AI Career Pathways

Electricity. Electrician. Switch.

That’s the metaphor I’ve been using to help folks make sense of AI career paths.

Lately, everywhere I go, someone says:
“AI is overwhelming. I’m vibe coding. I’m playing with NotebookLM. Everyone’s talking Claude vs ChatGPT. But… I’m a designer. What am I supposed to do with all this?”

Let’s reframe it.

Think of AI like electricity.

• Studying electricity? You’re diving into core AI concepts, theory, architecture. That’s deep research.

• Climbing poles and fixing transformers? That’s the AI engineer. Lives close to the model. Builds infra. Heavy lifting.

• Fixing a fuse, tweaking a fan, DIY-ing a setup? You’re a vibe coder. You tinker. You try. You get things working.

• Just flipping the switch? You’re an intelligent user. You don’t need to know the internals. You just don’t want to sit in the dark.

Even within "switch pullers," there’s range:

• Some write killer prompts.

• Some use apps smartly.

• Some set up automations.

• Some build agentic systems.

• Some integrate across workflows, quietly operating like CTOs of their own lives.

Here’s where I stand:

I know enough about electricity to not get electrocuted.
I can change bulbs and set up a few smart switches.
But I’m not climbing the pole. I’m not rewiring circuits.
I’m going deep into AI product building—because that’s my decade-defining leverage.

Not theory. Not infra.
But workflows, interfaces, outcomes.

This clarity?
It saves me from the comparison trap.
It saves me hours.
And it gives me peace.