u/Zestyclose-Pipe3258

A year in, CS degree, interned and got kept on.

Work is half building AI features, half the deployment and infrastructure that keeps them running. I've shipped things people actually use, so the work itself is going fine.

The issue is I'm broad rather than deep. Useful generalist, not the person you'd call for one specific thing. AI coding tools do a lot of the heavy lifting now too, which makes depth feel more valuable than it used to, not less.

Questions:

1. Did you choose your specialisation or did it happen to you?
2. Is it worse to pick early or to wait?
3. How do you tell real interest from just liking the idea of being that kind of person?

Stack: Python, FastAPI, Postgres, Kafka, Kubernetes on EKS with autoscaling, hosted model APIs, plus the eval and monitoring side. Shipped it and I run it.

So I've done production ML operationally, but always as a caller of models. Haven't worked below that line, no C++, no GPU work beyond a local side project.

A good amount of the development was AI-assisted, mostly Claude. Fine for shipping, but it's pushed me to want depth in something specific rather than more breadth.

Questions:

1. For anyone on the serving side, what's the job like day to day?
2. How much C++ is genuinely needed?
3. Is the Kubernetes and autoscaling experience a real head start here, or a different skill set than I think?
4. How did you end up in your area, planned or accidental?

I'm currently working as an AI Engineering intern at a startup in Pune. I've been here for around 7 months now and the plan is to convert me to a GET role (~5-6 LPA) for another year, after which I'd move to an AI Engineer role (~9+ LPA).

I'm a bit confused about whether this is a normal progression. After already spending 7 months as an intern, another year as a GET feels like a long path before reaching an actual engineer position.

I have already been working on main core components of the product and nothing much will change work wise after conversion to GET.

At the same time, I'm interviewing for a US-based remote contractor role. The work involves building an AI-powered financial research platform (RAG, FastAPI, vector DBs, AWS, SEC filings, production APIs, etc.), and from what I understand I'd have quite a bit of ownership over the product.

The contract length isnt fixed yet but will mostly be 6 months with a chance to go FT in the company based on performance.

My background is mostly AI/backend engineering:

• Python, FastAPI
• RAG & LLM applications
• Vector databases
• Postgres
• Production AI systems through internships

A few questions:

1. Is a 7-month internship → 12-month GET → AI Engineer path normal?
2. For a US remote contractor role with this scope, what compensation range would you negotiate?
3. Given the responsibilities and ownership involved, would it be reasonable to expect compensation in the 10+ LPA range, or should I be calibrating my expectations differently?

Would love to hear from people who've worked in startups or remote US roles from India.