Thinking Through AI: What it Means for Learning, Career, and Ambition

A personal reflection on how AI is reshaping the way we learn, build careers, and pursue what matters most.

World is changing.

There was a time when getting good grades was the gold standard. It signalled that you could follow instructions, work hard, stay inside the lines. You didn’t have to question much—you just had to do what was asked, and do it well.

That used to open doors, and in some ways, it still does - but not like it used to.

I believe the value of good grades is lower than ever - and will continue to erode. Not because learning doesn’t matter, but because the world will start to reward different things.

You have to be able to do more than follow instructions - you have to be able to give them.

That means defining problems, asking the right questions, and thinking independently in a world where answers are cheap and everywhere. The real value now lies in how you use those answers - and in the quality of the questions you ask.

-> It might soon be more valuable to have a short course in prompt engineering on your CV than one in Excel or financial modelling.

We’re living in a time where AI is accessible to almost everyone. You don’t need a PhD to use it. You just need to be curious. But that’s the catch: most people aren’t using it - or at least not as effectively as they could. It's not that they lack access, but because they don’t know how to ask.

They don’t have the agency - or the confidence - to experiment with new tools and squeeze the juice from them.

In some ways it's unsurprising. Most weren’t taught how to explore. They were taught how to perform.

But that’s not how you grow anymore - at least not in my view.

Today, we have the opportunity to learn faster and deeper than ever before. You don’t need to skim ten books from beginner to advanced to “cover the field.”

Pick the most technical, most intimidating book you can find - and use AI to help you work through it. Ask for step-by-step explanations. Ask it to quiz you. Ask for examples. Get transcripts from expert interviews, lectures, or podcasts, and feed them in. Break them down into their core insights.

It’s not about cutting corners, but about going deeper, faster.

As well as that, while you’re learning to work with AI, don’t forget to develop the skills it can’t replicate.

Trust. Integrity. The ability to communicate clearly, to build genuine relationships, to make others feel heard.

These are the skills that don’t show up on a résumé. They’re not taught in a classroom. They’re built slowly - through conversation, through consistency, through showing up and creating opportunities.

TLDR; Get as good at using AI as possible. Continue to ask why. Learn more efficiently, think deeper. At the same time, stay grounded in humility and human connection.