Craig Verley

The pressure is on, or at least it can seem that way when it comes to Artificial Intelligence. There is a constant barrage of people and companies trying to make it sound like, if you are not up to speed on AI, then your job and career will go nowhere. Keeping up with how AI works and how it helps is very important. We are always looking for ways to work smarter, not harder, as our job expectations always seem to be on the rise.

In that process, don’t forget to keep your core professional muscles in shape. Often times those core job duties and skills were a part of what got you interested in the profession you are in to begin with. Many of our core job skills are like the muscles in our bodies. We really should stretch and exercise those muscles regularly. If we don’t, it can keep us from physically doing some of the things we love to do or need to do.

Writing, for example. If one of the things you appreciate is being able to stare at a blank page and create something from scratch with just an idea, a few facts, etc. How much of your writing have you handed over to AI? It may save you some time to focus on other duties, but is it also robbing you of some of your job joy, while also allowing your writing muscle to atrophy? Reviewing and tweaking an AI-generated item does not exercise that writing muscle as well and keep your skills as sharp as creating that piece, post, script, etc., yourself. The same concept applies to nearly all the jobs involved in the school communications world. Yes, those AI-driven tools are important, but also remembering how to do it the “long way” is equally important. An understanding of the behind-the-scenes skills and steps can also help you better understand how to prompt and utilize your AI.

I write this knowing that I may come across as anti-AI and technology and an out-of-touch professional dinosaur. The truth is, I pride myself on being an early adopter of new tools and technology to help me in my professional life. Whether it was making the move to digital technology many moons ago or helping drive the push for school districts in the state to adopt social media tools back when we were still trying to figure out what it was all about. Lord knows a lot has changed from the days in my first TV newsroom, where we still had manual typewriters and teletype machines for the wire services. I have made it a point to adopt the new tools and technologies while also allowing time for me to use the old writing muscle in my work-life.

Keeping the old professional work muscles in shape not only helps keep some of the joy in the job but can come in handy if the tech tool is not available or it is not capable of providing the required results. Plus, losing the joy in your job can contribute to burnout. So, be sure to find a way to regularly exercise your professional muscles.