Careers in AI, cybersecurity, and fintech are the hot tickets for the new year
AI
The chaotic CEO changes at ChatGPT creator Open AI late last year don’t exactly scream stability, but there is no denying that AI and Generative AI remain the hottest topics in town.
While tech companies like Apple, Meta and Microsoft have already benefited from AI and have seen share prices grow, 2024 is predicted to be the year that companies outside big tech adopt the technology in bids to cut costs and increase efficiencies.
KPMG research across multiple industries reveals that 71% of firms plan to implement their first GenAI solution within two years, and four-fifths of firms plan to increase their investment in AI over 50% by the close of H1 2024 alone.
High-paying roles in AI include prompt engineering, and more client-facing positions like AI Architects.
Prompt engineering could be the hottest job in tech, with a paycheck to match
Why a prompt engineer?
Already, early adopters of ChatGPT have been on social media enthusiastically sharing their hacks for getting better bot responses simply by upping their wording game. Prompt engineers basically do this for a living, but on a much larger scale.
The demand for this new specialism extends far beyond the confines of Silicon Valley. As AI tools go mainstream, scores of new AI companies worldwide (and AI units in established tech giants) are seeking to hire not only prompt engineers, but data scientists and machine learning engineers.
It’s shaping up to be a promising new career
Like other AI-related careers, prompt engineering is a role that could be suitable for a person with transferable skills from other areas of the tech sector, such as NLP engineering, general software engineering, UX research, data science, and linguistics.
Content writing and editing skills are not only highly transferable; they’re a major plus. In fact, for NLP-related jobs, language skills are as important as tech know-how.
A language processing prompt engineer needs to innately understand how people word things when they interact with AI. Sometimes referred to as the ‘AI whisperer’, the prompt engineer makes AI make sense, which is why many of its pioneers are wordsmiths, copywriters, and academics.
As this is a specialised, niche role with growing demand, you can expect a very competitive salary and attractive benefit packages. Last month, Bloomberg reported that prompt engineers at OpenAI’s ChatGPT were being paid $175,000 to $300,000 per annum.
Cybersecurity
With all the gains in AI technology, the downside is that it’s now easier than ever to impersonate and deceive online, and en masse. Deepfakes can get around voice and face recognition access controls, and phishing attempts can be relentlessly automated.
Also with cloud transformations and remote working ongoing across organisations and industries, cybersecurity has never been more important.
Hot jobs in this area include cybersecurity engineers and cybersecurity analysts.
Fintech
Aside from cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, which have considerable volatility, the fintech industry continues to improve financial services for individuals and companies, and valuations remain steady.
Forecasters indicate that by 2026, the market will have expanded to $37,343.95 billion, a development rate of a 9.6% CAGR (compound annual growth rate), and salaries remain pretty lucrative across the sector.
Data engineers, full stack java developers and legal minds will all benefit in this job market, as the technology and regulatory requirements continue to evolve.
Looking for a new opportunity for 2024? Visit the House of Talent Job Board and find your next role. Here’s a glimpse at who’s hiring right now.
BNP Paribas
Currently advertising for thousands of roles, leading European banking organisation BNP Paribas is focused on three strategic pillars as part of its GTS 2025 plan: growth, technology and sustainability.
In 2023, BNP Paribas welcomed around 400 early-careers talent into its graduate programme, and launched new mobility products and financing services across nine European markets with Jaguar and Land Rover, amongst other achievements.
It is currently hiring into a number of cybersecurity and AI business analyst roles. These positions are advertised across Europe and Canada, but a large majority of roles are based in Paris, Nanterre or Dublin.