Prompt Engineers: Real Job or AI-Driven Hype?

The proliferation of language models brought forth the need for prompt engineers. At a basic level, they communicate with AI. It’s their responsibility to write efficient formulas for specific tasks and roles.

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Although prompt engineering is gaining massive traction, not everyone thinks highly of this profession. Some believe it will quickly become obsolete. Instead of accepting baseless rumors, let’s assess if prompt engineering is a real job based on the emerging industry’s potential.

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Is AI Prompt Engineering a Real Job?

The short answer to this question is yes. With developers releasing language model iterations left and right, companies need full-time employees to manage them. Communicating with AI has become a legitimate job.

That said, prompt engineering is also at risk of obsolescence. Experts speculate that it might be a fleeting trend. AI already accomplishes various projects—it could theoretically automate input generation and training.

No one knows the future, of course. But we can objectively assess whether prompt engineering will remain a lucrative, evergreen career based on the below factors.

1. Full Employment Options

The overall stability of prompt engineering depends on whether employers see it as a long-term investment. They don’t waste resources on potentially obsolete positions. Most typically hire contractors when testing risky ventures, tentative roles, or new departments.

At the moment, only tech companies are onboarding full-time prompt engineers. Individual clients and startups merely need contractors. And based on job boards like Upwork and Indeed, these contracts often involve three to six months of work.

No one can predict when employers will start laying off prompt engineers. So for job security, find positions that offer full employment benefits, like healthcare, severance packages, retirement funds, and insurance.

2. Barriers to Entry

Getting AI to perform complex, multi-step tasks involves more work than people realize. Yes, anyone can write simple prompts. But optimizing instructions requires an in-depth understanding of generative AI and large language models, plus some basic programming skills.

Take this output as an example. We fed ChatGPT a basic, one-line prompt telling it to roleplay a fictional character called Tomie. You’ll see that it instantly dropped our instructions.

In this photo, we outlined the context of our instructions, set clear boundaries, and bypassed certain restrictions. ChatGPT successfully took on the role of the said functional character.

3. Career Advancement Opportunities

A stable career path offers advancement opportunities. Employees are more motivated to exceed their responsibilities when working toward vertical promotions. Dead-end positions that merely present lateral moves often become obsolete.

Considering the fast-paced growth of generative AI, prompt engineers can expect salary and job growth as they advance. There are several emerging careers in AI . Should prompt engineering be made redundant, you could explore other areas, e.g., programming, training, and marketing.

Just make sure you upskill consistently. Focus on building new skills that utilize the latest industry advancements—turn into an unexpendable employee.

4. Workload

While a high workload doesn’t guarantee job security, the lack of critical tasks implies redundancy. Expendable workers often receive less work. Their employers offload tasks to new technologies, other employees, or contractors, gradually reducing their workload. Afterward, they’ll either be laid off or transferred to another position.

But at the rate that AI is progressing, prompt engineers might not run out of work soon. Generative AI tools require continuous testing. There are endless input combinations and variations, each providing unique output.

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5. Job Market Growth

The highly competitive AI industry is growing at a rapid pace, showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, more tech companies keep joining the AI race. They incorporate AI tools into their workflow, develop language models, and expand existing open-source AI technologies.

Although intimidating, fast-paced AI developments spike job market growth. Utilizing AI models requires prompt engineers. Larger tech companies could even build entire teams dedicated to writing and testing prompts, especially if they execute super-complex tasks.

6. Long-Term Demand

It’s hard to say how long companies will need employees solely dedicated to testing and writing prompts. Other job roles might absorb this function. Employers would save resources by asking their programmers and developers to take on prompt engineering as well.

Ideally, apply for hybrid roles to stay relevant in the workplace. Don’t just write prompts. You could also oversee algorithm training, filter datasets, and research AI use cases. Employees with multiple functions are indispensable.

7. Compensation

Prompt engineering first gained popularity for its pay grade. Publications hail it as one of the most lucrative tech jobs that requires little to no coding skills . Bloomberg even says prompt engineers could make $175,000 to $375,000 annually. For reference, Statista reports that senior-level software developers with bachelor’s and master’s degrees average $200,000 per annum.

Surprisingly, small companies also offer competitive salary packages. Try browsing the prompt engineering listings on Indeed and Upwork—you’ll see that most roles pay $70,000 to $200,000 per annum.

That said, not all prompt engineers make six figures. For instance, many Fiverr sellers offer lengthy, complex prompts for as low as $20. Your compensation still depends on your qualifications.

8. Role Stability

AI is an emerging, developing technology. The industry frequently introduces innovations—there’s no guarantee how long today’s popular systems will stay relevant. Even your field of specialty could quickly become obsolete.

Safeguard your career against unexpected developments by applying prompt engineering to new tools. Don’t solely focus on one or two systems. New technologies could quickly dethrone the most widely used text-to-image and language models.

9. Certification and Educational Resources

You’ll find several resources on prompt engineering . But since the job is relatively new, there are no universally accepted programs and courses yet. Of course, official Google and Meta certifications are always impressive.

To improve your prompt engineering qualifications, study real-life applications and use cases. Start testing various prompts. Employers will find a solid portfolio of efficient, functional prompts more impressive than random course certificates.

Should You Start a Career in Prompt Engineering?

Prompt engineering is an excellent gateway to the tech industry. Take advantage of the low barriers to entry. Even applicants with no tech experience could learn to communicate with different AI language models.

Just prepare for a highly competitive job market—tech companies only award high-paying roles to skilled candidates. You must upskill before sending job applications. Practice using various AI systems, see how they process input, and rewrite prompts for conciseness.

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Although prompt engineering is gaining massive traction, not everyone thinks highly of this profession. Some believe it will quickly become obsolete. Instead of accepting baseless rumors, let’s assess if prompt engineering is a real job based on the emerging industry’s potential.

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