The Badge-Beyond-Skill Test shows when an AI certification is worth paying for
The Badge-Beyond-Skill Test. Eileen’s decision rule is to test the role, the skill gained and the value that remains after the certificate is removed. An AI certification is worth paying for only if it gives you a technical base for work you actually want to do. Before you spend, check whether the jobs you want actually ask for it and whether the course will teach a skill you will use—not simply give you another badge.
I had a bout of AI FOMO myself. But more AI does not automatically mean better results, less AI does not automatically mean a worse career, and the best use of AI is often simply the use that fits your work and life.
Why AI courses suddenly feel necessary
I deleted Facebook and Instagram about ten years ago because I was miserable watching my friends and their perfect holidays. This month I wanted to quit LinkedIn too, because everywhere I looked people were doing extraordinary things with AI while I was just using it to copyedit my articles.
Take John Hu. He dropped out of a Stanford MBA and vibecoded an AI tool called Stanley in fourteen days. That means he never wrote a line of code; he described what he wanted in plain English while the AI built it for him. Stanley plugs into your LinkedIn, reads your recent posts, tells you which did best and worst, and offers to write next week’s for you. It reportedly crossed a million dollars in annual revenue within about six weeks.
That was just the start. When OpenClaw came out—an AI you leave running on your computer to finish tasks on its own—I read about people who let their machines work all night while they slept and woke up to the job done. Some were running three computers side by side so each could chew through a different project at once. The most I do is set my AI going and make a cup of tea; it is done by the time I am back, so I felt as though I was not squeezing enough out of the thing.
Then the certificates started arriving. I read that SANS was offering a whole new range of “AI-Assisted” training at half price, and, being a Singaporean who cannot walk past a good deal, I felt my resolve wobble even though I had temporarily sworn off more courses.
I felt the AI FOMO until I realised these three things.
Three things to remember before paying for an AI certification
1. More AI does not automatically produce better results
My friend recently built a stock-trading model with three AI agents talking to each other. One argues the bullish case, another argues the bearish case, and a third reads public sentiment before they tell him whether to buy or sell a stock. I asked him last week how it was going, and he said, “I’m down $1,500.” He blames the plumbing: he has not dared wire the AI straight into his brokerage, so there is a man in the middle slowing every trade.
2. Less AI does not automatically mean a worse career
My friend, a civil engineer, handed in his resignation last week because he was tired of crawling into MRT tunnels and onto live track to fix things. But his company immediately offered him 20% more to stay. This is unimaginable in a bad job market, best summarised by this photo of hundreds of Microsoft staff turning in their passes as part of the voluntary retirement. Yet here was a man who does something physical being begged to stay.
One friend told me, half in jest, that he burned his $5,000 SkillsFuture credit on an aircon-servicing course because each aircon servicing costs $350 and is recession proof. Less AI does not mean a worse outcome.
3. Use only the AI you need
Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, says it best. He wakes at 5am every day but says, “It’s something that comes very naturally to me, but I sometimes worry that people think it’s the secret to success. … The reality is you need to find a routine that works for you and your life.”
Pay for skills you will use, not another badge
Most of us are never going to be an AI engineer, so do not feel compelled to be the best at AI. I am happy with two humble uses of AI: one to copyedit my drafts and one to turn my talking into text that I later edit into articles.
Instead, I decided to focus on working with people. AI can write a threat assessment faster than I can, but it cannot write a good joint report when the intelligence lives in someone’s head and not in a database, because there is nothing for the model to pull. I am the one who can corral, coerce, and cajole colleagues into handing over what sits in their heads, because I have the relationships. I can pick up the phone, ask, and chase them down when they go quiet. As long as I can do that and a machine cannot, I have done what I can to make myself hard to replace.
Another certificate will not fix an unclear career direction
If you are hunting for a job, do not feel the need to get the latest AI certificates. Get whatever technical base you need to move into the work you want, then spend time developing the relationships that will get you referred for the role. If asking for that referral feels awkward, read this guide on how to ask for a job referral without making it awkward.
After all, most good roles are not won by applying cold. You get them because a friend heard about the opening early, and it may help if they are willing to put in a good word for you.
My friend JQ, Kia-khing Low (Lu) at LinkedIn Local™ – Singapore is also running a face-to-face panel discussion on how AI is changing your jobs, featuring ex-banker-turned-career-expert Eric Sim on 28 Jul. Find out more here.
If you need help breaking into the circles where people hear about jobs before they are posted, making people want to talk to you even when reaching out feels awkward, collecting advocates who remember your name when something opens up, and telling your story clearly enough at interviews, leave your contact here and I will send you a reading pack that should help.
Judge the course against the actual move you want to make using the guides on switching industries in mid-career, building proof without direct industry experience and defining success beyond salary and badges.
Frequently asked questions
Is an AI certification worth it for my career?
It can be, if it builds the technical base for work you genuinely want to do and the roles you want actually ask for it. A certificate on its own will not settle an unclear career direction.
Should I get the latest AI certificate while job hunting?
Do not feel compelled to collect the latest AI certificates. Get the technical base you need for the work you want, then develop the relationships that can help you hear about and be referred for roles.
What AI skills does the author find useful?
I use AI to copyedit drafts and to turn my talking into text that I later edit into articles. The useful level of AI is the level that works for you and your life.
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