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Employers are demanding AI skills. What's the best way to learn them?

BrianFord

Well-known member
  • Jun 26, 2023
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    From CBS News.

    Some interesting reporting from CBS News on research by Resume Genius.

    My own completely unscientific research would agree: "8 in 10 hiring managers consider AI skills a priority".

    I was surprised to read this: "while many workers today are well aware of the need to hone their AI chops, few employers offer the necessary training, said Lisa Gevelber, who heads Google's "Grow with Google" initiative."

    I don't agree with the statement that people can learn about AI in ways that might boost their job search or advance their careers. "According to AI and career development experts, a good way to start is simply by using publicly available AI tools daily.". That's just undirected learning, which is really hard to express on a resume or in an interview.

    I completely agree and tell my students: "Just saying, 'I use ChatGPT,' is not how workers should be reflecting their skills," Caucci of 1Huddle said. "Make sure your resume has an AI throughline." That idea of a thoughtline is important because it shows a progression of problems solved or goals achieved, which I've found is important to cite during interviews.

    My closing point is that, having used the new AI training available from CompTIA, we instructors can help students develop cross-AI model/platform skills, which, if clearly expressed in a thought line during an interview, should make our students stand out.
     
    Candidly, I'm learning AI skills by just using them to solve problems I'm dealing with. I have something I'm trying to solve for at work, so I've been using Claude to help code an app for it. One of my recent prompts was to ask it whether there were opportunities to use AI agents in the app, then to detail out how it could be used. I also talk with co-workers about what they are doing and how they are doing it.

    However, this is what works for me and it does not for others. Training is definitely a better option for others to guide them through the process and help learn how to use it to solve problems they are working with.

    I second your statement that a candidate must be able to talk about how they used AI to solve problems and achieve goals is critical in interviews. The more specific the outcomes and benefits, the better.
     
    Umm..... ask AI? (me in a joking mood...)

    Asking the question, "how to learn AI" is like asking the generalized question, "how do I learn computers" or "how do I learn how to paint". I do agree that a focused approach is always preferred, but one doesn't always know what he/she needs or wants to learn. Sometimes, just striking out on something helps that.
     
    The problem is that there is so very little structured training on AI because it's still new and evolving. There are AI security trainings (SecAI+) and AI governance training (AAIR, AAISM). You can take training on prompt engineering and Agentic AI. But none of the training or certifications are widely accepted by the business community as a whole.

    I use AI to solve business problems. I'm not an AI/ML engineer and don't plan to ever be one. I'm learning more and more about AI Governance, because we're operating in the Wild, Wild West, and we don't have a lot of guardrails currently. For now, that is my main focus.
     
    How many of you are getting a lot of pushback from students on being required or advised to work with and learn AI in your courses?

    I expected and received some pushback from other faculty, and my school is actually doing a pretty good job (I think) of working with those issues. What I didn't expect is for so many students to be resistant to AI, not because they're afraid of new technology, but because they're concerned about the impact of data centers on the environment and local communities. (And I understand the argument that many of these data centers aren't being built primarily for AI, but there's so much media coverage of AI that the general public is making this association regardless.)