How to get into AI: evaluating the paths (and which one is right for you)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs for computer and information research scientists, which includes AI researchers, will grow 22% over the next decade, far faster than average. And if you want to get into this fast-growing, dynamic field, you might be wondering: how do I actually do it? Maybe you're thinking: "I have little to no technical experience, but I'm fascinated with the technology and I see the potential.

How can I turn that into a career? And how do I make sure that career won't also get eaten by AI?" That last question is another huge factor that I think is worth at least considering as you make your decision. In this essay, I'm going to cover the different ways to get into AI as a career path, go over some of the pros and cons of each, and share the path I've started recommending to most people.

So grab a pen (or pop this into Claude so you can have a chat with it), and let's dive right in. The Self-Taught Path: Totally Valid, but Daunting You could learn how to code. You could learn how to train models.

You could create your own SaaS company around AI and learn it hands-on that way. Those are all totally valid paths. The challenge with all of them is that they require an enormous amount of effort on your part to get going, without a lot of guidance or structure.

For some people, that's actually the best approach. But for a lot of people, it's not. In my experience, I've seen a lot of people say they want to get into AI, and they never ultimately do, because it's very daunting.

Without some sort of structure, it can be very hard to take those first few steps. The Path I Now Recommend: An Online Bachelor's in AI That's why the first, and probably most straightforward, path to getting into AI nowadays is an online degree in artificial intelligence of some kind. I've switched to recommending that most people who want to get into the field pursue a bachelor's degree in AI.

Preferably online, so they have more flexibility and fewer barriers to getting started. Here's why. Reason #1: There Are Far More Options Than There Used to Be The number of degrees in this field is growing super fast.

Bachelor's-level AI programs have grown nearly 6x since 2020. It's not like five or six years ago. Back then, if you wanted to get a degree in AI, there were a few, but not nearly as many.

And many were really more machine learning than AI. Now, there's really no shortage of AI degree programs. AI degrees also used to be very master's-heavy.

To a large extent, they still are. But there's a growing number of undergraduate AI programs, and I think that's one of the best places to get started if you don't already have a college degree. More programs means more choice.

You can choose between different schools that put different emphasis on different parts of AI: Some are more technical. Some are less technical. Some are more focused on ethics.

Some are more focused on getting under the hood with LLMs, prompts, weights, models, and all that technical stuff. So you can choose the program that's the best fit for you. And especially if you go online, where you don't have to actually be located in that area, you have quite a few options.

That makes the degree path a lot more enticing than it was just a few years ago. Reason #2: You Get a Structured Path The other reason I like it is the one I mentioned earlier: structure. That's something you don't get if you don't pursue a formal degree.

It's nice to be able to just show up and say, "Look, I want to learn AI, and this program is going to teach me how to do it, step by step." You'll get the technical background you need to get started. Then you'll get a little more advanced. Then you'll start implementing things.

Hopefully the program has some hands-on elements, like a co-op, an internship, or a capstone project at the end, so you can implement what you're learning. Ideally you're implementing things along the way, too. But the idea is that you don't need to create your own program.

You have one built for you. Reason #3: "I Have a Degree in AI" Stands Out The other thing I like is that you have a degree that says, "I have a degree in AI." I think that's going to be a big trump card in the job market. Let's say there's a job for an AI expert.

Even if it doesn't require an AI degree (and many won't, because the degree type is still pretty new and graduates are somewhat rare), you can still stand out quite a bit from other applicants. Compare these two pitches: "I'm an AI expert. I studied IT (or cybersecurity) in college, but I learned AI on my own." "I have a four-year degree in AI from University X." That second one goes a long way toward saying, "I'm someone who knows AI front, back, and sideways." It'll help you get in the door, and hopefully land more jobs.

Already Have a College Degree? If you already have a college degree and you want to get into AI, there are also AI master's programs, AI certificates, AI MBAs, and a bunch of other options that I think are worth considering, for the same reasons. But for this essay, we're really focusing on the undergraduate side of things.

How My Advice Has Changed I'll conclude by saying that my opinion has changed over the last year and a half in terms of what I recommend to people who want to get started in AI. My default used to be: learn on your own, start building stuff, and you'll figure it out as you go. Now, because of the quality and quantity of AI degree programs out there, I'm recommending more and more people pursue an online AI bachelor's degree.

If you've seen all the headlines around artificial intelligence and ChatGPT, you know this field is taking off. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs for computer and information research scientists, which includes AI researchers, will grow 22% over the next decade, far faster than average. And if you want to get into this fast-growing, dynamic field, you might be wondering: how do I actually do it?

Maybe you're thinking: "I have little to no technical experience, but I'm fascinated with the technology and I see the potential. How can I turn that into a career? And how do I make sure that career won't also get eaten by AI?" That last question is another huge factor that I think is worth at least considering as you make your decision.

In this essay, I'm going to cover the different ways to get into AI as a career path, go over some of the pros and cons of each, and share the path I've started recommending to most people. You could learn how to code. You could learn how to train models.

You could create your own SaaS company around AI and learn it hands-on that way. Those are all totally valid paths. The challenge with all of them is that they require an enormous amount of effort on your part to get going, without a lot of guidance or structure.

In my experience, I've seen a lot of people say they want to get into AI, and they never ultimately do, because it's very daunting. Without some sort of structure, it can be very hard to take those first few steps. That's why the first, and probably most straightforward, path to getting into AI nowadays is an online degree in artificial intelligence of some kind.

I've switched to recommending that most people who want to get into the field pursue a bachelor's degree in AI. Preferably online, so they have more flexibility and fewer barriers to getting started. Reason No.

1: There Are Far More Options Than There Used to Be It's not like five or six years ago. Back then, if you wanted to get a degree in AI, there were a few, but not nearly as many. And many were really more machine learning than AI.

Now, there's really no shortage of AI degree programs. AI degrees also used to be very master's-heavy. To a large extent, they still are.

But there's a growing number of undergraduate AI programs, and I think that's one of the best places to get started if you don't already have a college degree. More programs means more choice. You can choose between different schools that put different emphasis on different parts of AI: So you can choose the program that's the best fit for you.

And especially if you go online, where you don't have to actually be located in that area, you have quite a few options. Reason No. 2: You Get a Structured Path The other reason I like it is the one I mentioned earlier: structure.

That's something you don't get if you don't pursue a formal degree. It's nice to be able to just show up and say, "Look, I want to learn AI, and this program is going to teach me how to do it, step by step." You'll get the technical background you need to get started. Then you'll get a little more advanced.

Then you'll start implementing things. Hopefully the program has some hands-on elements, like a co-op, an internship, or a capstone project at the end, so you can implement what you're learning. Ideally you're implementing things along the way, too.

Reason No. 3: "I Have a Degree in AI" Stands Out The other thing I like is that you have a degree that says, "I have a degree in AI." I think that's going to be a big trump card in the job market. Let's say there's a job for an AI expert.

Even if it doesn't require an AI degree (and many won't, because the degree type is still pretty new and graduates are somewhat rare), you can still stand out quite a bit from other applicants. That second one goes a long way toward saying, "I'm someone who knows AI front, back, and sideways." It'll help you get in the door, and hopefully land more jobs. If you already have a college degree and you want to get into AI, there are also AI master's programs, AI certificates, AI MBAs, and a bunch of other options that I think are worth considering, for the same reasons.

I'll conclude by saying that my opinion has changed over the last year and a half in terms of what I recommend to people who want to get started in AI. Now, because of the quality and quantity of AI degree programs out there, I'm recommending more and more people pursue an online AI bachelor's degree.