I went from zero IT knowledge to IT manager in 12 months. What made that possible?
Artificial intelligence.
Some think it’s going to take over the world. Others think it’s for lazy people who can’t be bothered to do their own work.
They’re both wrong — AI is a free, personalised tutor. An expert on any subject, available 24/7.
Why Traditional Self Learning Fails
Self-learning has never been easier. YouTube tutorials, online courses, endless articles — it's all there.
But there's a problem.
Traditional learning is passive. You watch a video, read an article, move on. When you don't understand something, you're stuck. The video can't answer your specific question. The book doesn't know where you're confused.
Even online forums and comments sections don’t solve this fully — context-specific guidance, formed in a way that works for your learning style, is ideal.
That's where tutors come in. They provide feedback. They answer your questions, clarify confusion, adapt to how you learn.
But tutors are expensive. AI isn’t.
Tutors go to bed at night. AI doesn’t.
You get tutors for a slot of their time — that’s the only time you can bounce ideas off them. Had a realisation in the middle of the night when you can’t sleep? AI is happy to talk.
As if that’s not enough, AI has access to an enormous amount of human knowledge.
Want to understand ancient civilisations? Marine biology? Aerodynamics?
Ask.
How I Actually Use AI to Learn
Countless times I’ve watched a YouTube video and understood maybe 30% of the concepts.
With AI, I’ll repeat the words, explain the context, and have it break things down step by step. I probably won’t get it first time — but between back-and-forth messages, it eventually clicks.
Here’s a real conversation I had while learning DNS.
Me:
It’s all well and good knowing that “DNS is the phonebook of the internet” but how does it actually work? How does the process of domain name resolution occur during internet searches and communications?
AI:
When you type 'google.com' into your browser:
Your computer checks its local cache — have I looked this up recently?
If not, it asks your DNS resolver (usually your ISP).
The resolver asks the root server: who handles .com?
The root server points to the .com TLD server.
The resolver asks the TLD server: who is authoritative for google.com?
The TLD server points to Google’s nameserver.
The resolver asks Google’s nameserver for the IP.
The IP is returned.
Your browser connects.
All in milliseconds.
The “phonebook” metaphor is the what.
This is the how — a chain of servers passing your request up the hierarchy until someone knows the answer.
I could watch a YouTube video on this. Or read a web guide. The information would be the same.
But what if I don’t know what the resolver is?
What if I don’t understand authoritative nameservers?
What if I want this explained in the wider context of networking?
You can’t ask a YouTube video to clarify.
You can’t quiz a website.
But you can ask AI.
Generating Practice
Another way I use AI is generating exercises slightly above my level.
Me:
Give me a practice question on subnetting.
AI:
You have the network 192.168.10.0/24 and need 4 subnets.
What subnet mask do you need?
What are the 4 subnet addresses?
What is the usable range of the first subnet?
How many usable hosts per subnet?
When I didn’t understand the concept, I asked it to break it down.
It explained:
- /24 means 8 host bits
- 8 bits = 256 addresses
- Borrow 2 bits → /26
- 2^2 = 4 subnets
- Each subnet has 64 addresses
It reframed it using analogies. It explained it in binary. It simplified it.
We went back and forth for 10 minutes until I could solve subnet problems independently.
That’s iterative learning.
Working Above Your Experience Level
AI doesn’t just help you learn theory.
It helps you learn by doing.
My first IT role involved managing a company’s entire IT infrastructure:
- Intune
- Entra ID
- DNS
- Domain hosting
- Device management
A lot for a beginner.
For example:
Our website showed “Not Secure”. I knew it needed HTTPS, but didn’t understand SSL certificates.
So I asked:
- What is a certificate?
- Why does it encrypt traffic?
- What is a certificate authority?
Once I understood the why, I asked how to implement it.
AI walked me through DNS migration, certificate generation, and installation.
When I hit errors, I pasted them in and asked what went wrong.
Three hours later, the site was secure.
And I understood the SSL/TLS process — not just which buttons to click.
That’s the difference.
The Framework
If you want to use AI like this:
- Start with the basics — watch a tutorial, read an overview.
- Ask AI to clarify confusion.
- Request practice exercises.
- Learn by troubleshooting.
- Iterate until it clicks.
If it’s practical, let AI guide you through the process.
If it’s theoretical, get it to generate exercises.
If you don’t understand something, ask it to reframe it.
Nothing is too complex if you’re willing to keep asking.
And AI is infinitely patient.
Conclusion
We are in the AI gold rush.
Access to high-level education is free, instant, and in your pocket.
I used it to break into a new industry.
Now I’m using it to become a web developer.
Start today.
Pick something you want to learn.
Open your AI tool of choice.
Start asking questions.
Ben Foster — IT Manager transitioning into web development and AI-powered systems.
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