Copyright forbes
Job postings now include an extra $18,000 on top of the normal salary range, for non-technical jobs with AI skills If you thought you could get by in your career with just the bare minimum understanding of AI, brace yourself. The year 2026 is about to give you a reality check. Gen AI skills are now viewed by employers as non-negotiable, and it’s becoming increasingly popular practice for this AI skill set to be included in job listings and adverts for non-technical jobs. In fact, based on analysis of more than 1.3 billion job postings, Lightcast (the global leader in labor market intelligence), revealed that “job postings including AI skills offer 28% higher salaries—nearly $18,000 more per year—than those without such capabilities.” What’s more, challenging conventional assumptions about AI adoption, “51% of job postings requiring AI skills are outside IT and computer science occupations, with explosive 800% growth in generative AI roles across non-tech industries since 2022,” the report said. Why You Need To Learn Gen AI Prompting Skills One of the most essential AI skills is prompt engineering. Here’s why you need it, even if you don’t work in tech: Prompt engineering allows you to turn AI into a thinking partner, so it works as more than just a tool. This skill helps leaders transform what would have been mere AI output into tangible, highly useful business insight and analytics. If you know how to design effective prompts, you’re able to automate several parts of your decision-making, including research, reporting, planning, and other types of busywork and admin, freeing up your time for strategy, decision-making, coaching, and team management, without you burning out. As a non-technical professional outside of a leadership capacity, knowing how to prompt well allows you to be more creative and fine-tune the output. You become indispensable in your role, as this skill is in high demand right now. AI skills, period, are the new literacy of leadership and the future of work. Gen AI and prompt engineering are an integral part of this. MORE FOR YOU 6 Free AI Certifications To Learn Gen AI Skills To learn this skill effectively, I’ve compiled a list of free courses (some have certificates and are noted below) to help you master prompt engineering and Gen AI at work: OpenAI Academy Certifications OpenAI Academy currently has a full range of free materials including ChatGPT prompt packs and libraries, communities, and tutorials and resources. They have announced on their website that they will soon be offering AI certifications, stating: “We’re going to expand the OpenAI Academy by offering certifications for different levels of AI fluency, from the basics of prompt engineering to AI-enabled work. We plan to pilot OpenAI Certifications starting in late 2025 / early 2026 and look forward to sharing more information soon.” 5 More Free AI Certifications Generative AI for Beginners certification by Microsoft Learn Google Cloud: Prompt Engineering Guide Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics, by IBM, via Coursera Generative AI for Leaders certificate, by Vanderbilt University, via Coursera Introduction to Prompt Engineering For Generative AI, via LinkedIn Learning (free with a one-month trial or as part of your existing LinkedIn Premium subscription) (Coursera courses are available free as part of a free trial, or included in your Plus plan if you already have a subscription. They are also available free with financial aid in some instances.) With the exception of OpenAI Academy, all these certifications are available now. There’s nothing stopping you from mastering your career and taking control of your salary, starting today. Job explosion for AI requirements in non-tech roles has surged by 800% since 2022 Which AI course will you enrol in after reading this? Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
