fb-pixel

Prompt engineering v/s AI engineering: Salary & Scope in 2025

Prompt Engineering vs AI Engineering: Compare salaries, skills, future scope, courses, and jobs. Find out which AI career is best for you in 2025.

6 min read
Prompt engineering v/s AI engineering: Salary & Scope in 2025

With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Large Language Models (LLM), 2 careers are in demand and it can be a high paying career as well. These two career paths are Prompt Engineering and AI Engineering. This increase in demand has led students to learn about them and take a Prompt engineering course or an AI engineer course.

So if you are interested in doing a futuristic career then this blog is the right place for you. In this blog, you will explore Prompt engineering, AI engineering, Prompt engineering salary, AI salary in India, and many more.

Also explore ‘Job and tech skills that AI will replace by 2030’.

What is Prompt Engineering?

Prompt engineering designs, optimizes, and refines prompts to guide AI models (like GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, Llama, etc.) and produces accurate and high-quality outputs.

1. Companies rely heavily on AI content and automation.

2. Better prompts reduce production costs and increase accuracy.

3. No deep coding knowledge required and it is ideal for creative and analytical minds.

Industries Hiring Prompt Engineers

  1. EdTech
  2. Digital Marketing
  3. IT companies
  4. E-commerce
  5. Media & Publishing
  6. FinTech
  7. Healthcare AI platforms

What is AI Engineering?

AI Engineering is where you build, train, and deploy AI systems using programming, ML algorithms, deep learning, and data modeling. AI Engineering is more technical and requires strong programming fundamentals.

Industries Hiring AI Engineers

  1. Robotics companies
  2. Autonomous vehicle companies
  3. Big Tech (Google, Microsoft, Meta)
  4. Healthcare AI startups
  5. Banking & cybersecurity
  6. Manufacturing automation

Essential Skills for Prompt Engineering

Following are certain skills that you need to become a prompt engineer:

1. Natural language understanding

2. Creativity & design thinking

3. AI tool mastery (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)

4. Basic Python for automation

5. Domain knowledge (marketing, finance, healthcare)

6. Data interpretation

Essential Skills for AI Engineering

Following are certain skills that you need, to become an AI Engineer:

1. Python, Java, C++

2. Machine Learning (ML)

3. Deep Learning & Neural Networks

4. Data Structures & Algorithms

5. Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure)

6. MLOps & model deployment

Salary Comparison (India & Abroad)

A) Prompt Engineering:

LocationApprox Salary
India₹12–30 LPA
USA$120,000–$250,000
Europe€80,000–€160,000
Remote Jobs₹20–40 LPA (equivalent)

B) AI Engineering:

LocationAverage Salary
India₹15–45 LPA
USA$150,000–$280,000
Europe€90,000–€180,000
Big Tech (Google, Meta, OpenAI)Up to $500,000 with bonuses

Job Roles and Responsibilities

A) Prompt Engineer:

  • Designing prompts for text, images, video, and code
  • Testing prompt variations
  • Improving AI accuracy
  • Building automation workflows
  • Working with content teams, product teams, and developers

Job Titles: Prompt Engineer, AI Trainer, AI Content Strategist, LLM Interaction Designer, AI Workflow Specialist

B) AI Engineer:

  • Building ML models
  • Data preprocessing and annotation
  • Training neural networks
  • Writing algorithms
  • Working with big datasets
  • Deploying AI models in production

Job Titles: AI Engineer, ML Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer, NLP Engineer, Data Scientist

Courses for learning Prompt and AI Engineering

A) Prompt Engineering:

1. Prompt Engineering Certificate (OpenAI)

2. Google Generative AI Certification

3. Udemy Prompt Engineering Masterclass

4. Coursera – Generative AI Specialization

B) AI Engineering:

1. Machine Learning by Andrew Ng

2. IBM AI & ML Professional Certificate

3. Deep Learning Specialization

4. Master’s in AI/ML (USA, Germany, UK)

A) Prompt Engineering:

1. Will evolve into AI Workflow Architect, AI Quality Analyst, Automation Designer

2. High demand in marketing, education, healthcare, productivity tools

3. Not likely to be replaced soon because creativity + reasoning is needed

B) AI Engineering:

1. Will expand into Robotics, Self-driving tech, Quantum AI, Cybersecurity AI

2. Extremely stable, long-term career

3. Requires continuous upskilling

Which Career is Better in 2025?

CategoryPrompt EngineeringAI Engineering
Coding RequiredLowHigh
CreativityVery HighMedium
Tech SkillsMediumVery High
Difficulty LevelEasy–ModerateHard
SalaryHighVery High
Long-Term GrowthHighExtremely High

Choose Prompt Engineering if you love creativity, writing, innovation, psychology, and AI tools.

Choose AI Engineering if you love coding, math, problem-solving, and building technology.

FAQ’s

1. Is AI a good career option in 2025?

Ans: Yes. AI is one of the fastest-growing fields globally. AI Engineers earn high salaries, have strong job security, and work across industries like healthcare, robotics, automobiles, IT, cybersecurity, and finance.

2. What will prompt engineering be like 5 to 10 years from now?

Ans: Professionals will design AI systems, workflows, automation tools, and reasoning models rather than just writing prompts. The field will continue to be in demand, especially in global companies using LLMs.

3. Which career is more future-proof?

Ans: AI Engineering is slightly more future-proof because it involves core development. Prompt Engineering is also evolving but requires continuous skill upgrades.

4. Can I switch from Prompt Engineering to AI Engineering later?

Ans: Yes. If you learn programming, ML, and data science, you can successfully transition to AI engineering roles.

5. Which career is easier to start?

Ans: Prompt Engineering is easier to start, especially if you're from non-technical backgrounds like marketing, humanities, business, design, or communication.

Conclusion

AI, ML and LLM’s are coming into demand and a career in any of these is and will be a futuristic career as there will be long term success and growth. Among them are Prompt Engineering and AI Engineering, which are two of the most highly in-demand careers and if you make yourself ready with the required skills then you can be successful with these careers and have a job that is in the market for a long time.

At Infigon Futures, we help students build their careers. As a career counsellor, we guide them on choosing a career that suits their skill set the most.

Do you want to prepare for a career in top companies like Google, Microsoft, etc? Take our free career assessment. Click here.

Subscribe to our
Newsletter