GenAI Field Guide

Reference

Training and certification

Most of what a working professional needs is free. Start there. Pay only for a certificate you will actually use.

≈4 minLandscape facts checked — re-verify before relying on them.
Reluctant ·start free Elements of AI Then: paidcourse Google AIEssentials→ basic pages Generalist ·free to audit Vanderbilt Primer+ PromptEngineering→ basic pages Then: free shortcourses DeepLearning.AI RAG+ agents→ intermediatepages Builder · startfree Anthropic Academy+ DeepLearning.AIshorts→ intermediatepages Then: free agentpath Google Skills BoostVendor cert:optional, paid Use the guide along the way Basic pages first · intermediate pages next
Three paths, mostly free. Green stops are free; amber stops cost money.

Free, and good

Course Who it fits Note
DAU Mission Assistance (and the DAU Virtual Campus) Everyone in DoD Will deliver a live, tailored 90–120-minute GenAI session for your team with the tools you actually use. Best first phone call.
Anthropic Academy Generalists and builders All courses free with certificate; the best free material on prompting, tool use, MCP, and agent design. The concepts transfer even where Claude itself isn't available to you.
Google Cloud Skills Boost Anyone using Gemini Free skill badges; directly relevant to GenAI.mil's incumbent.
DeepLearning.AI short courses Intermediate learners 1–2 hour free courses on prompting, RAG, and agents; the fastest way to get hands-on.

Also free and worth knowing: Digital University (Air Force / Space Force, open to DoD), Microsoft's "Generative AI for Beginners" on GitHub, Elements of AI (University of Helsinki, no math, ideal for reluctant learners), Harvard CS50 AI (free certificate via cs50.harvard.edu, for the technically inclined), and IBM SkillsBuild badges.

Low cost

Course Cost Note
Google AI Essentials (Coursera) About $49 for the certificate Well produced, non-technical
Vanderbilt / Dr. Jules White (Coursera): Generative AI Primer, Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT, Applied AI, Generative AI Automation, Generative AI Software Engineering Free to audit; about $49–79/month for certificates; Coursera Plus about $239/year covers all of them Best value if you will do more than one. The software-engineering course needs paid Claude Code / API access.
IBM Generative AI Fundamentals (Coursera) Same model

A suggested path

Learner Path
Reluctant / non-technical Elements of AI → Google AI Essentials → Parts 1–3
Motivated generalist Vanderbilt Primer + Prompt Engineering → Parts 1–3 → DeepLearning.AI RAG and agents shorts → Part 4
Technical / builder Anthropic Academy + DeepLearning.AI shorts → Part 4 → Google Skills Boost agent path (for Agent Designer) → a vendor cert if desired