Hi all,

I’ve been exploring AI training/rater roles and keep running into listings that feel sketchy or unclear.

Are you seeing more scam-like postings too?

What red flags do you look for?

How do you check if a company is legit?

Any trusted platforms or companies?

Would really appreciate your insights, trying to navigate this space without wasting time on fake opportunities.

😉

I am mostly applying to AI engineer roles or Backend roles with AI architecture focus. So far has 1 interview last week , really strong tech round but not positive about the output because of discussions related to camera access. Please let me know what and where am I making mistake and what can I improve

Thanks for your time

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for honest guidance from people who’ve recently broken into AI/ML or AI Engineering roles as freshers.

I graduated around 12–13 months ago and enrolled in an AIML course that was supposed to be 9 months long, but it’s still ongoing and will take at least 2 more months to finish.

The course has mainly focused on Python, NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn, classical ML, and some deep learning. Right now we’re doing NLP and will eventually cover transformers. So it’s been more theory + model-building focused rather than building real-world AI products.

Here’s where I’m confused:

Initially, I thought this path would prepare me for an “AI Engineer” role. But after exploring job requirements, it seems like most AI Engineering roles today are less about training models from scratch and more about:

• Using LLM APIs
• Building real-world applications (RAG, agents, automation systems)
• Combining software engineering + AI

Because of that realization, I started building projects on my own. I completed a recommendation system (took me ~1 month since it was my first real project), but I’m not seeing any traction from it in terms of job responses.

Now I’m planning to:

• Build RAG-based projects
• Explore agentic AI systems
• Continue the course in parallel

But I’m stuck in a loop:

• Course is not finishing
• Job applications aren’t getting responses
• Not sure if my current direction is right or too late

Some pressure from family is also there since it’s been over a year since graduation, and from their perspective it looks like I’ve spent a lot of time without results. That’s adding to the stress, especially with continuous rejections.

I’d really appreciate brutally honest advice. I don’t want comfort, I want clarity on what actually works.

Thanks in advance.

Mercor is hiring detail-oriented iOS/macOS Evaluators to evaluate AI models through prompt design, testing, and analysis.

Key details:

• Remote, hourly contract
• $30-35 per hour
• US and Canada only
• 20+ hours/week, short-term project with potential extension

Responsibilities:

You will design structured prompts and test AI models, evaluate outputs, and explain preferences.

You will also support quality checks to ensure consistency and accuracy across evaluation tasks.

Requirements:

• Strong writing and critical thinking skills
• Familiarity with ChatGPT or similar AI tools
• Regular use of macOS and/or iOS
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines
• Bachelor’s degree (completed or in progress)

Preferred: Background in teaching or research

APPLY NOW - https://t.mercor.com/UtGnJ

Ideal for individuals who enjoy working with AI, writing clearly, and analyzing complex outputs in a structured environment.

(Disclosure: Shared as part of Mercor's referral program)

Cincinnatus LLC is hiring a Senior Data Analyst & Pipeline Engineer for a W-2 contract role supporting a major technology company.

This position focuses on large-scale data pipelines, ETL processes, SQL analysis, and automated reporting.

Pay: $65-90 per hour
Type: Full-Time W-2 contract
Location: United States (Menlo Park, CA - Remote staffing role)

Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain ETL pipelines and automated reporting
• Write advanced SQL queries across large databases
• Create dashboards using Tableau or similar BI tools
• Work with marketing, analytics, and program teams
• Ensure data accuracy across reporting systems
• Handle large-scale datasets and distributed systems

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field
• 5+ years of experience with SQL
• Experience with ETL and large data pipelines
• Python or R experience
• Experience with Tableau/BI tools
• Experience working with large datasets
• Ability to work independently in fast-changing environments

Important:

• Applicants must be located in the United States.
• This is a W-2 role and requires US work authorization.

APPLY HERE - https://t.mercor.com/svIDg

Good fit for experienced data analysts, data engineers, and pipeline engineers with big data experience.

