Dispatcher vs AI engineer: which profession to choose in the USA

People looking for stability, demand and prospects in a profession often settle on serious, broad fields such as tech or transport. Dispatchers are needed in logistics, aviation, energy, the emergency services and even in services generally. AI engineering is a newer specialism, but people in the field already work in finance, technology companies, medicine, the games industry and a great many other interesting areas. America offers something to both. A career in freight or in tech will be promising and profitable alike. But there are particulars, and those are what this article is about.

What a freight dispatcher does in the USA

A dispatcher coordinates the work of freight transport. Wherever they work — the USA, Canada or Europe — the responsibilities are:

1. finding loads for drivers;
2. planning routes;
3. staying in contact with drivers;
4. solving problems that arise while a load is in transit;
5. handling the paperwork: insurance, bills of lading, invoices;
6. negotiating with clients and brokers;
7. keeping delivery on schedule.

Dispatch work demands close attention. Miss one detail and you can disrupt the whole supply chain and end up out of pocket. Another important soft skill is communication: you need not only to reach agreements but to negotiate well under pressure. The hard skills are working in logistics software and handling documentation. And if you work in America, English is essential.

The drawbacks are worth stating too:

• a great deal of stress from delays, breakdowns and incorrectly filed paperwork;
• irregular hours — even outside working time, drivers keep moving and urgent calls can come in;
• dispatching is a popular profession in the USA, and the competition makes finding work hard.

What to know about AI engineering

An AI engineer is at home with neural networks and artificial intelligence. They have no fewer responsibilities than a dispatcher, but the good news is that their effectiveness is not affected by drivers' mistakes or other outside factors. Here the technology does almost all the work and the engineer directs the process. To keep it running properly they need to:

1. build and train machine learning models;
2. be able to work with data;
3. optimise models so that they work accurately and efficiently;
4. integrate AI solutions into software products;
5. work with cloud services;
6. communicate with the team.

Like a dispatcher, an AI engineer has to be attentive to detail. You need to convey your thinking to programmers, analysts and data scientists. Working in the USA also requires excellent English. AI work demands adaptability to new trends and technologies, and a career in it is impossible without technical skills. A course is the fastest, most effective way to acquire everything you need. Another drawback is the high barrier to entry. But that too has its upside:

• Competition is lower than in the simpler specialisms.
• The market is short of people, while companies keep adopting AI and looking for engineers.
• An AI engineer's knowledge is highly valued, and they earn more than other tech specialists in the USA.

Since pay has come up, let's look at it more closely.

Comparing the salaries

To keep our figures reliable we looked at current vacancies for both. A freight dispatcher's salary starts from $35,000 a year, which is what a beginner earns. An experienced dispatcher can expect $65,000.

An AI engineer earns considerably more. The minimum is $90,000 a year, which is what juniors are offered. Experienced engineers earn more than $150,000. Look at the vacancies at large tech companies such as Amazon or Google and there are offers reaching $200,000 a year.

What lies ahead for freight dispatchers

The development of technology and artificial intelligence will affect more than the professions directly tied to tech. Wherever a dispatcher builds their career — the USA, Germany, Japan or a less developed country — they should be ready for change:

• Automation and AI will be built ever deeper into transport operations.
• Requirements for candidates will rise. Those who can work with advanced technology will have the advantage.
• Business will keep globalising, which means more international freight.

Dispatch work will change, and people in it will have to adapt. Learning and flexibility are what help.

The outlook for AI engineers in the USA

AI will keep developing, and that will show in the profession:

• Competition will remain low while demand for AI engineers keeps rising.
• AI will spread across sectors of the economy.
• Specialists will be drawn into innovative projects and technologies.

To take advantage of what the field offers, continuous learning is essential. PASV is where you can learn a new profession from scratch and raise your qualifications in tech.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become a dispatcher?
Six months to a year.

How long does it take to become an AI engineer?
Eight months on the PASV course.

Can you train as an AI engineer with no tech background?
Yes.

Which professions are adjacent to AI engineering?
Data scientist and machine learning engineer.

Can an AI engineer work freelance?
Yes.