand applicants to have the right education, technical skills, and soft skills to get a job.
You need to improve your writing and speaking skills because AI models need clear instructions. You have to be able to put your concepts and thoughts into exact words and make sure they are easy enough for a machine to understand.
You need to understand the language of the models you are working on, including how they work and where their limits are. The ability to think creatively and independently is also required.
Learning the fundamentals of code will greatly increase the value of your skills. You not only need to be able to write code, but also to perform unit tests and complete system tests.
Responsibilities of an AI Whisperer
Serving as a helpful point of contact for people using AI could entail anything from interpreting complicated technological information for non-technical groups to assisting with troubleshooting issues with AI systems.
The AI whisperer works with other teams, like IT, data science, and operations, to guarantee successful AI implementations. This is an essential function because the success of AI content generation relies largely on the accuracy of the prompts provided.
The average day for an AI whisperer entails putting in time composing messages for chatbots and publishing those responses as OpenAI settings.
According to AI whisperer Albert Phelps, on a typical day a whisperer would compose five unique prompts and have approximately fifty chats with ChatGPT.
Where to look for a job as an AI whisperer?
There are jobs for “AI whisperers” in many different fields and businesses, such as healthcare, education, banking, entertainment, etc. As more and more companies accept and use AI solutions, the need for “AI whisperers” is likely to grow.
How much is the salary?
The starting salary for AI whisperer is around £40,000, and it can go up to in excess of £300,000.
Conclusion
A job as an AI whisperer is hard but beneficial for people who like to work with AI systems. It gives people the chance to learn about new tools, solve problems in the real world, and have a good effect on society. Start training now to become an “AI whisperer” if you believe you have what it takes.
If you want to learn more about working with AI click on the links below
Boosting your CV
In this section we have looked at how boost your CV. A good CV will get you noticed and invited for an interview, but no further. The key to a successful interview lies in soft skills.
What are soft skills?
Soft skills relate to how you work. Soft skills include interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management, and empathy, among others. They are among the top skills employers seek in the candidates they hire, because soft skills are important for just about every job.
Over the next few editions of the careers newsletter we will look at different soft skills and how you can improve them
Time management
Time management skills are a broad set of skills that help you manage the time you spend during the workday and ensure that it’s being spent as effectively as possible. A few essential time management skills include:
Prioritisation - This is the act of assigning a level of importance to different tasks and ensuring that tasks of higher importance are accomplished before tasks of lower importance.
Planning - Being able to analyse a task or a set of tasks and develop a schedule for their completion is essential.
Goal-setting - Setting defined goals for yourself throughout your work, such as accomplishing a specific task or a segment of a job, is an essential part of time management. Setting a series of realistic goals and a series of optimal goals allows you to feel each accomplishment throughout your day as a source of motivation and encouragement.
Communication - This skill represents your ability to express your goals, plans and needs in verbal and written forms. Well-developed communication skills allow you to develop efficient schedules and plans. It also helps you in accomplishing your tasks more effectively through delegation and teamwork.
Collaboration Skills
Collaboration is a working practice whereby individuals work together for a common purpose to achieve business benefit. Collaboration enables individuals to work together to achieve a defined and common business purpose. As the saying goes "there is no i in team".
Some simple ways to improve your collaboration skills are
Set precise goals. When leading a project, it's essential to set measurable goals and objectives.
Communicate your intentions.
Listen and learn to compromise.
Overcome challenges and solve problems without assigning blame.
Celebrate collaboration and its successes.
Help for Parents and Carers
When it comes to education and careers, parents and carers have a large influence on a students choices. As an adult you are expected to have all the answers, but in a constantly evolving world it can be a struggle to keep up with the latest options out there. In this section we will highlight resources that will help keep you up to date with careers and the choices available to young people.
This month we look at common questions parents have about qualifications.
What do the GCSE grades mean?
By 2020 all GCSE subjects had stopped using the A* to F grading and moved to numerical grades
GCSE grades now start with 1 (the lowest) and go up to 9 (the highest)
Though there isn't an exact match between the old grades and the current system a grade 4 is broadly equivalent to a C, a grade 8 is broadly equivalent to an A* and a grade 9 is seen as being higher than an A*.
What is the difference between a GCSE and a BTEC?
BTEC stands for the Business and Technology Education Council. BTECs are specialist work-related qualifications.
BTEC’s come in a wide range of levels. A level 2 BTEC is equivalent to a GCSE while a level 3 BTEC is equivalent to an A-level.
BTEC’s tend to be more industry focussed compared to GCSE’s or A-levels
Where a GCSE is typically assessed at the end of the course with a series of exams a BTEC is split into units. Whilst some units are assessed via an exam the majority of units are assessed by the teacher and are similar to coursework.
What is a level 2 qualification?
The level of a qualification shows its level of difficulty.
The levels are from entry level to level 8
The higher the level the harder the qualification
GCSE’s are level 2 qualifications
A-levels are level 3 qualifications.
A bachelor's degree is a level 6 qualification
Post graduate degrees and doctorates are level 7 and level 8 qualifications
What is a T-level?
T Levels are new two-year courses equivalent to three A levels. They launched in September 2020 to students in England.
A T-level takes 2 years to complete and are based around a specific industry area
One T-level is equivalent to three A-levels
As part of the course students spend the equivalent of 4 days a week studying and 1 day a week doing work experience.
