Online Upskilling: Learn Like AI (and Land That Dream Job)

Ever feel stuck in a career rut or maybe feel like you need to upskill in new tech like Cloud, AI, or Blockchain? In many cases, the information from our traditional education is out of date (especially when it comes to new tech). But, a bigger issue is that our cognitive techniques we use to learn are outdated as well. Traditional schools often focus on a one-size-fits-all approach and most online education is even more narrowly bound. However, we can optimize ourselves by learning more like AI with its ability to adapt, personalize, and rapidly improve.

Here's how to leverage AI-inspired techniques for supercharged online learning:

1. Skill Targeting: Precision Learning for Humans

Imagine an AI that can analyze your resume, job search history, and even competitor profiles to identify the in-demand skills employers crave.There are a lot of them out there but the best one is…YOU! Leverage your soft, squishy human brain and tools like LinkedIn to create.

Utilize the "Skills" section to pinpoint gaps between your profile and desired positions.

If you have a LinkedIn premium account, you can get a list of skills each job is looking for as well as what skills other applicants have. Look at job descriptions and your competitor profiles to see what skills are consistently mentioned. When I miss out on a job, if I get any feedback it is something like “we want someone with more ‘audience’ or ‘product’” That forms the kernel of my upskill plan.?

This targeted approach mirrors how AI algorithms identify patterns within labeled data (job descriptions with skills listed) to optimize outcomes. Think of your competitor profiles and job descriptions as the data points you're using to train yourself for the role you want.

Apply Some Reinforcement Learning:? As you identify skills needed for your dream career, reward yourself for actively seeking out learning opportunities that target those skills. This positive reinforcement strengthens the connection between desired skills and your learning behavior. Even AI gets a little thumbs up. You deserve some kudos too.

2. Choosing the Right Course: Curating Your Learning Journey

AI's strength lies in selecting the best data for a specific task. Here's how to translate that to online learning platforms like:

• LinkedIn Learning
• Udemy
• Google Cloud Skills Boost.?

First, dissect the course description like an AI analyzing text data. Look for keywords aligning with your target skills, ratings, and practical features like:

• Downloadable resources
• Hands-on labs
• Quizzes (these are important later)

Think of these as your "training data." Just as AI learns best with diverse datasets, prioritize courses with a mix of formats.

Next, "pre-train" your brain. Preview the instructor's style and ratings.? Research suggests that matching your learning style with instructor delivery can significantly improve knowledge retention. But, don’t get too comfortable. Cognitive scientists like Adam Grant cite studies that show we learn best when we struggle a bit and our outside our comfort zone. Turn on the audio and set the speed to about your reading speed. I am currently taking a Google course and found that I pay more attention to the instructor when I adjust the speed to 1.25. Also, turn on the transcripts and take physical notes.?

By taking these steps you are neurologically translating, mapping, and retranslating the same information multiple times. When we hear information, we translate sound vibrations that are mapped to thought. We can then take that thought and translate it to motor functions (note taking) which we read (visual translation). This multiprocessing triggers deeper learning.?

PRO-TIP for POWER LEARNING: As you're learning, keep a LLM like ChatGPT or Gemini open in another window. Periodically pause the online learning and have a chat with the AI to get questions answered, clarify the most important takeaways for your specific goals, and brainstorm IRL applications.

3. Pre-Test Power: Harnessing Retrieval Practice

Here's where we truly leverage AI's adaptive learning capabilities.

Many platforms offer pre-course quizzes. Don't see them as a test, but as an opportunity to identify knowledge gaps and take them BEFORE you take the class.

It’s not cheating, it is setting your brain to identify gaps and reinforce existing knowledge. Just like AI algorithms adjust their training based on errors, use pre-tests to pinpoint areas needing extra focus. Look up unfamiliar terms, and consider starting with those sections during the course. This technique, called retrieval practice, is a powerful learning tool backed by science. A 2019 study in Science Advances showed that retrieval practice led to a 50% improvement in long-term memory compared to re-reading material.? Pre-tests act as a form of unlabeled data. By testing yourself and identifying areas where you struggle, you're essentially giving yourself unlabeled data points that require further exploration.

Using Reinforcement Learning: When you identify areas of weakness through pre-tests, reward yourself for actively seeking out additional resources (like articles or videos) to improve your understanding in those specific areas. This positive reinforcement strengthens the connection between identifying weaknesses and taking corrective actions…just like we see in Artificial Neural Networks (ANN).

4. Apply the Learning to Something…Anything

Your organic brain is a powerful Generative Adversarial Network (GAN). By applying what you've learned to a IRL project, even an unrelated personal one, you're mimicking the core training process of a GAN.

Just like a GAN pits a generator against a discriminator to refine its ability to create realistic outputs, you're testing your newfound knowledge in a fresh context. This "discrimination" phase exposes weaknesses and compels you to refine your understanding by seeking new information or making adjustments. Through this real-world application, your brain strengthens the core concepts and improves its ability to generate creative solutions across various domains, making your learning truly transferable.

My Reinforcement Learning: After I completed a few hours of Google AppSheets, I decided I needed to test what I learned beyond the exams and labs included in the course. In my squishy human life, I have a hobby as a playwright and belong to a local writing group. To help our organization (in a way nobody asked for), I built an app that tracks all our events to a calendar and matches them to the playwrights and locations of each event. (I ?h?a?v?e? had a habit of driving to the wrong place on the wrong night.). Does our group need such an app instead of Google Groups or any number of other pre-built solutions? Probably not. The audience and product marketing side of me knows this but that's beside the point. Now, I know that I know what I know and- most importantly- that I can do something with that knowledge.

Bye bye imposter syndrome.?

Learning Like AI: A Human Advantage

By combining these techniques, you can transform online learning from passive consumption to active personal and professional improvement. AI excels at identifying patterns and optimizing for specific goals but you, by learning like AI can also bring the human advantage of critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to transfer knowledge across domains.?

Vincent Kovar has Masters in Teaching from Seattle University, taught at various Universities for 15 years, and has designed Massively Multi-learner Online Learning Environments for global corporations in mobile and cloud. For the last decade he has been applying cognitive techniques to marketing in games and blockchain.