Dear Friend - Welcome!

We all lead busy lives - and that's why this time - I'm jumping right into it:

1. One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

While growing up, my father taught me that often in life, we sometimes need to take a step back to take two steps forward.

Even though I didn't understand it at the time, in recent years I've seen how this applies to many situations in life, such as:

• Taking a lower-paying job, but with more opportunities for growth and later pay-offs.
• Taking a different project, but getting broader expertise and knowledge.
• Taking a break from stressful situations, but gaining perspective.
• Taking time off work, but returning refreshed and motivated.

Given the busy world we live in, I fully understand that it might be hard to find the time or having the opportunity to take a step back.

However, this rule never failed me and whenever I start feeling lost in my direction, exhausted or stressed, I do my best to 'take a step back', whatever that might mean for the given situation.

Afterwards, I always get to take two steps forward, and this is exactly what I'm aiming to provide with the course.

Interestingly enough, I did this just yesterday, as I took a step back to reflect on these waitlist emails, the direction I want to take and how to best inform you on the course before the launch - and my hope is that you'll see the two steps forward in the coming weeks.

2. AI's Explosive Growth

Ever since AI came to the global stage, I've been diving deep into it and, as you know, I made what is probably the world's biggest list of AI tools and resources for the AEC industry - the AEC AI Hub.

When I launched the Hub a year ago, there were 100 apps on the list.

Last time I sent you an email, there were 752.

And now, there are 888. 🤯

In the last week, I added 136 new tools, which is a lot more than what the list first launched with!

There's a lot of things I learned from this, but one thing is sure:

AI isn't going anywhere.

I say that, because similar to my decision earlier this year, a lot of people are starting their own companies and launching AI products - and that's why there's such a big update to the Hub.

This is great news, as all of these new startups mean a potential new way of solving AEC problems and making our world a better place.

Given that I understand that people don't need 888 solutions, but rather 1 that solves their problem, I realized a few big questions appear:

• How do we make sense of this whole AI craze?
• Which apps are true game changers?
• How do I choose which tool to use?

And the answers to these, and a lot more, is what I plan to provide within the Mastering AI in AEC course.

Taking a step back from constant deadlines, project-to-project rush, and having time to work on this full-time has allowed me to see things from a broad perspective, and I aim to provide everyone with the same.

3. Out of Many, One

A good friend of mine recently asked me this recently:

'Why a course for the whole AEC - what if I only want to learn about architectural rendering?'

Fair point, and this is my perspective:

I believe that having a broad understanding of the AEC will make you better at each individual part of it.

If you're an architect, learning about engineering and construction will help you to be a better architect - and vice versa.

In my career, I've worked on all three sides of the industry, and I know this has made me more well-rounded, as I could always reflect on what 'the other side' is having challenges with - and what I could do to help.

And that's why I'm creating a single course for the AEC - I believe that everyone would benefit from a deep understanding of the broader industry and how AI can help us communicate and work together in a more fluid way.

This is not to say I have anything against specialization, but I see that there are some more benefits of providing a single, yet comprehensive, course:

• It's helping you to have multiple options for your career, ensuring the longevity and relevance of the knowledge you gain.
• It takes care of your whole AI path and transformation, and not just small parts here and there.
• It's more affordable, given you aren't buying multiple different courses.

A comprehensive course doesn't mean a generalized one, and even though I don't plan on teaching specific software (where to click to get what), I do plan on naming the best tools for a given activity, allowing everyone to make the choice best suitable for them and their situation.

Moreover, I believe that the days of software taking years to learn is over, as most of the AI apps I tried and tested took less than a few hours to learn - but this is a story for another time.

Finally, I have something exciting cooking for next week's email - I'll publish the agenda of the 'Mastering AI in AEC' course!

Until next time:

1. Check out the updated AEC AI Hub, with 136 new apps added.
2. Remember to take a step back once in a while, as I truly believe this will give you the opportunity to take two steps forward.
3. Let me know if you have any last-minute requests on what to include on the agenda, but rest assured - I will do my best to cover the broad AEC and appeal to what many of you have been asking for.

Thank you for reading this far and have a blessed day!

Cheers,

Stjepan