More information on T-levels can be found by clicking on the image below
Do students have to resit their maths and English GCSE?
If a student doesn't achieve a grade 4 in maths at the end of Year 11 they will need to resit
If a student doesn't achieve a grade 4 in either English language or English literature they will need to resit
This applies whether the student goes on to 6th form, college or does an apprenticeship
There is no requirement to resit once a student reaches the end of Year 13 (or equivalent)
Careers in Hertfordshire: Technology
TECHNOLOGY CAN BE SPLIT INTO THE FOLLOWING SUB CATEGORIES:
Cyber Security
Games and Web Design
Software and Hardware Engineering
Data Science and Analytics
Technical support
Technology offers a broad range of careers, for those with analytical, mathematical and problem solving skills. For those with a more creative mind, product design and games development roles lay within the technology industry.
It is possible for anyone to get into a tech career and University education is not a must have. There are a number of vocational pathways including T Levels and apprenticeships.
The future of the tech sector is ever evolving. Technology has changed the way we live and work and continual development means the continual creation of new careers in the industry.
Roles in technology feature in the majority of companies across Hertfordshire as businesses rely heavily on technology for effective business operation.
There are many large Technology based companies in the county such as Computacenter, Ocado and Imagination Technologies. Hertfordshire is also home to many smaller, less well-known companies who offer fantastic opportunities to work in the industry. Technology roles also feature in companies from all sectors – for example, Tesco who have their UK Head Quarters in Welwyn Garden City and have teams of Data Analysts. Many Hertfordshire companies that aren’t tech based, rely on helpful IT Technicians to solve any issues around hardware and networks. Equally, our Technology companies rely on staff in non-technological roles like business, finance and marketing to help the business operate smoothly.
Technology businesses thrive in Hertfordshire and benefit from access to a growing pool of talent.
Hertfordshire provides 21% more careers in Tech than the national average. There are 62,870 businesses based in Hertfordshire and the majority will use some technology to operate. Roles in Agritech, Fintech and Envirotec are emerging and will feature heavily in Hertfordshire in the coming years.
Many companies have apprenticeship and graduate schemes to support early entry to tech based jobs and careers.
For more information please go to www.hopinto.co.uk/
Current Opportunities
This month we have an opportunity for students who are considering a career in medicine or dentistry to attend a virtual talk. We also have an opportunity to learn about careers available in the jewellery sector. In addition The Careers and Enterprise Company are hosting two careers webinars, one on construction and the other on air traffic control.
Sky Studios - Future Talent Programme
What is the Future Talent Programme?
The Future Talent Programme (formally known as the ‘Content Academy’) is a 12-month paid placement designed to catapult school leavers and graduates into a career in Film and TV. Located in our cutting-edge film studio in Hertfordshire, this programme will allow successful candidates to dive headfirst into the industry whilst working alongside some of the biggest names in the world. Throughout the year you’ll also receive bespoke development from our Talent Manager and our wider studio team, ensuring you’re ready to tackle studio or production roles at the end of the year.
All the details can be found on our website here: https://www.skystudioselstree.com/future-talent-programme
Careers in medicine or Dentistry
We provide a large range of Widening Access programmes to benefit your students, and it all starts with a Get Into Conference. If you believe there are more students who haven't yet taken advantage of the free virtual LIVE Get Into conferences, I kindly ask you to share the details below with them:
For aspiring Doctors: FREE LIVE VIRTUAL Get Into Medicine conference dates:
Sunday 14th April from 9:30am - 3:30pm
Saturday 27th April from 9:30am - 3:30pm
https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shry7MZYtt3MGPjvO
For aspiring Dentists: FREE LIVE VIRTUAL Get Into Dentistry conference date:
Saturday 20th April from 9:30am - 3:30pm
https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shrBuiR7SBAcC19kE
All aspiring doctors and dentists in years 10-12 / S3-S5 / NI11-13 are invited to register.
These conferences offer tailored advice for medicine and dentistry, covering a range of crucial topics:
- Tactically choosing universities
- Personal statements
- UCAT
- Medical & Dental school interview skills
- Medical Leadership Programmes
- Awards Programmes
- Extracurricular activities
- Work experience
- Building a CV
- Applying for scholarships
By attending, students not only gain knowledge and preparation tips, but they’ll also earn a certificate that they can proudly showcase in the 'conferences you have attended' section of their UCAS application.
Please note that parental attendance is required for safeguarding reasons and to ensure parents are also supported throughout the application process.
Students and parents can register for free at this link:
Medicine: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shry7MZYtt3MGPjvO
Dentistry: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shrBuiR7SBAcC19kE
VIRTUAL EMPLOYER ENCOUNTERS
Our first HOP Webinar after the Easter break will take place on Thursday 18th April and will focus on Careers in Air Traffic Control and features a Supervisor from Stansted Airport, Barbara Martinez-Sanchez.
Due to some technical issues (ATC understandably have very tight restrictions on their internet firewalls and therefore the panellist cannot access our usual software) this webinar will take place on MS Teams instead though any students attending will automatically have microphone and camera functions disabled to comply with our usual safeguarding protocols.
Registration is now open on HOP here - https://www.hopinto.co.uk/virtual-employer-encounters/virtual-employer-encounters/ and then they will register via GoTo Webinar – all registrants will then be manually emailed with a link to join the Teams call in the days leading up to the webinar on the 18th.
Other virtual employer encounters, including videos of past sessions can be found bt clicking on the link below