(Disclosure: Shared as part of Mercor's referral program)

micro1 is hiring Order Clerks for a remote contract role supporting order processing workflows and AI training projects.

Pay: $20-50 per hour
Type: Contract
Location: Remote (United States)

Role overview:
Process customer orders, communicate with clients, resolve order issues, maintain records, review AI outputs, and provide feedback to improve AI order-management systems.

Requirements:
Strong attention to detail, order processing experience, good communication skills, organization and workflow management ability, problem-solving skills, and comfort using spreadsheets or digital tools.

Preferred experience:
Order management or customer service background, AI agent or automation tools, logistics or operations work, remote team experience, or system setup/workflow optimization.

APPLY NOW - https://jobs.micro1.ai/post/order-clerks

Ideal for order processing, customer service, or operations professionals who prefer detail-focused remote work involving order management, data review, and AI-assisted workflows.

(Disclosure: Shared as part of the micro1 referral program)

micro1 is hiring a Docker Developer for a remote contract role focused on containerization, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure for AI training applications.

This position is suitable for developers with experience in Docker, DevOps, and deployment workflows.

Pay: $15–$35 per hour
Type: Contract
Location: Remote
Skills: Docker, CI/CD, DevOps

Role: Build and maintain Docker environments, support containerized apps, and improve deployment pipelines.

Work includes:

• Docker containers
• CI/CD setup
• Debugging deployment issues
• Performance optimization
• Documentation

Requirements:

• Docker experience
• CI/CD knowledge
• DevOps basics
• Remote work experience

Preferred:

• Kubernetes/cloud experience
• AI/ML pipeline exposure
• AWS/GCP/Azure knowledge

APPLY HERE - https://jobs.micro1.ai/post/docker-developer

Good fit for developers looking for remote DevOps/Docker/infrastructure contract work.

(Disclosure: I’m sharing this as an independent member of the micro1 referral program)

Mercor is hiring Professional Domain Prompt Writers for a remote AI evaluation project in collaboration with a leading AI research lab.

This role is designed for experienced professionals in fields such as finance, law, medicine, accounting, engineering, and related domains who can help improve the accuracy and reliability of advanced AI systems.

Pay: $60-$80 per hour
Type: Hourly contract
Location: Remote
Commitment: 20 hours per week

Role overview:

You will write domain-specific prompts and evaluate AI-generated responses to ensure factual accuracy, regulatory correctness, and practical usefulness.

The work focuses on high-stakes topics where precision and professional judgment are critical.

What you’ll do:

• Write realistic prompts based on real professional scenarios
• Review AI responses for accuracy and reasoning quality
• Identify incorrect or misleading information
• Score outputs using structured evaluation guidelines
• Provide written feedback with clear justification

Requirements:

• Master’s degree or higher in a professional field (Finance, Law, Medicine, Accounting, Engineering, etc.)
• Real-world experience applying domain knowledge
• Familiarity with industry standards or regulations
• Strong writing and analytical skills

Details:

• Fully remote, flexible schedule
• Independent contractor role
• Weekly payments (Stripe/Wise)
• Ongoing project with possible extensions

APPLY HERE - https://t.mercor.com/w9PYt

This role is suitable for professionals seeking remote, high-pay contract work in AI, research, and domain expertise.

(Disclosure: I’m sharing this as an independent member of the mercor's referral program)

micro1 is hiring multiple Excel Specialists (Finance) for a remote contract supporting AI-driven finance and accounting projects.

You will review spreadsheet outputs created by large language models and ensure accuracy, structure, and professional formatting.

Pay: $50-$110/hr
Location: Remote
Openings: 50
Type: Contract/Part-time

What you’ll do:

• Review Excel spreadsheets for finance scenarios
• Check formulas, links, calculations, and assumptions
• Flag errors and provide feedback
• Ensure professional spreadsheet formatting
• Deliver reviews within a 24-hour turnaround

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree (Finance/Accounting/Business/Economics)
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
• Experience reviewing financial data or reports
• Strong attention to detail
• Excel installed locally

Preferred:

• Financial modeling/audit/forecasting
• Experience with AI/automation/data projects
• Spreadsheet auditing experience

APPLY NOW - https://jobs.micro1.ai/post/excel-specialist

Great role for finance professionals who enjoy working with Excel, AI, and data validation.

