Study plans
Study plans
Pre-built credential and program sequences for common goals — AI engineering, founder-track literacy, AI safety, AI research preparation, polymath fundamentals.
A study plan is a sequence of credentialing programs assembled to take a candidate from a defined starting point to a defined goal. Each plan below is the working version we recommend in reader correspondence — they are not the only way to assemble these credentials, but they are the assemblages that show up most often in the successful candidates we have profiled.
Treat these as working menus, not prescriptions. Substitute equivalent credentials in your local context. Adjust the timeline to your own pace. Read the reference pages and the linked reports before committing.
Six plans, the most-asked-about reader goals:
- AI engineer in 6 months — for engineers transitioning from a non-AI engineering role into applied AI.
- Founder-track AI literacy — for founders and operators who need to be conversant in AI without being the model builder.
- AI researcher preparation — for candidates building toward a research-oriented role at a frontier lab or applied research team.
- Polymath fundamentals — for builders pursuing the cross-disciplinary curriculum we cover in The New Polymath Curriculum.
- AI safety primer — for candidates interested in AI safety, alignment, or governance work.
- Career-transition stack — for non-engineering professionals moving into AI-adjacent operator and consulting roles.
Each plan describes its timeline, recommended programs (linked to our reference pages where available), milestones, and prerequisite assumptions.
Plan
AI engineer in 6 months
A 6-month sequence for engineers transitioning from a non-AI engineering role into applied AI. Heavier on hands-on, lighter on institutional legibility — the working assumption is that the candidate already has engineering credibility.
Plan
AI researcher preparation
A 12-month sequence for candidates building toward a research-oriented role at a frontier lab or applied research team. Heavy on mathematics, foundational ML, and publishable work; light on vendor credentials.
Plan
AI safety primer
A 6-month sequence for candidates interested in AI safety, alignment, or governance work. Covers technical safety, governance-track preparation, and the working organizations doing the relevant research.
Plan
Career-transition stack
An 8-month sequence for non-engineering professionals moving into AI-adjacent operator and consulting roles. Heavy on institutional legibility, foundational vendor credentialing, and a portfolio piece.
Plan
Founder-track AI literacy
A 4-month sequence for founders and operators who need to be conversant in AI without being the model builder. Heavy on strategic and operational layers; lighter on the engineering-track depth.
Plan
Polymath fundamentals
A 9-month cross-disciplinary sequence for builders pursuing the polymath curriculum we cover in The New Polymath Curriculum — AI literacy, systems thinking, design, and communication.