In between classes on machine learning and software engineering, Jace Watson isn't heading back to his dorm or finding a quiet place to study somewhere on Carnegie Mellon University's campus. That's because Watson isn't even in Pittsburgh. He's in Seattle, working at his full-time job as a software engineer at Microsoft and taking classes through the Preceptorship for AI-accelerated Software Engineering (PRAISE) program, which CMU and Microsoft launched to train early career software engineers for the rapidly changing computer science landscape.
When Watson started undergraduate studies, AI was becoming accessible on personal computers. As graduation approached, he realized how big AI tools would be in the workforce, but using them wasn't a huge part of his education. When he joined Microsoft, these tools were part of his day-to-day, and he sought out the additional education opportunity through CMU and Microsoft.
The CMU/Microsoft PRAISE program offers early career Microsoft employees a chance to take online courses in CMU's Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science while receiving hands-on mentorship at the company. Selected early career engineers, or preceptees, work with senior engineering preceptors to build AI-accelerated software engineering skills through structured guidance and application to their daily Microsoft work. Participants can also enroll in SCS classes focused on software engineering and artificial intelligence.
SCS Dean Martial Hebert stated the partnership provides high-quality computer science learning to those outside the traditional education system. Michael Hilton, a teaching professor in CMU's Software and Societal Systems Department, noted that combining academic and practitioner expertise creates solutions standing up to daily software development realities. This semester, Microsoft employees are taking Machine Learning in Production and Preceptorship in AI-Augmented Software Engineering I.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing