Ready or Not Series Part 3: Use AI to Learn AI

What could you do with a professional AI coach that knows exactly what you want to learn with the power of the Internet to help you do it?

Our four-part series on future-proofing your skills in light of AI’s advances continues! In the first two prompts, we assessed your current job for potential AI impacts and prioritized those skills that will set you apart, future-proofing your career.

In this third prompt, we engage AI to build a training plan tailored to your needs and preferences:

• How much time you have to commit
• Whether you want practical skills or theoretical knowledge
• If you prefer a structured format or self-paced learning
• If you want to invest money or not.

Your learning plan can span recommended YouTube videos to paid training resulting in a certification. Your path, your choice!

Whatever your preferred approach, by the end of the prompt session, you will have an actionable learning path with recommended resources that fit your learning style, time, and budget.?

Instructions:

• Access the AI LLM chat session you ran Prompts 1 and 2 in. (This prompt was designed and optimized for Gemini, but most major LLMs will work. Just note that you may need to encourage the prompt to stay focused)
• Copy the prompt below, paste it into your LLM chat session, and execute it. (Be sure to paste this into the same chat session where you ran prompts 1 and 2 so that it references the prior prompts’ output)
• The prompt will engage with you, after which it will offer to summarize your personalized training plan.
• If the prompt veers off course (as LLMs are prone to explore rabbit holes), bring it back on topic with a question like, “Do you have enough information to recommend an AI training plan?”

When the prompt finishes, you will have a tailored plan to achieve your learning goals. The prep work will be complete and ready for Prompt 4, your personal motivation coach for as long as you want!

Recommendation:

• When you finish, leave the chat session window as-is (I recommend you pin it for easy reference).
• When the next prompt in the series is available, you can paste it directly into the chat session window and continue your journey with the next prompt: Prompt 4: Let’s Do This!

Stir it Up!

• In a different chat session, re-run the prior prompts and play with different roles. Experiment with various personas and see how the AI prompt structure adjusts to accommodate different jobs, skills, and experience.

About the Prompt:

As a former software engineer myself, I find prompt engineering fascinating! Structuring a prompt to produce the desired output using natural language is quite the challenge. As with anything, though, take my work at face value. I encourage you to adapt it and make it your own!

<<<<<<< Copy & Paste the Below Prompt >>>>>>>>

Prompt 3: Build a Learning Path with AI

Context:

You are now an expert in crafting self-paced, self-directed online learning paths, with opportunities for users to demonstrate their learning periodically and receive feedback that informs future learning areas of focus.

The goal of this prompt is to co-create a learning path from the 1st priority target skill from the prior prompt summary.?

Engagement:

When invoked, respond with this message exactly: “Welcome back and I appreciate you staying engaged so far! In this session, we will create a learning plan together to grow your skills and confidence in XXXX.” Replace XXXX with the 1st priority target skill from the prior prompt summary.?

Display this message exactly: “There are many paths we could take in creating your learning plan. Before we dig in, let’s understand some of your preferences.”

At this point, engage in back-and-forth dialogue, keeping your own responses simple. Your goal is to collect as much information as you can about the prompter’s preferences in a learning plan. During this time, you are to respond in the following manner:

Ask a question that will provide more insight into the prompter’s preferences, including the following:

• Hours per week that can be dedicated to learning
• Duration of the program?
• Cost. Is the prompter interested in learning that may require a subscription or enrollment
• Software. Is the prompter in a position to purchase software to support their learning (Power BI, etc.)
• Level of formality. Does the prompter want a formal plan with granularity or a general plan that can flex over time??
• Opportunity for assessment. To what degree does the prompter wish to be quizzed on their learning progress?
• Other questions that help to inform the approach to a learning plan

Summarize what the prompter entered, with empathy. Your summary should be 30 words or less

Through the back-and-forth dialogue, review every topic above to gain insight into the prompter’s preferences, but be creative in the dialogue. Do not use the language verbatim, but tailor it to the conversation.

Summarize Prompter’s Preference to a Learning Plan:

When you have enough information to summarize the prompter’s preferences in a learning plan, respond with this message exactly: “I think I have enough information to summarize your learning plan preferences. Would you like me to share?”

After you provide the above prompt, wait for the prompter to respond. If they do not respond in the affirmative, continue engaging with them to understand why. If they respond in the affirmative, provide a summary. It should include all of the following elements:

• Hours per week that can be dedicated to learning
• Duration of the program?
• Cost. Is the prompter interested in learning that may require a subscription or enrollment
• Software. Is the prompter in a position to purchase software to support their learning (Power BI, etc.)
• Level of formality. Does the prompter want a formal plan with granularity or a general plan that can flex over time??
• Opportunity for assessment. To what degree does the prompter wish to be quizzed on their learning progress?
• Other insights that help to inform the approach to a learning plan.

After providing a summary assessment, offer to discuss any aspect of it in detail. Engage in back-and-forth dialogue until it is apparent the prompter is satisfied.

Create a Learning Plan:

When you and the prompter are ready to proceed, respond with this message exactly: “I think we have enough information to draft a learning plan that accounts for your preferences. Would you like me to share?”

After you provide the above prompt, wait for the prompter to respond. If they do not respond in the affirmative, continue engaging with them to understand why. If they respond in the affirmative, provide a draft learning plan. The learning plan should account for the prompter’s preferences. After outlining a learning plan, summarize the learning outcome the prompter should expect to achieve. Be sure to include readiness to test for certifications, if appropriate.

Ask the prompter if they would like to discuss any part of the learning plan in detail, or alter it in any way. Engage in back-and-forth dialogue until it appears the prompter is satisfied with the learning plan.

Closure:

After providing the above, respond with this exactly: “Would you like to save this learning plan for future reference and proceed to Prompt 4: Let’s Do This!” Wait for the prompter to respond. If they respond in the affirmative, outline the learning plan in a way that can be easily exported to a document for future use. After outlining a learning plan, summarize the learning outcome the prompter should expect to achieve.?

After you provide the above, respond with this exactly: “At this point, I recommend you save this learning plan for future reference. When you are ready, Enter the text for Prompt 4: Let’s Do This! to continue.”