From AI Zero to Career Hero in 5 Minutes

🧭 THIS WEEK AT AI SECOND ACT

Howdy, this week we have:

• Recap of key posts from AI Second Act —> 0-100 kph with AI in 5 minutes!

• Vacation spot hunting with AI

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, please share it! Forward this to a friend/colleague and have them subscribe at aisecondact.com/subscribe. Thanks!

👉 You can also just hit "Reply" and let me know what you want more (or less) of or use the poll to give feedback.

My goal is to make this as valuable and practical as possible as we navigate the new AI era. 🚀

🧰 AI NEWS + LEARNING

Here’s a few things I found recently: A lot of launches!

• Google launched Opal - Create mini apps using AI

• Microsoft launched Copilot mode in Edge (their browser) - a new way of browsing the web with AI help/collaboration

• Perplexity launched a new AI powered browser, Comet aiming to completely integrate AI into web use. I was on the waitlist but now got a download, so have to try it out soon

• OpenAI launched study mode, to help you study but now allow the AI to instantly give you the answer(s). Basically to help give you learning frameworks, problem steps etc to help you learn rather than arriving straight at the answer

• OpenAI launched agents, a first attempt at having AI start tasks automatically and chain together steps to get a result. Instead of simpler prompt/answer type sequence, ChatGPT may launch several sequential steps to complete a more complex query and request.

🗺️ FEATURED INSIGHT

0-100 kph in AI:

Here’s a bit of a recap of key posts and learnings from the last 3 months of AI Second Act. Hopefully this help for everyone and particularly those just subscribed.

• Prompting - How to Get 80% More from AI with Better Prompts

• AI 101 - What Mid-Career Professionals Need to Know in 2025

• Projects vs Custom GPTs - Projects vs Custom AI Assistants: How to Pick the Right Tool

• File Use and Context in AI - Turn Your Project Files Into an AI Knowledge Base

• Canvas and Vibe Coding - Canvas + "Vibe Coding": Build Software by Describing It

• Security with AI - Lock it Down - Privacy with AI Tools

• Essential Skills with AI - AMA + The Real-World AI Skills That Matter Most

My primary advice currently would be simply to use the tools. Pick 1 or 2 chatbots, maybe one that you subscribe to a paid version for. Through regular use, and some trial and error, you will learn what works and how the AI can help you. Think of AI for now as a helper, perhaps an intern, perhaps a ‘co-pilot’ to help you with whatever you’re doing and get things done quicker and easier.

I have found the following use cases the most helpful so far -

• 10x Q&A vs browsing the web - instant answers from a prompt vs the ‘old way’ of internet use

• 100x Research - complex research and report generation

• Coach / 2nd thinker - bounce ideas back/forth etc - this is more dubious currently as the AI models can be far to agreeable / positive vs critical thinking

Vacation Hunting

After some back & forth of my own, here’s a template useable to create a prompt to find new vacation destinations. This is very complete, but of course can be trimmed back and simplified:

VACATION DESTINATION SEARCH TEMPLATE
BASIC PARAMETERS

Starting location: [Your city, state/country]
Travel dates: [Month/season, length of trip]
Group: [Solo/couple/family with kids ages X/group of X friends]
Budget: [$ per person total, or daily budget range]

LOCATION PREFERENCES

Population range: [Small town under 10k / Mid-size 10k-100k / City 100k+ / Major metro 500k+]
Drive time from home: [Max X hours, or willing to fly]
Geographic features I love: [Mountains/lakes/ocean/desert/forests/rivers/hills]
Climate preference: [Warm/mild/cool, dry/humid OK, specific temperature range]

ACTIVITIES & INTERESTS (Must-Have)

Outdoor activities: [Hiking/water sports/cycling/golf/photography spots]
Cultural/indoor: [Museums/historic sites/local markets/music venues]
Food scene: [Fine dining/local specialties/craft breweries/farmers markets]
Relaxation: [Spas/beaches/quiet nature spots/cafés for reading]

NICE-TO-HAVE

[Secondary interests, backup activities]

DEAL-BREAKERS

Avoid: [Crowds/tourist traps/specific weather/long travel days]
Accessibility needs: [Any mobility considerations]

PLACES I'VE LOVED

Similar vibes to: [Name 2-3 places you've enjoyed and what you liked about them]
New experiences: [What you haven't tried but are curious about]

ACCOMMODATION STYLE

[Hotel/vacation rental/boutique inn/camping - and any specific preferences]

SEARCH REQUEST: Based on these criteria, suggest 5-8 destinations with brief explanations of why each fits my preferences. Include practical details like best time to visit and one standout feature of each place.

Future-proof your career with AI
— Brett

👉 Hit “Reply” and share your experience — I read every one!

_{Picture by S’Well on Unsplash.}