Empowering Careers with AI: Insights from the ALX AiCE Cohort 3 Networking Event
On May 14, 2024, I was invited by Wanjiru Wanjohi to attend the ALX AiCE Cohort 3 Meet, Vibe, and Network event in Nairobi. AiCE stands for AI Career Essentials, An ALX Africa program designed to empower individuals to leverage AI for career acceleration. Despite the notoriously hectic Nairobi traffic, which I estimated would take me an hour to navigate, I arrived at 6:20 P.M. Nevertheless, I found Peter already in session, sharing his knowledge in the AI field with the participants. I met Peter at a previous networking event and was amazed by how he leveraged the power of AI to create a solution for reviewing resumes called Careergo.
Let me give you a snippet of who Peter is. He is a Full Stack Developer and DevOps Engineer who was an electrical engineer in his former life before becoming a Software Developer. He also received a scholarship to study Enterprise Development at Strathmore Business School and a free one-year Datacamp Scholarship offered through Facebook Developer Circle. The main problem he faced was generating extra income, which led him to use his skills to create Careergo. He gave examples of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Sora, Eleven Labs, and voicechanger.io. Here are the key pointers he highlighted.
How AI has Disrupted Content (Text, Audio & Video)
In our current times, it’s become easier to produce content such as text, video, audio, and pictures. This process is cheaper, faster, and accessible to anyone curious.
The Future of Work and Future Trends in Technology
Everything around us is being disrupted. Repetitive jobs that used to require more people are now being done by AI. For example, companies use AI to replace human workers in customer service. A pertinent question recently asked is, “Will AI take over my work?” The simple answer is no. However, a person using AI will take over your work because they will be faster and more effective.
Companies are also being disrupted. Google Search, Quora, StackOverflow, and Duolingo are examples.
How People Can Leverage or Benefit from AI
With the rise of AI, you can learn skills such as copywriting using AI. ALX offers some cool courses to kickstart your journey.
AI from Peter’s Perspective
According to Peter, you should treat AI as an intern, not as a boss. With all this automation, it’s easier to become lazy and accept AI’s output as gospel truth. That should not be the case. Content produced by AI tends to be robotic and lacks the human aspect. Always review.
Additionally, developing anything is becoming easier with AI, and the challenge lies in our imagination to create!
Advice
Peter concluded with advice for the new cohort students and everyone in general. Here are some of his recommendations:
- Take advantage of scholarships (ALX, Google, Udacity).
- Try everything (Web, Mobile, DevOps, Gaming) until something sticks.
- Focus on skills that can pay the bills; once you pay the bills, you can chase your dreams.
- Invest in education and books to further your skills.
- Consider how long it would take to get a new job if you got fired today. How can you fix that?
- Copywriting, sales, and marketing are very important.
- Network and speak at events.
- Undertake lots of small projects with impact.
The event was incredibly valuable, and I am glad I attended it. After the event, I also got to network with former students who had undergone the program and people from diverse fields. I even met a professional personal chef, and her story of referrals was intriguing.
About the Author
Hey, I am Eric Karani, a Tech enthusiast from Kenya. When not tinkering with things on the Cloud, I write my thoughts on productivity, minimalism and career navigation here. 👈 Click that link to sign up for free :)
