CAREER PATHWAY
AI Engineer
Build skills for developing AI applications, generative AI solutions and intelligent agents using modern cloud AI technologies.
- Start level
- Beginner
- Estimated duration
- 3–6 months
- Certifications
- 2 certifications
Plus your free SkillsNest account is yours for life.
Starts with AI-901 in this pathway.
A payment card is required. You will not be charged today. Your selected plan renews automatically after 15 days unless you cancel.
Why Choose a Career in Artificial Intelligence?
Build a future-focused career designing intelligent applications, working with machine learning and generative AI, and developing practical skills with Microsoft Azure AI technologies.
$92,000 – $136,000
Typical salary range in the United States
per year · AI Engineer
Source: Glassdoor · Checked 23 Sept 2026
Salary ranges are indicative and can vary by experience, location, employer and specialism.
Flexible Working
Explore remote, hybrid and office-based AI roles
In-Demand AI Skills
Develop skills in machine learning and generative AI
Beginner Friendly Path
Start with AI fundamentals and build your expertise
Microsoft Certifications
Gain industry-recognised Microsoft AI credentials
Career Progression
Progress towards advanced AI engineering roles
Transferable Skills
Build valuable programming, cloud and problem-solving skills
About this learning pathway
Follow a structured learning pathway designed to build practical skills relevant to AI engineering. Develop your understanding of artificial intelligence fundamentals before progressing to generative AI applications, AI agents and cloud-based AI solutions. This pathway brings together relevant SkillsNest certifications and training to help you plan your learning and certification goals.
Who this pathway is for
Designed for career changers, students, developers and IT professionals who want to build skills relevant to AI engineering and the development of modern AI applications.
Your learning journey
These certifications are organised to support progression toward related skills. Complete them in an order that matches your experience.
Stage 1
AI Foundations
Build foundational knowledge of artificial intelligence concepts and common AI workloads before progressing to AI application development.
- Study time
- 4-6 weeks
- Lessons
- 16
- Questions
- 375
- Mocks
- 4
Stage 2
AI Applications & Agents
Develop practical skills for building AI applications and agents, including generative AI, agentic solutions, language, vision and information extraction on Azure.
- Study time
- 6–8 weeks
- Lessons
- 26
- Questions
- 160
Career opportunities & salary potential
Explore roles that may align with the skills developed through this pathway.
AI Engineer
Designs, builds and deploys AI-powered applications and solutions using machine learning, generative AI, language models and cloud AI services.
Indicative salary range
$92,000 – $136,000
per year
Salary source: Glassdoor · Checked 23 Sept 2026
Salary ranges are indicative and can vary by experience, location, employer and specialism.
Build the skills for your AI Engineer career
SkillsNest Premium provides access to the learning and exam-preparation resources mapped to this pathway. Start with a 15-day free trial.
- Full video courses
- Practice question bank
- Mock exams
- Knowledge checks
- Case studies
- Progress analytics
- Access across SkillsNest certifications
A payment card is required. You will not be charged today. Your selected plan renews automatically after 15 days unless you cancel.
Ready to start your AI Engineer journey?
Start a 15-day free SkillsNest Premium trial and work through this pathway's certifications and practice resources.
One subscription. Access across SkillsNest.
SkillsNest Premium provides access to included learning and practice resources. Official certification exam vouchers and separately supplied lab products are not included and may be available separately in the future.
SkillsNest Career Pathways are designed to help you plan relevant learning and certification goals. Completing a pathway does not guarantee employment, promotion or any specific career outcome.
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