A few months ago, a new client, the CEO of an oil and gas company, told me he wanted to build a data warehouse to power some AI initiatives. I couldn't answer his question. He was much more knowledgeable about AI than I was.
I realized that if I couldn't articulate what AI could do for my customers, I would be replaced. I needed to gain overall knowledge about this AI.
Initially, I enrolled in an online course offered by MIT, but the content was too deep and complex. So my CEO found a 12-week certification program offered by Johns Hopkins University called AI Business Strategy. He, I, and one of my colleagues from the sales department also signed up. The cost was approximately $3,000 per person, which we covered.
I had the choice of taking classes on Saturday or Sunday. These were 2-hour online lectures given by multiple teachers. Some were professors from Johns Hopkins, others were businessmen.
It started with a little history lesson. We learned about the difference between generative AI and agent AI, and what an LLM is. We then covered topics such as responsible AI, generative AI for business, and AI project management.
There was also about 4 to 6 hours of homework each week. We watched a lot of videos, took quizzes, and had to complete three projects. This program is designed to ensure you apply what you learn.
I'm 57 years old, so I'm quite a bit older. There are many young people who can take over my work. It was the first time in 30 years that I had to go through formal training to learn something.
Some weeks I was working late and I was able to cram everything into an afternoon. But there were some weeks where I felt like I was back in college because I had to pull all-nighters. After everyone went to bed, I woke up in my home office and worked on the course material.
I recently had a follow-up conversation with the CEO of an oil and gas company. This time, things took a completely different turn. He was asking questions and I wasn't sitting there like a dummy.
I was able to articulate the value of implementing AI into his business, how it needed to be done, the importance of having good data, and how to get that data. The CEO decided to move forward and collaborate with us on a data warehouse project.
