Software Engineer to AI Engineer Before 2027: A 5-Step Career Plan

Bashiri Smith · Facebook reel · 2026-09-30 · 1:17 · 2,504 views · Open on Facebook

Topics: Start Here: Roadmaps & Strategy, Resume, Job Search & Interviews, Portfolio Projects · Level: beginner

Summary

Bashiri Smith lays out a plan for software engineers to move into AI engineering. Step one is learning five skill categories from a structured roadmap. The first three matter most and he says they can take about three months. After that you build portfolio projects, rewrite your resume around AI work, and start applying right away, even before you feel ready. He ends by pointing to his BASWE.Ai Engineer community, which runs daily live calls with engineers and recruiters.

Key points

• Your existing software engineering fundamentals are an advantage. You only need to add five AI engineering skill categories.
• The first three categories are the most important. If you're dedicated, you can learn them in about three months by following a roadmap of courses in order.
• Build real AI engineering projects that go beyond basic tutorials. He has a video with 27 project examples.
• Rework your resume: put AI technologies you've actually used in the skills section, add AI bullet points with measurable results, and replace old projects with your new AI projects.
• Job titles: in the video he says to relabel roles since 2023 as 'AI Engineer', but the written caption says to keep titles and experience accurate. Follow the caption.
• Start applying immediately, even if you don't feel ready. Keep learning, building, and practicing interviews while you apply.
• He says he's never seen anyone who follows the application steps for 2–4 hours a day fail to land a role.
• Get feedback from people who do this work, such as engineers and recruiters, on projects, interviews, your resume, and LinkedIn.

Resources mentioned

• The Complete AI Engineer Roadmap for 2026 (Exact Courses + Step-by-Step) · video · youtube.com · free
  Bashiri Smith's free YouTube training on upgrading your skills and becoming competitive for AI engineering roles, with specific courses listed step by step.
  Also in: SWE-to-AI Engineer Plan for 2027: LLMs, RAG, Agents, Evals, Job Search (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Pointer to Bashiri Smith's Complete AI Engineer Roadmap for 2026 (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Step-by-Step Roadmap to a $200K+ AI Engineering Role (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), 6 Free Videos to Move from Software Engineer to AI Engineer (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes) and 19 more
• 27 AI Engineering Projects to Get Hired - The Ultimate Guide · video · youtube.com · free
  A longer walkthrough of all 27 projects: what to build, which tools you need, how long to spend building and how to find real users.
  Also in: 27 Portfolio Projects to Move from Software Engineer to AI Engineer (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes)
• Why Your Job Applications Keep Getting Ignored · video · youtube.com · free
  Bashiri Smith's YouTube video on his strategy for standing out among applicants and getting interviews.
  Also in: Beat the Hiring "Signal Problem": Referrals, Targeting, and Volume (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Using the September Hiring Surge: Volume Plus Quality in Your Job Search (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes)
• BASWE.Ai Engineer (Skool community) · community · skool.com · paid
  The creator's paid community and program, with an AI learning roadmap (including the full ops and evaluation track), daily calls with engineers and recruiters, resume and portfolio help, and a job-search pipeline.
  Also in: Basic RAG Pipeline in 60 Seconds: From Documents to Grounded Answers (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Pointer to Bashiri Smith's Complete AI Engineer Roadmap for 2026 (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Step-by-Step Roadmap to a $200K+ AI Engineering Role (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), How to Evaluate a RAG Pipeline: Retrieval vs. Generation (Interview Answer) (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes) and 76 more

Try this

• Follow the structured AI engineering roadmap and focus first on the three most important skill categories. Aim to finish them in about three months.
• Build AI engineering projects from the 27 project ideas.
• Update your resume: add an AI engineer summary, list the AI technologies you've used, write AI bullet points with measurable results, and swap old projects for AI projects. Keep titles accurate.
• Start applying immediately, even if you don't feel ready, and spend 2–4 hours a day on the application steps.
• Keep learning, building, and practicing interviews while you apply.
• Get feedback on your projects, resume, LinkedIn, and interviews from working AI engineers and recruiters.
• Comment 'career upgrade' on the post to get all the links.