Switching to AI: IT Analysts (1st & 2nd Level Support)

Why this works

Support analysts already possess troubleshooting experience, system knowledge, and user empathy — all highly valuable in AI operations and ML ops-adjacent roles.

Transferable skills

• Problem diagnosis and debugging
• Ticketing workflows and SLA understanding
• Basic scripting and automation familiarity (shell, PowerShell)

How to transition (practical steps)

1. Learn Python basics and scripting to automate repetitive tasks
2. Study data basics: CSVs, SQL queries, and data cleaning
3. Explore AI tools used in support: chatbots, knowledge base generation, observability tools
4. Build small projects: automate ticket tagging with a simple NLP model
5. Apply for hybrid roles: AI Support Engineer, MLOps Junior, or Data Analyst

Suggested learning resources

• Intro Python courses (freeCodeCamp, Coursera)
• Practical NLP tutorials and Hugging Face demo projects
• Hands-on MLOps / deployment basics (Docker)