Many aspiring AI Engineers build the wrong portfolio projects, then wonder why they can’t get hired.

In this week’s video, I lay out the five levels of AI engineering projects from absolute beginner to the people at the top of the field, along with example projects to build to get to the next level.

I also tried a new editing style. I hope you like it!

Blog version is here!

I recently picked up the book You Can Just Do Things: How High-Agency People Get What They Want Out of Life.

I chose it because the title really resonated with me. I’ve spent the last six months obsessively considering my career and where I want to go next, flip-flopping between decisions multiple times every day. It’s exhausting (for me and my husband…good thing he’s patient).

I’ve gotten pretty far in my professional life by being a strategic planner, sticking to roadmaps I lay out for myself, and prioritizing discipline over emotions. I’ve taken everything so seriously.

But what if all the over-thinking is holding us back? What if risk-taking, comfort with being cringe, and embracing failure get you to a life you'd actually feel alive in?

In the book, Hall's claim is that most of the success advice we absorbed was written for people with “low agency.” Things like wait your turn, climb the corporate ladder, and avoid embarrassment at all costs. This all adds up to years of waiting for permission to live a life we might not even enjoy.

She had a crazy career herself, from law to professional poker to biotech CEO (with some big failures along the way). Her advice boils down to four main buckets:

The people who get pulled into good opportunities are usually the ones whose work is findable, even more so than those with the strongest professional background.

I see this one constantly in coaching. Somebody wants to move into ML and their plan is another degree or course first. Sometimes that's the right call, but often it's a socially acceptable way to postpone the scary task of applying and interviewing when you might fail. But success loves speed.

Commit publicly to something before you’re actually ready to give yourself a deadline to get your butt into gear.

The thing you're most embarrassed about is often pointing directly at the work you should be doing. I’ve been considering whether to focus my content more on technical stuff or career coaching. I feel more confident with career coaching… it feels safer. But I will grow and push myself more by focusing on the technical stuff.

Use the cringe

And my favorite part of the book is something I’ve been saying to my coaching clients for years: Don’t be afraid to be cringe. She actually argues that being willing to look foolish is a moat. If no one is willing to go through the icky experience of being a beginner, they will never be your competition. Get down with the cringe and see your potential unlock.

You can just do things.

So next time you tell yourself “I’m not ready,” or “I couldn’t possibly,” or “what will they think,” remind yourself that you can just do things. The stakes are almost never as high as we convince ourselves they are, you’re more free than you think, and the upside to living in alignment is uncapped.

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