Learn Tech Skills

Welcome

Learn Skills, an informal site with free books and articles for gaining important tech skills.

Suggested starting point: read or listen to Surfing the Tsunami, a general introduction to AI.

AI is rapidly evolving; if you don't want to be left behind, you need to take action:

- AI is creating new jobs
  AI is the best/most secure career path in my opinion, which is why I created this site, the DATA series and related books for you. Learn to apply AI to your field, or pick a new field.
- AI is enabling new levels of productivity in existing jobs
  To remain competitive, start learning immediately.
  (Start with generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT; then go deeper to learn conventional AI/machine learning.)
  
  Anyone can do this. You can do this. We can do this.
- AI is rapidly increasing in sophistication, which is enabling it to replace increasing numbers of jobs entirely.
  The leaps are not predictable: ex: as of Feb 2024 OpenAI announced Sora, a tool that can do extremely sophisticated video with text prompts, which may soon enable a single individual to create Hollywood-level quality movies and TV shows. (vs hundreds to thousands of people)

Bottom Line

Every industry is affected, and we all need to be willing to evolve, as well as work hard to create new jobs. Until/unless job creation is automated, people who can should work together to create new companies and employ people.

As you explore, here is a suggestion to help you navigate the future: make an AI Playlist

FREE BOOKS

FREE: D.A.T.A. Series: Discovery, Automation, Technology, and AI. All books include certification/certificate info.

An easy to read introduction to artificial intelligence for anyone who wants to navigate the waves of opportunity and disruption: students, professionals, government leaders.

Many readers around the world have found the book to be helpful.

Free pdf: https://tinyurl.com/tsunami-pdf

Free audiobook: https://tinyurl.com/tsunami-ai-audio

The main theme of the book is about three options for responding:

• Adapt (good): learn more and pay attention; keep aware of where things are headed - UPDATE: As of 2023-2024, this is no longer "good" - the changes are happening too rapidly
• Adopt (better): adopt AI-related tools and platforms, so you can be involved in managing AI. UPDATE (2024): This level is equivalent to using generative AI tools and automation platforms. It "might" be ok, but might not, since the number of "pre-AI" jobs that will survive is not clear, and because many people already use generative AI tools. In order to be competitive, it is best, in any field, to develop direct/conventional AI skills (machine learning) - meaning, designing and applying AI to a particular field.

Not convinced?

Try looking into any field, to see how AI is being applied, take a close look at research about job disruption. Optimism is great, I aspire to data-driven optimism, but real data beyond speculation is hard to find. Don't necessarily assume that optimists are right about AI creating more jobs than it destroys (the speculation might be true, but many of the people saying also stand to profit from AI. ) The alternative is realism: take AI very seriously, get involved directly, not just using generative AI tools that others make (using the tools trains them to be more powerful - they learn from you.) Get directly involved in learning/designing/applying AI to your field, or a new field.

Become adept in AI
Adept (best): get directly involved with developing AI, by learning coding and how to work with related data. Get an intro in this book, then go on to look at the DATA series and other books.

Encouragement: The good news is that ChatGPT and other tools are very powerful tools to help you learn new things, as well as to help you do actual work. ChatGPT can be a 1:1 tutor at any step of the way.

Best wishes!

General Articles

What is Prompt Engineering?

Chat GPT - a few links

GPT and Prompt Sites - a few links

Coming Soon

Tech Skills 101 - A set of resources based on an excellent article by Wall Street journal from March 2023 that discusses skills that employers are looking for.