Hey, it's Cindy 馃尡 You commented openai, so here are all five courses with their direct links, in the order I'd actually do them, plus what each one gives you and the one thing to know before you start. Every course is free and none of them need a paid ChatGPT plan. 馃
What this gives you. About eight hours of training from the company that makes ChatGPT, five badges issued through Accredible that land in your inbox, and a real workflow from your own job that you built along the way. An account is needed only to save your progress, not to view the courses.
start here
The order, and why it's this order 馃搵
Each one assumes the one before it. Foundations teaches you to talk to the model, Applied turns that into a repeatable process, Agents hands that process to something that runs it for you, Leadership is about running it across other people, and Scope is the builder's one.
If you only do two, do the first two. That's about two and a half hours and it's the pair that changes how you work day to day.
- 1. AI Foundations 路 about 70 minutes
The basics of AI, large language models and ChatGPT. You practise giving clear instructions, adding context, reviewing outputs and using AI responsibly. Five parts: Introduction, Large Language Models, Prompting and Evaluation, Add Context, Responsible Use.
Go to the course →
- 2. Applied AI Foundations 路 about 80 minutes
You take one recurring task from your own job and turn it into a repeatable workflow: break the work into steps, find where ChatGPT helps, and build review points in. Five parts: From Prompts to Workflows, Reasoning Models, Choose Capabilities, Design the Workflow, Responsible Use in Workflows.
Go to the course →
- 3. Agents and Workflows 路 about 90 minutes
This is the one that changes how you hand work over. Its own first module is called "From Asking to Assigning Work". You give an agent context, define the output, set boundaries, review drafts and reuse what works.
Go to the course →
- 4. AI Leadership 路 3 hours
The long one, and it's about running AI projects rather than doing the work yourself. Take it if you lead a team or you're trying to get AI adopted somewhere that's resisting it.
Go to the course →
- 5. Scope AI Solutions 路 30 minutes
The shortest, and the only one written for people who already code. It sits under OpenAI's "For builders" path, not the knowledge-worker one, so do it last or skip it if you don't build.
Go to the course →
How the badge works. Every course ends in an assessment. Score 80 percent or higher and the badge is issued through Accredible and emailed to you. You can retake it.
Three things worth knowing before you start 鈿狅笍
They're badges, not certifications OpenAI says so itself: Academy badges and pathway certificates of completion "are not certifications". They're still real proof you did the training, just don't write "certified by OpenAI" on your CV.
Nothing here needs a paid plan Every course is free on any ChatGPT account, including Free. You only sign in so your progress saves.
There are 14 courses, not 5 Across four paths. These five are the ones worth your first eight hours. AI for Educators and AI for College Students are 45 minutes each if either fits you.
Do them on a real task Applied AI Foundations only works if you bring an actual recurring task from your own job. Pick it before you start, not during.
Why AI on a CV is worth the eight hours 馃捈
Lightcast analysed 1.3 billion job postings and found that jobs asking for AI skills advertise about $18,000 more per year. Worth being precise about that word: it's what employers are offering in ads, not what people are measured to earn. More than half of those postings sit outside IT, which is the part most people get wrong.
Lightcast, Beyond the Buzz, 23 July 2025
Proof 馃攷
OpenAI Academy, all courses
OpenAI help centre: the course table, durations, and that the courses are free
Lightcast on the AI salary premium