roadmap.sh: AI Engineer
A free visual map of what an AI engineer is expected to know, separating the model training path from the far more common path of building products on existing models. Useful for working out which skills your target role actually wants.
Roadmap
AI & Machine Learning
roadmap.sh
Self paced
Beginner
Free
What it is
An interactive, community maintained topic map covering the skills involved in building AI products: model APIs, prompting, embeddings and vector search, retrieval augmented generation, agents, evaluation, cost and safety.
The distinction it makes well
It separates AI engineering from machine learning engineering. The first builds on models other people trained; the second trains them. The large majority of jobs advertised as AI roles are the first, and a great many people waste months on the second path because nobody drew the line for them.
How to use it
As an audit and a job description decoder. Tick off what you have, compare the remainder against the postings you are targeting, and let that set your study order.
Best for: engineers deciding how to move into AI work, and anyone unsure which of the two paths a job posting means.
Ready to start?
Opens on roadmap.sh in a new tab.
Stuck on something specific?
Writing only gets you so far. If you want an answer to your situation rather than the general case, book a session and we will work through it together. Every session is free; a few slots open each week.
Follow along
New writing, resources and project ideas land here first.