AI Careers
The final requirement asks you to explore what a career in AI or automation looks like. Whether you research a career on your own (8A) or interview a professional (8B), you will discover that AI careers are some of the fastest-growing, most in-demand, and highest-paying fields in the world today. And many of them did not even exist ten years ago.
AI Career Landscape
Before you choose your option, take a look at the broad landscape of AI and automation careers. These are not all “computer programmer” jobs — the field is remarkably diverse.
Technical Careers
These roles involve building, training, and maintaining AI systems:
| Career | What They Do | Typical Education | Salary Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Learning Engineer | Design and build AI models that learn from data | Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS, Math, or Engineering | $110,000–$200,000+ |
| Data Scientist | Analyze large datasets to find patterns and insights | Bachelor’s or Master’s in Data Science, Statistics, or CS | $95,000–$165,000 |
| AI Research Scientist | Push the boundaries of what AI can do through original research | Ph.D. in Computer Science, Mathematics, or related field | $120,000–$250,000+ |
| Robotics Engineer | Design and program robots that use AI to interact with the physical world | Bachelor’s or Master’s in Robotics, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering | $90,000–$160,000 |
| NLP Engineer | Build systems that understand and generate human language | Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS or Computational Linguistics | $100,000–$180,000 |
Machine Learning Engineer
- What They Do
- Design and build AI models that learn from data
- Typical Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS, Math, or Engineering
- Salary Range
- $110,000–$200,000+
Data Scientist
- What They Do
- Analyze large datasets to find patterns and insights
- Typical Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s in Data Science, Statistics, or CS
- Salary Range
- $95,000–$165,000
AI Research Scientist
- What They Do
- Push the boundaries of what AI can do through original research
- Typical Education
- Ph.D. in Computer Science, Mathematics, or related field
- Salary Range
- $120,000–$250,000+
Robotics Engineer
- What They Do
- Design and program robots that use AI to interact with the physical world
- Typical Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s in Robotics, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering
- Salary Range
- $90,000–$160,000
NLP Engineer
- What They Do
- Build systems that understand and generate human language
- Typical Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS or Computational Linguistics
- Salary Range
- $100,000–$180,000
Applied and Creative Careers
These roles use AI as a tool within another field:
| Career | What They Do | Typical Education | Salary Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt Engineer | Craft effective prompts to get the best results from AI systems | Varies — strong writing and analytical skills | $80,000–$150,000 |
| AI Product Manager | Guide the development of AI-powered products and features | Bachelor’s in Business, CS, or related field + experience | $100,000–$180,000 |
| AI Ethics Specialist | Ensure AI systems are fair, transparent, and used responsibly | Bachelor’s or Master’s in Ethics, Philosophy, Law, or CS | $90,000–$160,000 |
| AI in Healthcare | Apply AI to medical diagnosis, drug discovery, and patient care | Medical degree or Master’s/Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics | $100,000–$200,000+ |
| Automation Specialist | Design and implement automated workflows for businesses | Bachelor’s in IT, CS, or Business + certifications | $75,000–$130,000 |
Prompt Engineer
- What They Do
- Craft effective prompts to get the best results from AI systems
- Typical Education
- Varies — strong writing and analytical skills
- Salary Range
- $80,000–$150,000
AI Product Manager
- What They Do
- Guide the development of AI-powered products and features
- Typical Education
- Bachelor’s in Business, CS, or related field + experience
- Salary Range
- $100,000–$180,000
AI Ethics Specialist
- What They Do
- Ensure AI systems are fair, transparent, and used responsibly
- Typical Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s in Ethics, Philosophy, Law, or CS
- Salary Range
- $90,000–$160,000
AI in Healthcare
- What They Do
- Apply AI to medical diagnosis, drug discovery, and patient care
- Typical Education
- Medical degree or Master’s/Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics
- Salary Range
- $100,000–$200,000+
Automation Specialist
- What They Do
- Design and implement automated workflows for businesses
- Typical Education
- Bachelor’s in IT, CS, or Business + certifications
- Salary Range
- $75,000–$130,000
Emerging Careers
These roles are brand new and growing rapidly:
- AI Trainer — Provides feedback to improve AI models by rating and correcting their outputs
- AI Auditor — Reviews AI systems for bias, errors, and compliance with regulations
- Synthetic Media Specialist — Creates AI-generated content (images, video, audio) for entertainment and marketing
- AI Safety Researcher — Studies how to make AI systems safe and aligned with human values
- Human-AI Interaction Designer — Designs the interfaces between humans and AI systems
Option A: Career Research
If you choose this option, you will identify three AI or automation careers and then do a deep dive on one of them. Here is a framework to guide your research:
Step 1: Pick Three Careers
Choose three careers from the lists above (or find others that interest you). For each one, write a brief description of what the role involves and why it caught your attention.
Step 2: Select One for Deep Research
Pick the career that interests you most and research the following:
Career Research Checklist
Gather information on each of these:
- Education required: What degree(s) do you need? What should you major in?
- Certifications: Are there professional certifications that help? (e.g., AWS Machine Learning, Google TensorFlow, CompTIA)
- Training and experience: Do you need internships, apprenticeships, or prior work experience?
- Expenses: What does the education cost? Are scholarships available?
- Employment prospects: How many jobs are available? Is demand growing or shrinking?
- Starting salary: What can you expect to earn in your first job?
- Advancement opportunities: What does the career ladder look like? Where can you go from the entry-level position?
- Day-to-day work: What does a typical workday look like?
- Skills needed: What technical and soft skills are most important?
Where to Research
Option B: Interview a Professional
If you choose this option, you will find and interview someone who works in AI or automation. This can be incredibly valuable — hearing directly from someone in the field gives you insights that no website can provide.
Finding Someone to Interview
- Ask your counselor — They may know AI professionals or can connect you with someone
- Ask family and friends — Someone’s parent, neighbor, or coworker may work in tech
- Contact local companies — Many tech professionals are happy to talk to students, especially Scouts
- Reach out to universities — Computer science professors or graduate students working on AI research
- LinkedIn — With a parent’s help, you can search for AI professionals in your area and send a polite message
Interview Questions
Here are questions to guide your conversation. You do not need to ask all of them — pick the ones most relevant to the person’s role:
Interview Question Guide
Choose 8-10 questions from this list:
- What is your job title and what does your company do?
- What does a typical day or week look like in your role?
- How did you get into this field? What was your career path?
- What education and training did you complete?
- Are there certifications that helped you in your career?
- What skills are most important for success in your role?
- What is the most challenging part of your job?
- What is the most rewarding part?
- How has the field changed since you started?
- Where do you see AI or automation heading in the next 5-10 years?
- What advice would you give to a young person interested in this field?
- What should students focus on now to prepare for AI careers?
- Are there ethical concerns in your work? How do you handle them?
The Path Forward
No matter which option you choose, the key takeaway from this requirement is that AI careers are not just about coding. They require creativity, ethics, communication, problem-solving, and the ability to work with people. The skills you have been building throughout this entire merit badge — critical thinking, ethical reasoning, clear communication, and hands-on experimentation — are exactly the skills that AI employers are looking for.
And here is the exciting part: the AI field is still young. Many of the most important AI careers of 2035 probably do not exist yet. By learning about AI now, you are preparing yourself for opportunities that have not even been invented.