How To Learn High-Paying AI Skills For Free Within 7 Days
With AI skills, you can increase your salary without changing job title
AI skills are the hottest commodity on the job market right now.
If you want to be in high demand, get paid six figures, dramatically multiply your current salary without shifting job title, and be recession and layoff-proof, learning skills like artificial intelligence, machine learning, AI prompting, generative AI essentials, and applied AI (how AI skills and tools can be used to directly tackle challenges within your domain, role, and industry) is the smartest investment you can make in your career in 2025. In fact, last year, both Indeed and AWS estimated from their research that generative AI skills alone can increase your earnings by as much as 47%
And by investment, this doesn't necessarily mean that you need to drain your bank account or go into debt. There are several online platforms that make it easy for you to acquire high-income skills or update your current skill set, with many free options available. But the investment you will need to make is that of your time and showing up consistently, instead of making it a one-off effort that doesn't have any follow-through.
There are two specific websites where you can learn high-income AI skills 100% for free, and feel moderately confident with your AI expertise within a week while having quite a few completed courses and trainings to brag about on your resume and LinkedIn: Simplilearn, and IBM SkillsBuild.
On Simplilearn's SkillUp platform, it offers several AI-related short courses that you can complete for free, ranging from one hour, to as much as 10 hours in length. These courses include topics like:
Each course comes with a completion certificate and some are offered in collaboration with trusted industry leaders in this field, such as Databricks, Microsoft, and Google Cloud.
On IBM SkillsBuild, you can also learn AI skills for free, such as Unleashing the Power of AI Agents, and Ethical Considerations for Gen AI. Because these courses only require a few hours each, you could easily complete one a week or combine a few of the hour-long courses together to maximize your learning experience.
One of the most commonly occurring reasons why most professionals are unable to pursue their professional development is that they have limited time in their busy work schedules. A recent study by DeVry University found that 40% of workers say that lack of time holds them back from upskilling, making this the number one reason that many workers are unable to undertake professional development and training. A further 35% say that 'family and other priorities take precedence,' making time another underlying factor as a barrier to professional growth.
Through undertaking these short courses listed above, you'll feel like you're making progress, even if it's just an hour a day. Here are some other ways to circumvent the lack of time obstacle so you're no longer held back in your career:
1. Ask your employer what AI training their HR/L&D department have available, and request or notify your manager that you'll be allocating some time in your work day, at least once a week, to upskilling, Tie your request or announcement with the value you'll be equipped to offer the business upon completion, i.e. as a result you can mentor your co-workers in AI use for their roles or you can train AI agents for your department. Your employer will be glad to concede, especially since finding available AI talent is hard to come by.
2. Create a study plan tailored to your lifestyle and work schedule. Make it realistic. Plan for occasional disturbances and emergencies that may arise throughout the day, so you have a backup risk management strategy that ensures you're still able to study, even if it's just for a short time.
3. When developing your AI skills study plan, set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) so that it's easier to stick with it and stay motivated. Input your learning and practicing time into your digital calendar, set reminders, and use the time of the day when you're most likely to be brain productive and distraction-free.
4. Use ChatGPT and other AI tools to help you understand key concepts if you're struggling, and ask it to help you apply what you're learning, directly to your role, so you can see how it works in practice. You can also use Gen AI tools to create charts, diagrams, and other study aids to go alongside the training materials you're using.
Is it possible to learn foundational AI skills within seven days? Absolutely.
Create a realistic study plan that's adapted to your lifestyle, even if it's just for an hour a day
All you need is an hour a day (or just a few hours in the week), a rigorous plan, and free resources which are readily available all across the internet. Be strategic with your time and cut off the things that don't serve your career right now (like watching TV, binge-watching Netflix, or playing video games endlessly). Allocate and invest your time in what matters for now and for the next few years, and your future self will thank you.
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