You've built AI prompts, trained ML models, created image recognition solutions
10 professional tools companies actually pay for. $15-25/hour skills.
"Marcus finished 5 prompts. Am I slow? Do I belong?"
Speed ≠ Skill. Iteration + Refinement = Professional Work
Write a customer apology email
You are a customer success manager. Customer received shipment 5 days late. Write personalized apology email that: (1) acknowledges issue, (2) offers compensation, (3) includes prevention action. 150-200 words. Tone: apologetic but confident.
Dear Valued Customer,
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by your recent order. We understand how important timely delivery is to you. We are committed to improving our service and will do better in the future...
Best regards,
Our Team
❌ Generic. No specific details. No real solution. Feels like template.
Hi [Name],
Your order shipped 5 days late. That's unacceptable, and I'm personally sorry. Here's what happened and what we're doing about it.
We're upgrading our warehouse system next month to prevent this. Until then, future orders ship with priority tracking. Your next order qualifies for expedited shipping—no charge.
We value you. Let's make this right.
[Name]
✅ Specific. Actionable. Personal. Ready to send.
"You are a..."
"I have... The situation is..."
"Analyze... Write... Debug..."
"Format as... Include... Word count..."
Example: Data Analysis
"You are a data analyst for a retail company."
This tells AI the perspective to take, the expertise level, the context of their work.
Example: Data Analysis
"I have Q1 customer purchase data with 500 transactions. I need to understand who's buying what."
This provides the raw material and the business problem.
Example: Data Analysis
"Analyze the data and identify 3 distinct customer segments based on purchase patterns."
This is the actual work you're asking for. Be specific about what you want.
Example: Data Analysis
"Format output as a table with: Segment Name, Size (%), Top Products, Average Spending. Include one strategic recommendation per segment."
Format, word count, tone, structure—everything that makes output immediately usable.
ROLE: You are a data analyst for a retail company.
CONTEXT: I have Q1 customer purchase data with 500 transactions. I need to understand who's buying what.
TASK: Analyze the data and identify 3 distinct customer segments based on purchase patterns.
CONSTRAINTS: Format output as a table with: Segment Name, Size (%), Top Products, Average Spending. Include one strategic recommendation per segment.
Draft your prompt with ROLE/CONTEXT/TASK/CONSTRAINTS
Run it. See what AI gives you. Is it what you wanted?
Make it more specific. Better constraints. Better results.
Iterate until the output is ready to use immediately
You are a data analyst. I have customer purchase data. Analyze it to identify customer segments.
✗ Generic. Broad. Not actionable. Missing business context.
You are a data analyst for a retail company. I have Q1 customer purchase data with 500 transactions including: age, product categories purchased (Electronics, Home, Fashion, Sports), and spending. Focus on price sensitivity and product category preferences. Identify 3 customer segments based on purchase patterns. Format as table with: Segment Name, Size (%), Key Characteristics, Average Spending, and one marketing recommendation per segment.
✓ Specific. Structured. Immediately actionable. Ready for stakeholder review.
Analyze datasets, extract insights, suggest actions
Find errors, explain issues, propose fixes
Draft blog posts with SEO optimization
Synthesize papers into 1-page briefs
Create professional email templates
Create structured presentations with slide count
Generate technical interview questions + answers
SWOT analysis for companies/products
Brainstorm solutions with cost-benefit analysis
Map multi-step process improvements
Customer segmentation & insights
Find and fix code errors
Blog posts with SEO
Condense to 1-page briefs
Professional email templates
Structured presentations
Technical interview questions
SWOT analysis
Creative solutions
Process optimization
Some prompts will be faster. Some slower. That's perfectly fine. We're building quality, not racing.
Write your initial prompt and test it in ChatGPT
Document what changed and why you refined it
Note the business use case for each prompt
This IS your portfolio piece. Your professional work.
Student learning exercises
Tools companies pay $15-25/hour to create
Production-ready tools
Show refinement, not just first drafts
Add to your professional toolkit
$15-25/hour professional work
Marcus finished 5 already. Am I behind? Do I belong?
Speed ≠ Skill. Your thoughtful iterations matter more than completion speed.
Will be chained together into workflows
Even more powerful than standalone prompts
Designing systems, not just prompts
How companies actually use AI