How Do I Stay Current with AI?
Without Drowning in Noise.

Quality beats quantity. 2-3 focused hours per week is more effective than 10 hours of scattered reading. The key is consistency and application: read something, then try it. A weekly rhythm of one deep-dive article or tutorial, plus building something small, compounds faster than daily doom-scrolling AI Twitter.

For staying current without noise: 1) Follow 3-5 practitioners who build, not just commentate, 2) Read release notes from major AI labs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) directly rather than through hot takes, 3) Join one quality community where people share what they're building, 4) Subscribe to one curated newsletter (not five). Avoid: generic tech news sites, most YouTube thumbnails with shocked faces, anyone who calls every release 'game-changing'.

Most of it. Safely ignore: benchmark leaderboard churn (today's best model is next month's second place), AGI speculation and timeline debates, drama between AI personalities, minor version updates, and anything that sounds like 'X just killed Y'. Focus instead on: new capabilities that unlock use cases you care about, tools that make your specific work faster, and foundational papers that explain why things work.

80% hands-on, 20% reading. Reading creates the illusion of learning. Building creates actual skills. The sweet spot: read just enough to understand what's possible, then immediately try to build something with it. Even a failed experiment teaches more than three articles explaining the concept.

Yes, and it's one of the highest-leverage investments. A good coach acts as your personal AI news filter, telling you what matters for your specific goals and what to ignore. Instead of spending 10 hours researching which frameworks to learn, you get a direct answer in minutes. Coaching accelerates learning by cutting through the noise and focusing your limited time on what will actually move your career forward.

The minimum viable approach: 1) Pick ONE newsletter from a practitioner you trust, read it weekly, 2) Spend 30 minutes on Sunday scanning headlines to know what exists, 3) When you hit a real problem at work, then go deep on solutions. You don't need to know everything. You need to know enough to recognize when AI can help, then learn the specifics just-in-time.

Not necessarily. While some programming experience is helpful, many of my clients have successfully transitioned from web development, data science, or other technical backgrounds. We'll assess your current skills during our strategy call and create a personalized plan that meets you where you are.

Most clients invest 10-15 hours per week, but this can be flexible based on your schedule. We'll have weekly 1:1 calls plus time for you to work on projects and learning. The key is consistency. Regular, focused effort beats occasional marathons.

You become a member of the AI Native Engineer community, and you stay and keep going. Career transitions take different amounts of time for everyone, and I'm not going to abandon you if things take longer. You get ongoing support through good times and bad.

Online courses give you content. 1:1 coaching gives you a personalized roadmap, direct feedback on your work, career strategy, interview prep, and accountability. You get answers to your specific questions and guidance tailored to your unique situation instead of generic advice meant for everyone.

Investment details are discussed during the 30-minute strategy call, where we'll assess your goals and create a custom plan. The program is designed to pay for itself quickly through your increased salary. Most AI engineers see a 20-50% pay increase.

Absolutely. Most of my clients work full-time and make steady progress. We'll schedule calls at times that work for you and create a realistic plan that fits your schedule. Consistency matters more than intensity.