378: From Certifications to Careers: How Reskilling Pathways Are Closing the AI Talent Gap

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Kourtney Cross is a RiseUp with ServiceNow Graduate and Business Analyst at Leidos. With a background in accounting and operations, Kourtney saw a shift happening in the enterprise tech landscape and decided he wouldn't be left behind. He immersed himself in a new ecosystem, earned multiple certifications through the RiseUp program, and built his own hands-on projects to prove his skills to skeptics.

But his story isn't just about learning new software. It's about the grit it takes to pivot your career in public. Kourtney joins Dan Turchin to share what it really looks like to go from "credentials on paper" to delivering value in the AI economy, and why he believes compounded effort always yields success.

In this conversation, they discuss:

• Why Kourtney saw a market shift and decided to dive in headfirst, and how that decision became a pivotal career inflection point.
• How RiseUp with ServiceNow program enables ambitious early-career professionals to obtain certifications, build real skills, and pivot into future-proof tech roles.
• What certifications actually do, and don’t do, in the job market, and how Kourtney differentiated himself by building and showcasing a hands-on project.
• How to proactively leverage AI as a business analyst, from writing user stories to tightening requirements, instead of fearing job displacement.
• Where AI should accelerate productivity and where clear human boundaries still matter, especially in high-stakes areas like healthcare and admissions decisions.
• Why patience, resilience, and what Kourtney calls “compounded effort” matter more than credentials alone when breaking into tech and building long-term career momentum.

Resources:

• Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work Newsletter
• AI @ Work – Level One Leaders certification
• Connect with Kourtney on LinkedIn
• AI fun fact article
• On how AI can unleash human potential
• Explore more about RiseUp with ServiceNow