Shortly after AI World 2025, I had the pleasure of connecting with Jeffrey Malcolm, a Value Accelerator Operating Advisor working in the private equity space. The conversation was so insightful that I wanted to share Jeffrey’s story and perspective with our broader community.
Here’s how our discussion unfolded.
Hear the full conversation!
Beginning the Oracle AI Certification Journey
To set the stage, I began by asking Jeffrey to take us back to the beginning: Before he embarked on his journey with Oracle’s OCI and AI certification programs, what was his initial reaction? Was he excited, or did he approach with caution?
Jeffrey: I was skeptical about the OCI capabilities as they had little to no market penetration at the time. In my technology career, I built several enterprise applications on AWS, Azure, and GCP. However, OCI Cloud was new and my wife, Kay Malcolm, kept raving that it’s a new Cloud that’s faster, more secure, and cost-friendly. All of which is appealing to me as a CIO. I decided to take the certification to confirm Kay’s allegations and was pleasantly surprised once I pulled the covers back.
Empowering Career Growth: Family and Community Impact
I knew Jeffrey’s family played a role in this story, so I asked him to elaborate on his wife’s encouragement and how taking the free OCI Foundations training influenced his continuous learning.
Jeffrey: Kay took the OCI test first and passed with a 95% score. She encouraged me to take it as it was very informative. To be honest, I wanted to beat her score because I’m competitive. Upon passing and seeing the high quality of the content, we shared it with our network, looking to pivot their careers. We got tons of interest and ended up running a 1-month training session for a cohort of ~ 40 people. We provided office hours for those new to technology, explaining concepts that weren’t clear in the self-paced course. At the end, 30 people took the certification, and 24 passed. It was very successful as several people pivoted their careers into technology roles. Actually, one person doubled their salary after getting hired as a technical project manager.
Real-World Applications: AI Certification in Private Equity
It was clear the impact of certification extended well beyond just Jeffrey himself. Curious about how it influenced his professional interactions, I asked how, in his work as a Value Accelerator Operating Advisor in the private equity space, his foundational knowledge from Oracle’s AI certification empowers his conversations and builds trust with clients.
Jeffrey: The biggest value of the Oracle AI certification is that it gives me a clear, practical foundation for talking about AI without the hype. In private equity, clients want to know what’s real, what’s possible, and what’s worth investing in. When I can explain AI concepts in simple terms and connect them to their operating challenges, it builds credibility fast. They can now identify use cases that AI can solve, thus driving EBITDA growth. It shows them I’m not just repeating headlines. I understand the fundamentals well enough to help them think about AI in a grounded way, and that creates trust in the conversations we have about growth, efficiency, and value creation.
Encouraging Lifelong Learning with Oracle University’s AI Training
“You don’t need a technical background to understand the fundamentals, and the Oracle courses break things down in a really approachable way. Focus on learning the concepts, not mastering everything at once.”
Our conversation turned to how certifications are more than technical credentials—they also help build confidence and inspire new directions for professionals. Jeffrey offered encouragement for anyone uncertain about getting started.
Jeffrey: The biggest advice I give people is to just start. You don’t need a technical background to understand the fundamentals, and the Oracle courses break things down in a really approachable way. Focus on learning the concepts, not mastering everything at once. Confidence comes from small wins. Take the first course, try a hands-on lab on Oracle Live Labs, and let yourself be curious. My wife, Kay, created Oracle Live Labs as a love language to developers. They have 750+ hands-on labs that allow you to test what you learn on Oracle University. AI is moving fast, but that’s exactly why now is the perfect time to learn. The skills you build today will only grow in value.
Deepening AI Understanding: Technical Insights from an MIT Engineer
I wanted to explore the depth of Jeffrey’s personal learning journey, knowing he brings a disciplined, analytical approach from his engineering background.
Jeffrey: My background is in engineering at MIT. MIT taught me to look under the covers of all technology and do my due diligence before sharing best practices with my portfolio companies. Therefore, it was important for me to know the fundamentals of AI before sharing best practices with my portfolio. I started my training journey in January 2023, a few months after the release of ChatGPT, and my portfolio company’s interest in AI skyrocketed. I wanted to explain the difference between Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), and which business use case is best suited for each. What’s a vector database, and why is it needed for AI solutions? What is the difference between Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and AI Agents?
Multi-Generational Impact: AI Certification for the Whole Family
The family’s collective enthusiasm for AI certification proved inspiring, especially when I learned Jeffrey’s sons were also certified. I asked about the impact of this multi-generational approach.
Jeffrey: After seeing the success of the group, Kay & I wanted to encourage our sons to take the certification. For my youngest, it was to expose him to this new technology. For my oldest, a sophomore at Georgia Tech, majoring in Computer Science, it was to help him secure a summer internship. The certification gave them confidence and real vocabulary to talk about AI. For my oldest, it made a huge difference in his internship interviews because he could clearly explain what he’d learned and show initiative. It helped him stand out right away and secured a summer internship at Oracle with the OCI group. Actually, he’s going into his 3rd straight year as an Oracle summer intern in 2026.
AI Levels the Playing Field for Business and Technical Professionals
“When I say AI levels the playing field, I mean it’s a once-in-a-lifetime transformational technology that disrupts everything. “
Shifting gears, I asked Jeffrey to elaborate on his philosophy that AI “levels the playing field,” and what that means in daily practice.
Jeffrey: When I say AI levels the playing field, I mean it’s a once-in-a-lifetime transformational technology that disrupts everything. You’re not at a better advantage if you’ve spent your career in technology. Actually, I think you’re at a disadvantage because you will need to unlearn years of problem-solving that’s no longer relevant. For example, vibe coding, where programmers use natural language prompts to guide AI (e.g., ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini) to generate, debug, and refine code, shifting the focus from syntax to high-level intent, accelerating builds, and making coding more accessible. If you have an idea for a new business, you can, at a very low cost, build a minimal viable product (MVP) with a single developer instead of a larger team. Entrepreneurs will be able to bring several more products to market at a much lower cost.
Demystifying AI: Overcoming Fear and Misconceptions
“A lot of people I talk to still think AI is either going to replace them or that it’s too technical for them to ever understand. The fear usually comes from not knowing where to start. “
To close, I asked how he addresses the common fears and misconceptions he hears about AI, and how learning the basics can change those conversations from anxiety to opportunity.
Jeffrey: A lot of people I talk to still think AI is either going to replace them or that it’s too technical for them to ever understand. The fear usually comes from not knowing where to start. I tell them that AI is really just a tool, and learning the basics helps you see where it fits in your work and your life. Once they understand that it’s here to help them, not replace them, the conversation shifts. It becomes less about fear and more about opportunity.
I’m grateful to Jeffrey for generously sharing his story—a story about more than just technology or certification, but also the ripple effect of curiosity, learning, and paying it forward. For anyone considering a leap into AI or cloud, his journey proves you don’t need to start as an expert—you just need to begin.
If Jeffrey’s journey has inspired you to take the next step in your own career, there’s never been a better time to get started. Explore AI training and certifications from Oracle University , and unlock new opportunities for professional growth and innovation. Your journey into AI begins today!