Machine learning engineers are some of the best-paid people in tech. And yet, most people trying to break in are studying for a job that doesn't exist.
They binge neural nets and deep learning theory, then skip the engineering half companies actually pay for.
The real order: Python first (not sexy, but it's the language you'll live in), then the data tools — NumPy, Pandas, SQL — then the actual mechanics of how a model learns and how you tell if it's working or just confidently wrong.
None of that gets you hired on its own, though. That takes two or three deployed projects, a GitHub that doesn't gather dust, and a LinkedIn that shows your mistakes, not just your highlight reel.
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