If your end goal is to build and orchestrate, not just run pre-made tools, then yes — you should absolutely learn some coding basics. Not to become a full-stack dev overnight, but because otherwise you’ll always be bottlenecked when things break (and they will). What to focus on first: • Python → 90% of AI tooling is built around it. Learn how to write and debug simple scripts, manage virtual environments, and use libraries (torch, transformers, etc.). • Linux sysadmin skills → since you’re on PopOS, learn package management, permissions, logs, and networking basics. This makes installs cleaner and keeps your system secure. • Docker & Git → containerization and version control are essential if you want reproducibility and not “vibe coding.” • Prompt engineering is nice, but system design > prompts. Understanding how models connect to databases, APIs, and UIs will keep you relevant longer than knowing the perfect prompt hack. Hire vs learn: Hiring someone to set up a clean baseline is fine (especially for firewalls, reverse proxies, GPU configs). But if you don’t learn the basics yourself, you’ll always be stuck waiting on someone else. Think of hiring as a “jumpstart,” not a replacement. Future-proof skills: Focus less on “the model of the month” and more on core engineering. The people who stay relevant are the ones who know how to debug, containerize, deploy, and secure systems — regardless of whether it’s Llama 3.1 today or Llama 4.5 tomorrow.