Don’t Get Left Behind: The Best Ways to Upskill with AI in 2025

Before diving into tools and tech, take a beat to learn the basics. We’re not talking about dense textbooks. Just enough to understand terms like “LLM,” “fine-tuning,” or “prompt engineering” when they come up in meetings (because they will).

Great Course to Start: AI For Everyone – Andrew Ng (Coursera)

• Time to complete: 6 Hours
• Cost: Free to Audit (You know we always recommend these)
• Why we like: Clear, non-technical overview of how AI works and what it can—and can’t—do in business.

This is where we're seeing most people get stuck. You don’t need to build your own AI model, but you should know how to use AI to work faster and smarter. Think ChatGPT, Claude, or AI copilots in Excel, Canva, or Figma.

Courses We Recommend to Practice:

ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Beginners (Vanderbilt & Coursera)

• Time to complete: 1 Hour (DO THIS)
• Cost: Free with audit (I mean it... do this)
• Why we like: Fast, practical, and a great crash course in getting better answers from AI tools.
• Our Separate Review

Generative AI for Business Leaders (Boston Consulting Group & Coursera)

• Time to complete: 8 Hours
• Cost: Free to audit
• Why we like: Focuses on strategy and use cases for AI in real companies.

Want to lead AI projects, not just survive them? Then you’ll need more technical fluency. These courses walk the line between approachable and practical, even if you’re not an engineer.

Recommended Tracks:

Generative AI for Software Development (DeepLearning.AI & Coursera)

• Time to complete: 3 courses, roughly ~30 hours / 3 months to complete

• Cost: Free with audit
• Why we like: Shows how teams can use AI for planning, design, and code—not just outputting boilerplate.
• Our Separate Review

AI Product Management (Duke & Coursera)

• Time to complete: 3 courses, roughly ~30 hours / 3 months to complete
• Cost: Free with audit
• Why we like: Teaches how to work with data scientists, define AI success metrics, and design responsibly.
• Our Separate Review

Here’s the secret: you don’t need permission to start using AI. Automate reports. Draft emails. Build a chatbot. Use ChatGPT as a thought partner. The more you practice, the more comfortable—and valuable—you’ll become.

If your team isn’t talking about AI yet, this is your opportunity to lead the conversation.

Did you find this helpful? If you’ve made it this far, we’d love your feedback—and your clicks! We earn a small commission when you use our links to check out the courses we recommend. It helps us keep Bridged running and lets us keep sharing the content we love. Thank you for your support!

Scott Galloway says this best, but AI is not going to take your job. But someone who uses AI might. Don't get left behind! The real advantage in 2025 is knowing how to think with and use AI. The ability to evaluate, synthesize, and build alongside these tools is the new baseline.

Don’t wait. Start small. Stay curious. And treat AI like the most powerful intern you’ve ever had—one that gets better every time you use it.