4 AI courses worth your time.
I want to say something that doesn’t get said enough in AI conversations. Knowing how to USE a tool is not the same thing as being AI fluent.
Scroll down ⬇️ to get links to the 3 4 recommended FREE certs I took, and why you should take them too.
I say this because I have watched a lot of people spend months opening up ChatGPT, shifting their memory to Claude, trying prompts they found on social media from the AI bros, getting frustrated when the outputs kinda suck, and walking away thinking “AI isn’t my cup of tea.” What we are experiencing friends isn’t an AI problem, the problem is the foundation.
It’s the level of AI fluency. AI fluency is the ability to THINK with AI. Not just click buttons. To be able to use it as a tool. Knowing how to spot where AI can help you at work: streamline your workflow, multiply your ideas, save time on the work that doesn’t need your judgment, so you can put your energy toward the work that does.
And it starts with changing the question from: “What can this tool do?” ➡️ “What problem am I solving and how can AI help?”
My journey with AI
But before you do any of this, do you really understand AI from a foundations standpoint? Without that you can’t look at these posts and call BS on what’s real and what’s not. When I first got promoted to VP I was a little nervous, the people around me had been doing it for years, they were experts compared to my little 20 years of experience (some of them had 35+!). So 3 years ago, I didn’t go back to school and get a new masters degree, I got a few quick certs so I could start building on my knowledge and keep up. Fast forward a few years, now I have done MORE than keep up, I’ve sprinted past a bunch of folks (and I’m not being an a-hole to share this, I’m trying to help you be your best self and sprint too).
How do I get started?
Here are the three four learning paths I recommend for corporate women who want to build this foundation right. Not the random YouTube rabbit holes. Structured, accessible paths that will change how you think, not just what you can do.
1️⃣ AI Certification #1: AI Foundations Associate
What it is: A foundational certification from Oracle that covers AI, machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI concepts, built specifically for the enterprise context most of us already work in. No coding required. This is one you want to post that you got on LinkedIn and say what 3 things that you learned from it. Please do not say “Pleased to share” make it informational.
⌚️ Time commitment: 5 hours for the training modules. Self-paced. I set the speed to 1.5x
💰Cost: Free
Link: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/learning-path/become-an-oci-ai-foundations-associate-2025/147781
🤔 Why I recommend it: I’m at Oracle so yes, I have a bias, but I would recommend this one regardless. It is not a sales pitch for Oracle products. It teaches you how AI works inside the enterprise systems that most of us are already using at work. The vocabulary you build here is the vocabulary you need to stop feeling lost in every AI meeting. When someone says “agentic workflow” or “retrieval-augmented generation,” you will know what they mean and why it matters for YOUR role. It’s also a publicly shareable certification that you can (and should) advertise you have on LinkedIn. 90% of fortune 500’s use an Oracle system so this would put you on the radar as legit for the enterprise, and not just “I play around with AI”.
🤩 What you will be able to do after: Walk into any AI conversation at work and understand what is being discussed. Ask better questions. Stop nodding along and pretending.
UPDATE - There’s another one that is a training assessment called AI For You that takes under 3 hours. It isn’t a full certification but is still a good training on the fundamentals of AI. You can get this one done in about half the time. But it is not a professional certification you can add to your LinkedIn.
Link: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ou/learning-path/ai-for-you-training-and-assessment/152600
2️⃣ AI Certification #2: Generative AI for Everyone
What it is: A short, non-technical course by Andrew Ng at Dee Learning that explains how generative AI works, what it can and cannot do, how to write effective prompts, and how businesses are using it.
⌚️ Time commitment: About 5-6 hours. I listened while I was traveling and got it done before the trip was over.
💰Cost: Free to audit on Coursera or Deeplearning.ai. To download the certificate requires a paid subscription ($30 on deeplearning.ai for the month)
Link: https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/generative-ai-for-everyone/
🤔 Why I recommend it: Andrew Ng built this specifically for people who are not engineers. It is probably the clearest explanation of how generative AI works that exists right now and it is taught by someone who built this technology, not someone who is just talking about it. Audit it for free. You do not need the certificate, in fact I didn’t get the certificate I just audited the course. You need the mental model it gives you.
🤩 What you will be able to do after: Understand why AI gives you great results sometimes and mediocre results other times. Know how to prompt better. Speak to the technology without faking it.
3️⃣ AI Certification #3: Elements of AI
What it is:A beginner-friendly introduction to AI created by the University of Helsinki and MinnaLearn. Covers what AI is, how it makes decisions, what it cannot do, and the societal implications. No math or programming required.
⌚️ Time commitment: About 25-30 hours, fully self-paced. There is also a follow-up course called Building AI if you want to go even deeper.
💰Cost: Free.
Link: https://www.elementsofai.com/
🤔 Why I recommend it: This one sounds like a computer science class. It is not. It was built specifically for people with no technical background, and it is the most thorough, honest introduction to how AI works, including what it cannot do,that I have found. It will change how you talk about AI with non-technical stakeholders. It will also make you harder to impress by AI hype, this is a talent you NEED to have. Start here if you want depth over speed.
🤩 What you will be able to do after: Explain to anyone: your manager, your team, your family, what AI is, how it works, and what its real limits are. Build credibility in every AI conversation you are part of.
4️⃣ AI Certification #4: Claude 101 ****UPDATED****
What it is: Learn how to use Claude for everyday work tasks, understand core features, and explore resources for more advanced learning on other topics.
⌚️ Time commitment: About an hour, fully self-paced.
💰Cost: Free.
Link: https://anthropic.skilljar.com/claude-101
🤔 Why I recommend it: There’s a whole debate about Chatgpt vs Claude. Listen I use both. The reason I recommend this one is most people are stuck still using Chatgpt like google and never explore any other tool. This gets you out of the rut and shows you other options. You can use Chatgpt and Codex, yes, but there are so many resources on Claude for taking it to the next level with Claude Code, this is where I recommend you start.
🤩 What you will be able to do after: Incorporate more AI, beyond a google alternate tool, into your daily day and work flow. Things like projects, skills and even routines in advanced courses.
This sounds like a lot Kay.
You do not need to do all four. Pick one. Start there. Build your foundation before you worry about which tools are trending. The women who will have the upper edge in the AI era are not the ones who used the most tools. They are the ones who learn to THINK differently. That is what fluency is.
Come tell me on LinkedIn which one you are starting with. Are there some better ones you like? Send them my way and I’ll try them and update my recommendations.
P.S. If you are not sure where to begin, start with Generative AI for Everyone or Claude 101. They are the fastest entry point, and it will make Oracle Foundations and Elements of AI click faster once you are in them. Think of them as the orientation before the deeper work.
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VP @ Oracle | LinkedIn Top Voice for AI | LinkedIn Learning Instructor | Views are my own
AI For You is a weekly newsletter for corporate women (and yes, the guys reading this too, welcome) navigating careers in the AI era. Real tools, real context, no tech background required.