In this letter:
🧠 Pick the AI learning goal (x4) that works for you.
🎓 Check out this pod + article on college's murky ROI.
📖 Enjoy the latest posts from the LinkedIn Career Content Library.
📅 Grab a pre-built learning plan for the week.
Hello, AI Exhaustion
It’s been a noisy year.
And a lot of folks are starting to tire of the endless AI chatter.
Predictions of widespread job loss
Disagreement over which jobs are actually at risk
Claims of AI sentience
At the same time, there’s no ignoring the early data on AI and productivity gains.
A 66% bump in overall productivity
A 59% bump in writing speed
A 126% bump in programming
AI is powerful. But keeping up with it is draining.
What’s a savvy person to do?
Meet: Targeted Learning
With all the noise, it may be tempting to step away from the AI discussion. To take a break from all the chaos. To let it play out a bit.
But I’d like to suggest another route.
👉 Targeted learning.
Here’s the playbook:
1. Figure out exactly what you want (and need) to know.
2. Invest in resources that fit your learning goal.
3. Ignore everything else.
Let’s take a closer look.
Your AI Learning Goal
The headlines are exhausting. Why? They’re covering a lot of topics that, while interesting, aren’t directly relevant to your goals.
Headlines include:
Long-term economic projections
Major risk and ethical factors
Complex technical review
If you’re like most of us, though, what you want is something more actionable. Something that will help you achieve specific career goals.
So get clear on your use case for AI.
Here are 4 use cases that may be motivating your desire for new knowledge:
I want to use AI for key productivity gains
I need to factor AI into my strategic decisions
I plan to build my career in AI
I don’t want to be left behind by AI
Let’s mock up a quick learning plan for each.
I want to use AI for key productivity gains
Focus areas:
- AI best practices
- User-friendly AI tools
Ignore:
- Advanced technical talk
- Economic trends
So, you want some of those sweet, sweet productivity gains.
Sidestep all the “AI is taking over the world” talk. And head straight for a discussion of tools and tactics.
Learning Plan
Subscribe to a productivity-focused newsletter (my recommendation: Superhuman).
Follow practical AI users (like Ruben Hassid or Zain Kahn).
Keep an eye on Product Hunt for cutting-edge AI tools.
I need to factor AI into my strategic decisions
Focus areas:
- Competitive advantages
- Risks and viability
Ignore:
- Hype and buzzwords
- Short-term AI trends
A lot of business leaders are thinking, “What do we need to do here?”
If that’s you, get laser-focused. Ignore all the ups and downs of this early market and look for clear signs of ROI and impact.
Learning Plan
Stick to heavily researched white papers from industry leaders like Deloitte and McKinsey.
Follow senior executives who talk about AI (like Satya Nadella and Sam Altman).
Consider a news summary like Morning Brew (newsletter) or WSJ What’s News (podcast).
I plan to build my career in AI
Focus areas:
- Core AI knowledge
- Emerging trends and tools
Ignore:
- Superficial content
- Overly narrow niches
AI is going to open career doors. Lots of them.
If you plan to walk through one, you’ll need a strong foundation. What you don’t need is all the AI noise floating around most media channels.
Learning Plan
Join a community like Kaggle.
Subscribe to technical newsletters like Technically and The Algorithm.
Consider a conference like the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) or the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML).
I don’t want to be left behind by AI
Focus areas:
- Basic AI literacy
- Everyday use cases
Ignore:
- In-depth technicalities
- AI fearmongering
Worried about this?
"AI won't take your job, it is somebody using AI that will take your job"
If so, you need a foundations-focused plan. Work to continually level up in basic AI literacy and find practical tools to fit into your work life.
Learning Plan
Take a 101-level course on LinkedIn Learning or Coursera.
Grab a practical AI newsletter like The Neuron.
Listen to high-level overview podcasts like this one from Plain English.
The Latest on College ROI
Higher education is in the spotlight.
