When applying for a programming or data science job, machine learning certifications and certificates have the potential to help you stand out from the crowded pool of candidates. Whether you've just completed a course of study or passed an exam offered by a respected institution, obtaining a certificate or certification is a real accomplishment that indicates your knowledge, experience, and expertise in the field of machine learning. But, what certificates and certifications are right for you? In this article, you'll learn more about the difference between certificates and certifications and explore five of the most popular ones for machine learning available today. Though they are often confused, certificates and certifications are not the same.

Once the stuff of science fiction novels and futuristic movies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now very real to us. From business applications to everyday life, we are almost unaware that many of us interact with AI every day. Nearly 60 percent (57.9) of organizations with Big Data solutions are using AI in some way; it's predicted that AI and machine learning will impact all segments of our daily lives by 2025 with huge implications for industries ranging from transport and logistics to healthcare, home maintenance, and customer service. With that dramatic increase in reliance on AI, massive investments are being made in both the technology and the skilled professionals needed to enable implementing and benefitting from the technology. According to Tractica, the market for enterprise AI will increase from $202.5 million in 2015 to $11.1 billion by 2024.

Data science has been called "the sexiest job of the 21st century" -- a sentiment I'd believe if I saw more business leaders hiring data scientists into environments where we can be effective. Instead, many of us feel misunderstood and invisible. We are the people who help inspire new directions for your business, reduce your risk of setting important decisions on fire, and automate the ineffable through machine learning and AI. We make your data useful, yet you make us live in resource squalor. Unskilled leadership -- If you don't have personnel skilled at leading and managing the data science function, we'll have a miserable time.

As companies rely more on machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to find the right job candidates, is recruitment in danger of losing that personal touch? Peter Lane, a 21-year-old who graduated last summer from Cardiff University with a degree in History, is hoping to get into business consulting. He's applied for 55 jobs and secured around 15 interviews, but believes technology has hindered rather than helped his search. The interviews weren't what he was expecting. "They were all video-based screening interviews - I didn't even meet my potential employers," Peter tells the BBC.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly evolves to transform industries like health care and virtually assist people's lives, the hope is matched by concern about the displacement of human roles. At the same time, deployed AI platforms in today's business world augment processes at a more rapid pace than they replace them. While we've yet to determine the exact impact of AI, a recent report from the World Economic Forum estimates automation will replace at least 5 million jobs by 2022. One thing is clear today: AI is driving fundamental changes in how people conduct their jobs and how companies think about staffing for the future. In addition to taking on repetitive tasks, we've developed AI-powered technologies for positions that involve digital engagement with people, such as recruiting and human resources.

Recently, our team of data consultants had an awesome opportunity to present to a class of future data scientists at Galvanize Seattle. One student who came to hear our talk was Rebecca Njeri. Below, she shares tips on how to design a Data Science project. To Begin, Brainstorm Data Project Ideas To begin your data science project, you will need an idea to work on. To get started, brainstorm possible ideas that might interest you.

Elizabeth Nieves is looking for a job. And, so is her chatbot. On Facebook, you can send a message to the Hire Eli bot and learn about Nieves' skills and experience. There's a photo, and the bot can tell a joke. You can click a button to find out where she has worked and learn about her education.

Eyal Grayevsky talks a lot about black holes, but he's not referring to the ones in outer space. The cofounder and CEO of FirstJob, an HR technology company, means the place where job applications go. One survey found that 75% of workers never heard back from a potential employer after applying. That hole turns into a vortex, according to Grayevsky, when candidates start applying to any job they're remotely qualified for. "It becomes a numbers game," he says.