“This week's software-stock selloff feels like the latest reason to reach for the career panic button, unless you happen to be an artificial-intelligence developer.
Investors are dumping shares of software companies whose products seem increasingly vulnerable to AI disruption. You don't need to be an economist to understand what the market thinks about the job security of people who work for these businesses.
This after President Trump said his pick for Federal Reserve chair is Kevin Warsh, whose preference for low interest rates is partly based on a belief that AI will be a deflationary force. Lower borrowing costs and relief from recent price increases sound nice, but let's be clear: The deflation theory hinges on AI's making some employees more productive and putting others out of work.
It all feeds a sense that you need to become an AI pro, like, yesterday. AI adoption is now the top concern for job seekers, according to a new poll by career site Indeed.
Burnout was the long-running No. 1 worry in previous surveys, but you can't get burned out of a job if you get automated out first.
Professional-development programs to address AI fears abound, and it is hard to tell which ones are worth your time and money. The answer is not many -- not if your primary goal is to add a standout line to your resume, anyway.
"Given how new and wide-ranging the AI field is, formal training programs and certifications on their own will rarely impress employers," says Simon Key, vice president of client services and delivery at the Brixton Group recruiting firm.
Rather than let AI panic thrust you into wasted effort, do these three things instead.
Take a deep breath
Priya Rathod, Indeed's workplace trends editor, hit me with a surprising stat this week: Only 4% of job postings on the platform mention artificial intelligence, despite job seekers' concerns on this front.
A couple of caveats are in order. Indeed includes all sorts of jobs, and this overall figure is surely dragged down by listings for baristas and bus drivers.
If you're hunting for white-collar roles, you're more likely to encounter AI skills requirements. And there are probably positions where AI would appear in the descriptions, except the jobs have been eliminated -- and therefore aren't posted.
Still, we should take comfort, or at least a deep breath, recognizing that relatively few job openings explicitly call for AI know-how. It simply isn't true that you can't land a job without mastering Claude or ChatGPT.
"Here's the bottom line: 'AI upskilling,' this term that we're hearing everywhere, sounds more intimidating than it actually is," Rathod says.
The right training
Don't freak out, but don't be naive, either. Many of us will have to become more comfortable with AI tools sooner or later to keep up with our peers.
The tricky thing is that artificial-intelligence training programs are like exercise regimens. Pick the wrong one, and it'll let you down harder than a fitness resolution in February.
One way to determine what you need to learn about AI is to ask AI.
As an experiment, I prompted Gemini to "design an AI course for a handsome and sophisticated Wall Street Journal columnist." Gemini disregarded my self-described appearance and suggested a five-part "master class" in applying AI to my "elite journalism."
I'll settle for a half compliment. The trouble is the proposed course of study wasn't tailored to what I do. It called for lessons on using AI to comb earnings-call transcripts and catch deepfake videos in breaking-news situations. These could be valuable to some of my colleagues, but aren't especially relevant to me.
It's true that the value of AI training depends on the fit, says Graig Paglieri, chief executive of Randstad Digital, the technology arm of the world's largest staffing agency by revenue.
"My advice would be to ensure the substance and focus are on what you're trying to do in your career," he says. "Something more general is probably going to be limited in the impact it has."
I went back to Gemini and told it my column is about career and workplace trends. I also put a 10-hour time cap on the course as a way of forcing the bot to prioritize. The result was more concrete and on point. It included learning how to speed up tasks like perusing Glassdoor, where people post about their jobs, and suggested the best AI tool for each purpose.
When AI evangelists preach the importance of prompt engineering, this is what they're talking about. Sometimes you have to ask for what you want multiple times, with increasing specificity, even when the question is: What should I learn about AI to do my job better?
Get your story straight
When you find and finish the right course, you're going to feel justifiably proud. Just understand that earning an AI certificate doesn't make companies see you as a whiz any more than completing a brief workout program makes you look like The Rock.
Recruiters and hiring managers say they don't know how much stock to put in a credential from any of the innumerable online courses out there. That's why it is essential to articulate, with evidence, how AI skills improve your job performance.
"You're going to have to actually have a portfolio of work that you've produced utilizing AI," says Scott Pulsipher, president of Western Governors University, which offers AI certificate courses that include capstone projects.
AI training might not be a gold star that lands you a job, but it is something you can work into your narrative. Frame it as proof that you're the kind of person who keeps learning, not someone who panics in the face of emerging technology.” [1]
1. On the Clock: How to Stay Sane in the Race To Burnish Your AI Skills --- Be strategic, not frantic, when looking for artificial-intelligence training programs. Borchers, Callum. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 05 Feb 2026: A9.
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