How to Earn 15 to 20 Lakhs Without Spending Lakhs on Private College Fees

Sounds like a dream, right? I know! In today’s time, where AI is busy replacing jobs, a salary package of 15 to 20 lakhs seems like a distant dream. But guess what? It’s possible! According to reports, AI will replace 300 million full-time jobs in the next three years. Some companies have already started replacing their employees with AI. But did you know this very AI can unlock the doors to your success too? Let’s find out how!

The Growing Impact of AI on the Global Economy

As per a study, by 2030, AI’s share in the global economy is projected to reach a whopping $15.7 trillion. Giants like Amazon, Google, NVIDIA, Accenture, and Intel are on a hiring spree for AI talents. The reason is simple: AI is currently the freshest skill-based industry with a massive demand for experts but a significant shortage of skilled employees.

No matter which sector you look at today, the demand for AI experts and developers is skyrocketing. This is why even entry-level positions are offering attractive salary packages. So, if you’re looking to build a career in this futuristic industry, this guide is for you. Today, we’ll explore the best free courses to become an AI developer in 2025. But before you dive into these courses, there are a few basics you need to cover.

Essential Skills to Learn Before Starting AI Development

1. Mathematics – The Backbone of AI

Before you aspire to become an AI expert, understand that mathematics is the core of this industry. Concepts like Linear Algebra, Matrices, Determinants, Matrix Multiplication, Eigenvalues, Vectors, Probability, and Statistics are fundamental. You can find plenty of resources on YouTube to brush up on these topics. One recommended resource is the YouTube playlist by John, where all these concepts are well summarized.

2. Python Programming Language

If you’re already into computer engineering or coding, you might be familiar with Python. But for non-technical students who want to break into AI, here’s the deal: Python is the most widely used programming language in AI. Just like you need a language to communicate with people, you need a programming language to communicate with computers—and Python is that language!

From Machine Learning to Web Development and Data Science, Python is everywhere. To land AI-related jobs, having a solid grasp of Python is a must. The best part? You can learn it for free on the FreeCodeCamp YouTube channel.

3. Mastering Python Libraries

Once you’ve got Python basics covered, it’s time to move on to its essential libraries. While you can’t learn them all at once, at least three are a must for AI-related jobs:

NumPy
Pandas
Matplotlib

These libraries simplify tasks related to coding models and machine learning. FreeCodeCamp also offers learning material for these.

4. Machine Learning – The Game Changer

Now, let’s talk about the most crucial part: Machine Learning (ML). In countries like the US and Europe, machine learning is one of the most in-demand job profiles with a starting salary ranging from 17 to 30 lakhs per year.

What is Machine Learning?

Think of a 3-4-year-old child. When you show them a new thing, you use images, text, and numbers to explain it. The child stores this information and recognizes that object the next time they see it. Similarly, AI can’t identify or understand anything unless it has related data in its algorithms. ML is all about training these algorithms.

Where to Learn:

The Tech With Tim YouTube channel offers a free, full course on machine learning. It covers everything from supervised learning to reinforcement learning.

5. Harvard’s Free AI Course

For those aiming for a long-term career in AI, Harvard University offers a free course titled “CS50’s Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python”. While the course is free on edX, you’ll need to pay if you want a certificate. This course covers topics like game-playing engines, handwriting recognition, and machine translation in detail.

6. TensorFlow – Mastering Deep Learning

Next up is TensorFlow, a short course by Google designed to teach:

Keras
Deep Neural Networks
Optimizing Weights and Biases

This course is perfect if you want to learn how to create and train AI models.

7. AI for Everyone – Non-Technical Learners

If you don’t have a technical background but want to understand AI’s impact, the “AI for Everyone” course is ideal. It’s designed for non-technical learners and covers the basics of:

Machine Learning
Deep Learning
Neural Networks

8. Machine Learning Specialization by Andrew Ng

For those who want to dive deeper, Stanford University’s AI expert Andrew Ng offers the “Machine Learning Specialization”. This course teaches how ML tools solve real-world problems effectively.

9. Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Ever wondered how AI reads and understands text? The answer is Natural Language Processing (NLP).

You can learn about it for free from Stanford’s “CS224N” YouTube playlist.

10. Generative AI – Learning ChatGPT

You’ve probably heard of ChatGPT, but do you know how it actually works? The “ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers” course by DeepLearning.AI can help you understand that. It covers everything from basic language models to image generation.

11. Deep Learning – Training AI Like a Human Brain

Have you ever wondered how virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri understand our emotions and respond accordingly? That’s Deep Learning—a field where AI is trained to respond to situations like a human brain. This skill is among the most in-demand in the AI industry. The “Deep Learning Specialization” by DeepLearning.AI is available for free.

Thanks for reading!

Best free courses to become an AI developer in 2025