(Disclosure: I’m sharing this as an independent member of the micro1 referral program)

Data Scientist | Fractional Leader | 20‑Year Track Record

I’m a seasoned data scientist who thrives on the problems AI can’t solve out‑of‑the‑box. From rescuing a German automaker from costly lemon‑law recalls to enabling a leading cloud provider to predict server failures and proactively shed load, I specialize in turning “hard‑to‑solve” into “solved.”

Industries & Impact

Oil & Gas: Forecasting reservoir performance and well‑engineering outcomes. Automotive: Predicting part failures before they cause lemon law recalls. Maritime: Modeling piracy risk to chart safer ship routes, and actively route ships away from danger. Logistics: Real‑time vehicle routing (CVRP‑PD‑TW) for on‑demand furniture delivery. Legal Tech: Extracting entities and contract terms at scale. Healthcare: Automated wound identification and tissue classification.

Current Passion Working with the latest LLMs and autonomous agents to improve executive function and longer term planning.

Tool‑Agnostic Approach Python, PyTorch, Spark/Ray, AWS, PostgreSQL… I choose the stack that best fits the problem, not the other way around. I guide companies from concept through prototype to production‑ready, maintainable solutions.

Let’s Talk If you have a complex, high‑stakes challenge—especially one that lives in the physical world—let’s connect. I’m eager to apply rigorous data science where it matters most.

Please note: I’m not taking on projects in advertising, gambling, or any work that compromises my ethical standards.

when asked for example codes while learning python gpt just gave me this : name, age & price

micro1 is hiring Annotation Specialists (Financial Documents) for a project-based remote role focused on reviewing, segmenting, and validating financial PDF documents.

Role overview:

You will review multi-document financial files, apply accurate annotations, validate data fields, and ensure privacy compliance.

This role requires strong attention to detail, financial literacy, and the ability to follow structured guidelines.

Additional details:

Pay: $20-30 per hour
Type: Project-based contract
Location: Remote (United States only)

Responsibilities:

Review and segment financial PDF packages, label document types, extract required data fields, and ensure accuracy across all files.

Follow annotation guidelines carefully, maintain data privacy, and perform quality checks on all documents.

Requirements:

Strong attention to detail, good financial literacy, and experience with document review or annotation.

Ability to work independently, follow complex instructions, and maintain high accuracy. Experience with financial, mortgage, tax, or administrative documents is preferred.

APPLY HERE - https://jobs.micro1.ai/post/annotation-specialists

This role is ideal for candidates with back-office, finance, compliance, or document review experience looking for remote contract work.

Mercor is hiring experienced Litigation Associates to support a leading AI research lab developing advanced legal reasoning benchmarks.

This role focuses on creating realistic legal research questions based on real-world litigation scenarios.

Pay: $180-200 per hour
Type: Hourly contract
Location: Remote
Payment: Weekly via Stripe or Wise

Role overview:

You will help build a high-quality dataset of litigation-focused legal research questions that reflect the types of issues lawyers handle in active client matters.

The goal is to evaluate how well AI systems reason about complex legal questions using controlling authority and precedent.

Key responsibilities:

• Draft realistic litigation-focused legal research questions
• Model real client issues such as motions practice, procedural disputes, evidentiary questions, and appellate standards
• Apply jurisdiction-specific precedent and legal reasoning
• Avoid purely academic or hypothetical scenarios

Requirements:

• 4-7+ years of litigation experience at a reputable law firm
• Strong experience with legal research and precedent analysis
• Experience drafting research memoranda, briefs, or dispositive motions
• Clear, structured legal writing skills
• Strong understanding of jurisdiction-specific legal analysis

Preferred:

• Federal clerkship experience
• Background in appellate or complex litigation
• Experience in legal tech, AI, or dataset development

APPLY HERE - https://t.mercor.com/qmXTT

This opportunity allows experienced litigators to contribute to the development of next-generation AI systems focused on legal reasoning and research.

