Before moving to Chapter 14, complete this 15-minute exercise:
Part 1: Learning Velocity Assessment
1. Rate your current learning speed (1-10) 2. Identify biggest learning obstacles 3. Note fastest learning experience 4. Assess unlearning ability 5. Calculate improvement potentialPart 2: Skill Portfolio Design
1. List 5 skills becoming obsolete 2. Identify 5 emerging needed skills 3. Choose 1 for immediate sprint 4. Map transfer opportunities 5. Set 90-day goalPart 3: Learning Stack Creation
1. Choose 3 AI learning tools 2. Find 2 learning partners 3. Join 1 new community 4. Set daily learning time 5. Design progress trackingPart 4: First Sprint Commitment
1. Select skill for 20-hour mastery 2. Schedule specific sessions 3. Prepare resources 4. Clear obstacles 5. Start tomorrowRemember: In the AI age, your degree is your starting point, not your ceiling. The only sustainable advantage is the ability to learn faster than the world changes.
And the world is changing very, very fast.
> "In the AI era, your degree is your starting point, not your ceiling."
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# Chapter 14: Building Your Network of Networks
Dr. Yuki Tanaka was brilliant, but brilliance wasn't enough.
At 32, she'd made a groundbreaking discovery in protein folding that could revolutionize drug development. She'd published in Nature, presented at conferences, and earned respect from the handful of specialists who understood her work. But translating that discovery into real-world impact? That seemed impossible for a solo researcher at a small university in Kyoto.
"I thought science was about individual genius," Yuki told me via hologram from her lab, now part of a global research network spanning 47 countries. "I was wrong. Science—like everything in the AI age—is about connection."
What changed everything wasn't a new discovery. It was a new approach to collaboration. Yuki didn't just build a professional network. She built what she calls a "network of networks"—simultaneously cultivating human relationships, AI agent partnerships, and the bridges between them.
Within 18 months: - Her solo research became a global collaboration with 200+ scientists - AI agents handled routine analysis, freeing humans for creative leaps - Venture capital flowed in—$50 million Series A - Three drug candidates entered trials - A Nobel Prize nomination followed "People think I succeeded because of my science," Yuki reflected. "I succeeded because I learned to orchestrate intelligences—human and artificial—toward a shared goal. In the AI age, your network isn't just your net worth. It's your capability multiplier."