Learning technical AI skills is ineffective without human decision-making, strategy, creativity, and leadership skills
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Everyone’s talking about learning AI, but smart professionals know that it’s not enough to simply learn AI skills like prompt engineering techniques, generative AI terminology, or applied AI.
The smartest professionals understand that to AI-proof their careers, they must learn skills that AI cannot replicate.
These skills are complementary to technical AI skills, and include competencies such as problem-solving, critical thinking, analysis, resilience and adaptability, creativity and communication, as well as strategy. These skills are the real currency of work and will outlast the test of time.
As a matter of fact, the average lifespan of a technical skill is two to five years, but power skills like the ones I just mentioned (also sometimes referred to as soft skills), have a much longer lifetime and they outspan changing and emerging technologies.
11 Free Certificates To AI-Proof Your Job
The free certifications listed in this article won’t teach you how to code or deploy new LLMs, but they’ll teach you what’s more essential: learning how to think, lead, and create within your work in ways that will make you AI-proof.
Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, by IBM SkillsBuildCreative Thinking Tools For Success And Leadership, by Imperial College London, via Coursera*Solving Problems With Creative and Critical Thinking, IBM, via CourseraEffective Problem-Solving and Decision-Making, University of California Irvine, via CourseraCritical Thinking and Problem Solving Course, by HubSpot AcademyStrategic Management, by Great Learning (the course is free but you may need to pay for the certificate)Communication Skills Course with Certificate, by SimplilearnGetting Started With Business Analysis, by SimplilearnCritical Thinking and Problem Solving course (this may or may not come with a certificate, check the website for details), by Pluralsight*
*Coursera’s courses are sometimes available for free depending on if you’re eligible for financial aid, I was told by Coursera CEO Greg Hart in our recent interview. Additionally, you can still access them with a free trial.
*Pluralsight has a range of courses and certificates for professional development, which you can access with their free 10-day trial. Courses like the one listed above (critical thinking and problems-solving course) can be completed within less than 10 days.
Learning technical AI skills is ineffective without human decision-making, strategy, creativity, and leadership skills
gettyDo Employers Take Free Certificates Seriously?
Whether the course or certification you undertook is free or not is neither the employer’s business, nor does it substantially matter.
What matters most is your commitment to ongoing learning and professional development. Obtaining the certificate evidences that you’ve mastered specific real-life tangible skills that are in demand right now. It displays your passion and dedication for your role, and demonstrates that you have a growth mindset and are adaptable, which are indispensable skills in today’s world.
You don’t need to label your certificate as “free” on your resume or in your LinkedIn. Simply include the link to the certification for validation where possible, and speak directly to the projects you practiced while studying, or ways that you tangibly applied what you learned on the course to your own role.
Are These Certifications Recognized By Employers?
Yes, they are. The free online courses with certifications listed in this article all come from reputable tech and professional development organizations, which are easily recognizable globally, and give you credibility.
And even if you never listed these courses on your resume, what matters most is that you’ve spent time future-proofing your career by developing the necessary ancillary skills.
After all, employers don’t want robots managing other robots. The human element is still more vital than ever, and the AI revolution calls for professionals everywhere, regardless of their level, to upskill in the human-centered skills that are intrinsic to the economy: strategy, critical and analytical decision-making, and resilience.