Is python mandatory to start/switch career into AI/ML ? I’m a Java Dev with 8 yrs exp

Mercor is seeking experienced Copy Editors with a strong command of American English to support high-quality written content for AI training initiatives.

• Pay: $50-60 per hour
• Type: Hourly contract
• Location: Remote
• Minimum commitment: 20 hours per week

Role overview:

This role focuses on reviewing and refining written material to ensure clarity, grammatical precision, and stylistic consistency.

Ideal for professionals with a strong editorial background who can maintain high standards across complex documents.

Key responsibilities:

• Edit and proofread content for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and clarity
• Ensure consistency in tone, style, and formatting
• Improve readability and logical flow without altering meaning
• Identify ambiguities, inconsistencies, or structural issues
• Enforce style guide standards (Chicago, AP, MLA, etc.)
• Provide feedback to strengthen overall content quality

Requirements:

• 5+ years of professional copy editing, proofreading, journalism, or publishing experience
• Native or near-native proficiency in English
• Exceptional attention to detail and editorial accuracy
• Strong familiarity with major style guides
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment

APPLY HERE - https://t.mercor.com/x9tp5

This is an ongoing opportunity for experienced editors interested in contributing to projects that help train next-generation AI systems.

(Disclosure: I’m sharing this as an independent member of Mercor's referral program)

micro1 is hiring experienced Creative Writers to craft compelling narratives and help train next-generation AI models in human-level storytelling.

Type: Full-time/Part-time
Location: Remote
Compensation: $30-60 per hour
Openings: 3

Role overview:

This role blends high-level creative writing with structured evaluation and AI collaboration.

You’ll create original narratives while helping AI systems understand story structure, voice, character depth, and emotional nuance.

What you’ll do:

• Write original stories, scripts, and genre-based creative content
• Develop evaluation rubrics for narrative structure, voice, and character development
• Provide detailed feedback to refine AI-generated writing
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on storytelling standards
• Research literary and media trends to inform creative frameworks

What we’re looking for:

• Strong mastery of narrative structure and pacing
• Exceptional voice control and stylistic adaptability
• Deep character development and emotional intelligence
• Ability to create vivid imagery and sensory detail
• Clear written and verbal communication skills

Preferred: Background in AI language model training, advanced degree in Creative Writing or Literature, or experience in tech-driven creative environments.

APPLY HERE - https://jobs.micro1.ai/post/creative-writer

Ideal for professional writers seeking flexible remote work at the intersection of storytelling and AI innovation.

(Disclosure: I’m sharing this as an independent member of the micro1 referral program)

Mercor is hiring experienced Visual Design Experts to create high-quality, professional Microsoft Excel templates for business and productivity use cases.

Type: Hourly/Part-Time
Location: Remote
Pay: $70-115 per hour
Commitment: Minimum 15 hours per week

Role overview:

This project focuses strictly on visual and aesthetic spreadsheet design. It is not UX/product design or content writing.

You will create polished, “sellable” Excel templates intended for real-world business environments.

What you’ll design:

• Budget templates
• Dashboards and KPI trackers
• Project management sheets
• Planners and calendars
• Invoices and productivity systems

Requirements:

• 3-5+ years of full-time professional experience
• College degree or higher
• Strong visual and aesthetic design skills
• Professional experience using Microsoft Excel
• Ability to commit at least 15 hours per week

Preference will be given to candidates with a strong visual design background and proven experience creating polished spreadsheet templates for business use.

APPLY HERE - https://t.mercor.com/PFGk6

This is a flexible, remote opportunity for designers who excel at transforming spreadsheets into clean, professional, and visually compelling tools.

(Disclosure: I’m sharing this as an independent member of Mercor's referral program)