Since 2010, 2 million fewer students have chosen to attend college. And experts are examining why. These two journalists take a close look at the cost of undergrad and grad school, along with the expected lifetime return.
Spoiler: The numbers are shifting big-time.
—
🎧 Podcast: Why Americans Are Losing Faith in College
Derek Thompson is joined by New York Times columnist, Paul Tough. Together, they look at important financial and cultural factors that are impacting the perception of college.
Key Takeaway: Political lean is a major factor. Only 19% of Republicans said they planned to send their kids to college. This is down from 99% just a few decades ago.
—
📝 Article: The Master’s Degree Ripoff
Scott White looks closely at the rising cost (and discontentment) with grad school education. Scott cites increased federal interest rates and shrinking ROI as major factors in his belief that many grad school programs aren’t worth it.
Key Takeaway: The numbers are startling. A 2022 report from FREOPP found that “40% of graduate degree programs have no net value at all.” At the same time, the average debt load from grad school has risen to $65k.
Top line:
College and grad school used to be an automatic “yes.”
Now, the numbers aren’t so clear.
Rising costs
Reduced financial and career gains
So, be strategic in your approach.
If you’re considering higher education, look closely at costs, placement rates, and expected earnings. The “college wealth premium” isn’t what it used to be.
What are your thoughts?
Update: The LinkedIn Career Content Library
This week, the library added 5 new posts. There are now 315 career-boosting posts available anytime.
Here’s what is new:
Dr. Christian Poensgen wants you to ditch the to-do list and replace it with a stronger productivity tactic. A tactic used by everyone from Bill Gates to Elon Musk. Find out the tactic and add it to your daily workflow to level-up your output.
David Hannan shares a must-read list of job search insights. With truths like “self-care is a priority” and “the importance of time management,” this list can help any job seeker land their next role.
Adam Broda connected with 10 hiring managers at top companies to find out what they want from a job-winning candidate. Their answers include everything from ”Do they exceed expectations, or just meet them?” to “Do they make data-driven decisions?”
Abdurrahman Muni lays out the keys to a next-level interview. In this post, he shares tips like “make the interview a conversation” and “be proactive throughout the interview process.” Plus, he goes deep into each tip, including sample language, screenshots, and more.
Moe Choice offers a powerful list of his favorite productivity practices. This list includes everything from “the 2-minute rule” and “the pomodoro technique” to “the 80-20 principle” and “find your peak hours.”
Friendly reminder. As a Develop Daily subscriber, you have free lifetime access to The LinkedIn Career Content Library. My gift to you.
Develop Daily w/ This Learning Plan
Sunday:
Pull up your calendar; block 15 minutes for learning each day.
Set a goal for the week.
Lay a strong foundation with this growth mindset affirmation:
“I am constantly improving and growing.”
Monday:
Start your new AI learning routine.
Invest 15 minutes in tracking the latest trends, trying out new tools, or diving deeper into the tech side.
Take notes as you read.
Tuesday:
Grab 15 minutes of listening time.
Think through your personal approach to college ROI.
Wednesday:
Now read through The Master’s Degree Ripoff.
Answer the question: why are these programs losing impact?
Write down your top takeaways.
Thursday:
Revisit your AI learning plan.
Spend 15 minutes doubling down on your knowledge in this space.
Try out a new tool—Otter, Claude, or Perplexity for example.
Friday:
Share your takeaways from the week with a friend or colleague.
Strike up a 15-minute discussion on a key topic.
Seek out 1-2 resources that argue the opposite point.
Saturday:
Explore freely.
Pull up LinkedIn, your favorite newsletter, or head to the library.
Spend 15 minutes learning something new.
Impact: By the end of the week, you'll have (1) actionable AI knowledge, and (2) a clearer picture of college and grad school ROI. You'll also have a stronger mindset and new topics for conversation.
Total Investment: <2 hours