What Four of Us Learned Building Careers in the AI Builder Program
Hey, I’m Dylan Haugen. I recently sat down with a few of the guys I work with in the AI Builder program, Sam McLeod, Jack Wendt, and Luke Crowson, and we just talked. No script, no polish. Just what this has actually been like for us. I want to share what came out of that conversation because I think a lot of people our age need to hear it.
Is this too good to be true
Sam kicked it off by saying what a lot of you are probably thinking. It sounds too good to be true, right? You get access to our team, access to Dennis Yu, and access to other people who are leaders in their industries. Sam’s answer was pretty simple. It’s not too good to be true at all.
And he would know. Sam is 22, he’s married, he’s still in school, and he’s learning how to do all of this while giving real feedback and making a real impact for local service businesses and people in the fitness industry. His life looks nothing like mine, or Jack’s, or Luke’s. That was his whole point. We all have completely different lives, and we’re all doing it. You can learn this, and you can do this.
It doesn’t matter where you live
We’re spread out all over the country. Well, except Sam and me. We live about an hour apart, which is honestly just a funny coincidence. But Jack made a great point here. No matter where you’re at and no matter who you are, this is something you can build a career from.
Why AI comes naturally to young adults
Jack talked about something I see all the time. A lot of the skills you need, you already have just from being a young adult. A lot of older business owners really don’t know what AI even is. Jack was careful to say he’s not trying to stereotype or belittle anybody, but it’s just what we’ve seen.
For us, it comes intuitively. We grew up on software that works in similar ways, so we recognize the patterns. It just comes natural. That’s why the program is mostly pointed at young adults. We believe there’s a real advantage in being young when it comes to AI and what we’re doing for local service businesses. And Jack was clear, if you’re not a young adult but you think you’ve got what it takes, go for it. We’d love to see you succeed.
Dunking, school, and still making time
For me, I’m still in high school, and I’m training to be a professional dunker. Okay, I am a professional dunker. Sam called me out for being humble on that one. I travel across the country winning dunk contests. So you’d think I’d have almost no free time, but I’m still able to put a lot of time into this and get a lot out of it.
What surprised me most is how transferable my skills were. I did social media for myself basically my whole life, and I had no idea how valuable that would be to local service business owners. A lot of you don’t realize how valuable you could be to them either.
And it’s not just people like me with some background. I have friends with literally zero experience. Just from scrolling Instagram, they have what it takes to learn these AI tools. It’s really not that difficult, especially for people growing up in this AI and social media age.
Finding purpose at 27
Luke brought a different angle. He’s 27, a little older than the rest of us. He was exploring, trying to find his footing, and then he got to meet Dennis at a digital marketing conference. In his words, it changed his life.
Now he gets to work with us, explore new skills, learn new things, and find purpose and direction. Luke said something that really stuck with me. At some point you hit 24 or 25 and you’re like, what am I doing with my life? This gives you something to put purpose behind. It makes you feel like you’re actually making a difference.
Knowing what I want at 20
Jack wrapped it up by talking about purpose too. We live in a time where purpose isn’t always clear. He sees so many people our age with no clue what they want to do. He was there himself a few years ago. Now at 20, he’s extremely confident in what he wants for his career and his life, and it’s something he loves. That’s true for all of us.
I hope you can tell the joy we have for this is real. We genuinely enjoy each other’s company. What we’re trying to do is build something where a bunch of young adults can come in and find that same joy we found.
If you’re a young adult and you want to start building your career, make an impact in people’s lives, and help business owners who really need your skills and your thinking, join the AI Builder program or just reach out to us. We’re happy to talk and happy to help however we can.
So let me ask you. If you already have the skills from growing up online, what’s stopping you from putting them to work?