The short answer
Yes… but only if you treat it as a core skill inside a bigger role, not a job title on its own.
The reality (the bit most people avoid)
“Prompt engineer” as a standalone job is already shrinking. Why? Because tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are getting better at understanding vague human instructions.
Translation: the bar is rising. Fast.
What’s replacing it?
- AI Product Managers
- AI Automation Consultants
- AI Content/System Designers
- AI-enabled Cyber & Data specialists
In other words, prompting is becoming like Excel:
Essential skill? Yes. Entire career? Not unless it’s 2003 again.
Expert view
Andrew Ng has said:
“AI is the new electricity.”
Which sounds dramatic, but the implication is simple:
You don’t get paid for using electricity. You get paid for what you build with it.
What “good” AI prompting actually looks like
It’s not typing clever sentences
Anyone can type:
“Write me a blog post”
That’s not a skill. That’s wishful thinking.
Real prompting is structured thinking
High-level prompting involves:
- Clear role assignment
(“You are a UK cyber security consultant advising SMEs…”) - Context layering
(industry, audience, constraints, tone) - Output control
(format, structure, length, compliance) - Iteration loops
(refine → test → refine again) - System thinking
(how this prompt fits into automation, workflows, APIs)
Example difference
Bad prompt:
“Explain cyber security”
Professional prompt:
“Act as a UK-based NCSC-aligned cyber security adviser. Create a practical checklist for SMEs with under 50 staff, including costs in GBP, prioritised by risk level, formatted for WordPress publication.”
One gets fluff. The other gets something you can actually sell.
We have produced an instantly downloadable comprehensive playbook ‘Is AI prompting actually a promising career path?‘ see our downloads section for this and more.
What you need to learn (the part people try to skip)
Core AI prompting skills
You need to understand:
- Prompt frameworks
(role → context → task → format → constraints) - Model behaviour
hallucinations, token limits, bias, variability - Iteration techniques
refining outputs without rewriting everything - Multi-step prompting
chaining outputs into systems
Technical understanding (non-negotiable if you want to earn properly)
You don’t need to become a full developer, but you do need:
- Basic APIs (how tools talk to each other)
- Automation tools like Zapier or Make
- Light scripting (Python or JavaScript helps massively)
- Understanding of data inputs/outputs
Because this is where money actually appears:
Turning prompts into systems that save or make businesses money.
High-income directions using prompting
1. AI automation for UK SMEs (very relevant to what you’re doing)
- Automate customer service
- Generate marketing content
- Build internal knowledge bots
Typical value:
£500 – £5,000 per setup
- monthly retainers
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2. AI content systems (not just writing posts)
- SEO pipelines
- News aggregation systems
- Social media automation
Basically what you’re already circling with your WordPress workflows.
3. AI + cyber security advisory
This is under-served in the UK.
- Secure AI usage policies
- Data leakage prevention
- Prompt injection risks
Pair prompting with NCSC guidance and suddenly you’re not “another AI person”.
4. AI product building
- SaaS tools
- Internal dashboards
- Niche business tools (like your cost trackers)
This is where the serious money is, but also where effort shows up uninvited.
Tools you actually need (not the 50-tool nonsense list)
Keep it tight:
Core AI:
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Gemini
Productivity:
- Notion (for prompt libraries & systems)
Automation:
- Zapier
- Make
Optional but powerful:
- Python (for scaling)
- WordPress (which you’re already neck-deep in)
What separates people who make money from those who don’t
The uncomfortable truth
Most people:
- collect prompts
- copy frameworks
- post on social media
…and earn absolutely nothing.
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The ones who win:
- solve specific business problems
- measure results (time saved, revenue gained)
- package solutions (toolkits, systems, retainers)
Example
“AI prompting expert” earns £0
“AI system that saves a plumbing firm 15 hours/week” earns £1,500+
Same tech. Different thinking.
The fastest path to making money (without pretending it’s easy)
- Pick a niche (you already favour UK SMEs)
- Identify 3 painful problems:
- admin overload
- slow marketing
- poor customer response times
- Build simple AI workflows to fix them
- Package them as:
- downloadable toolkits
- consulting setups
- monthly managed services
You’re not selling prompts.
You’re selling outcomes disguised as prompts.
Final reality check
Is AI prompting a good career?
- As a standalone job: fading
- As a high-income skill: extremely valuable
- As part of a business system: borderline unfair advantage
People who treat it like typing tricks will get replaced by better models.
People who turn it into systems will quietly invoice everyone else.
Annoying, but that’s the game.
Accelerate your learning
See our instantly downloadable comprehensive playbook ‘Is AI prompting actually a promising career path?‘ see our downloads section for this and more.
