How AI & Multiplier Skills Turn Remote Workers into High Earners

(Take the Skill Stacking QUIZ below!)

Chan Keng Ian is the fastest sports stacker in the world.

In just 4.753 seconds, he stacked his way into history – building, breaking and rebuilding formations in this curious global sport.

And he did it by stacking cups.

Sports stacking has been around since 1981. To play, you need to stack 9-12 plastic cups in predetermined sequences as fast as possible. Dexterity, speed and focus are your greatest allies.

It’s just you against the clock.  

But here’s thing. Chan isn’t just fast – he’s strategic.

In Malaysia, you learn cup stacking in school. Most kids either specialize in a single formation, or become halfway decent at all of them.

Chan knew to compete neither strategy would work – he had to master sequencing itself. This shaved off vital milliseconds and made him untouchable in competition.

That’s what separates him from other stackers. And it’s the EXACT same strategy that separates high earning remote workers from everyone else.

Except in your case, it’s not cups – it’s the right sequence of SKILLS.

Stack these fast and strategically and you will be untouchable in your career.

What is Skill Stacking? (And Why It’s the Key to Higher Pay)

I came across the term a few years ago – but it feels WAY more important now.

Skill stacking is when you gain a wide range of skills, instead of hyper focusing on one specific skill. Yes, like they told us to do in school.

Your unique talent stack is meant to enhance your value on the open job market.

• A writer learns SEO and digital marketing to attract more readers
• A programmer learns multiple coding languages for versatility
• A graphic design learns UX to create better products
• A salesperson learns data analytics to close bigger deals

…you get it.

Skill stacking can be done in a huge variety of ways. 

In the old (and sometimes still present) days, it meant supporting specialist goals. These individuals would work their heads off to become the best in the world at ONE THING.

The more you specialize – the more in-demand you are – right?

• Specialists earn more (especially as they rise in the ranks)
• They have greater expertise and in-depth knowledge

So, generations of people in tech specialized and specialized. And now they’re screwed. Because the higher you go, the less opportunities there are.

Now add in restructuring, layoffs, RTO and bad managers.

And with disruptive tech like AI changing EVERYTHING – being a pure specialist amps up your chances of redundancy. Skill stack poorly, and you’ll find yourself out of a job.

Traits like precision, efficiency and pattern recognition have value, but you better have more to offer in fast-moving environments.

Being a specialist with outlier skills in tech is a dangerous game.

These days generalists tend to fare better. They’re more adaptable, have broader skillsets and get a lot more job offers because they can pivot at greater speed.  

OC Tanner did a great research report on this:

• 50% of employers favor generalists (broad skills across multiple disciplines)
• 63% of employees say more generalists have been hired in the past year
• 59% of employees say more generalists are employed than specialists

“If you think extraordinary talent and a maniacal pursuit of excellence are necessary for success, I say that’s just one approach, and probably the hardest. When it comes to skills, quantity often beats quality.” – Scott Adams

You can see how generalists would thrive in destabilized tech environments. Traits like versatility, speed and big-picture thinking are useful – but they’ll only get you so far.

Like specialists, if you over generalize your skillsets – planning them poorly, you’re going to end up as the average of averages. Thinly spread with no real taste to go around.

The REAL work happens outside of extremes.

It happens when you learn to stack the right skills in the right sequence.

Don’t choose between being a specialist or a generalist. Be strategic! Know where you are, what you need next and which skills create the biggest multiplier effect.

• Specialists need versatility to stay relevant
• Generalists need to deepen expertise to increase their value

Becoming a hybrid of these two = unlimited success.

You’ll earn more because:

• More Value = More Pay: Companies pay a premium for talent that can wear multiple hats AND be subject matter experts in their domain. A programmer who understands AI and automation isn’t just a coder - they’re a force multiplier for any tech team.
• Higher Demand, Less Competition: Specialists are common. Generalists are flexible. But true hybrids are rare - and uncommon skill stacks command higher pay. They fill gaps that neither a pure specialist nor a generalist can.
• AI-Proof Careers: AI is FAST replacing single-task specialists. Hybrids adapt, automate, and evolve, making them future-proof and harder to replace. But they’re also uniquely positioned to use AI effectively within their niches.
• Lightning Career Growth: Companies prioritize high-impact problem solvers. A hybrid (multi-skilled) remote worker can jump between roles, lead cross-functional projects, and move up the ranks faster than someone locked into a narrow skill set.

Skill stacking has evolved to mean: Combining complementary skills for multiplicative career impact, as you need them.

Let’s learn how to do that.

Specialist, Generalist or … Both? The Quiz to Find Out!

Accessing the right skills, in the right order at the right time – shew.

That’s powerful.

The first step is knowing where you are in your skill stacking journey. So, I built this quiz to give you an idea of what your leanings are.

Pay attention – your skill stacking style matters to your bottom line!

Take the quiz below!

*Scroll down in the window to get your results after clicking the button!

3 Ways to Build & Enhance Your Skill Stack (Starting Today)

Skill stacking isn’t random – it’s the science of strategy.

Every remote worker operates with a certain amount of collected career capital. This is a mix of skills, experience and credibility that determines how much you can earn.

The difference between average and top pay is how WELL you stack and leverage that capital. If you want to earn more than other people, you need to be willing to make strategic skill stacking your PRIMARY skill.

Chan Keng Ian literally engineered his success.

He knew his primary strengths: speed, precision, and reflexes. But raw talent wasn’t enough. To become a world champion, he stacked the right skills in the right order. He sharpened multiplier skills like sequencing and hand-eye coordination, turning crucial milliseconds into that competitive edge.

He didn’t waste time on skills that wouldn’t serve him - he built a T-shaped stack with purpose, going deep on his strengths while adding just enough versatility to dominate every event.

That’s the secret.

Master what makes you great. Stack what makes you unstoppable.

Here’s how:

• Identify the right skills to stack (not just learning without direction)
• Build T-shaped skill stack through ongoing, intentional learning
• Master multiplier skills (like AI) to amplify everything else you do

#1: Analyzing Your Talent Stack

You’re a multi-talented, multi-skilled individual.

But have you ever sat down and actually looked at all of your key skills? They’re not doing you any strategic good living in your head. Get them out.

Grab some paper, your fridge whiteboard or your friendly neighborhood LLM – whatever works.

• List every skill you have
• Sort them into hard and soft skills
• Give them a proficiency rating out of 5 (be honest)
• Apply it to your current industry (which skills are most in-demand?)
• List some skill gaps
• Explore skill stacking (which skills complement each other)

Top Tip! Get ChatGPT or Claude to help you with this and make it a fast, easy process.

A writer working at a marketing agency will end up with this:

Top Skill: Writing

Most In-Demand Skills:

• SEO writing is valuable for content marketing
• Copywriting & storytelling make content engaging and persuasive
• Data analytics helps measure what content works

Skill Gaps:

• AI Automation & Prompt Engineering – Can speed up writing workflows
• A/B Testing & Analytics – Helps prove ROI of content
• Video Scriptwriting – Expands reach beyond text

Basic Example Stacks for Writers:

• SEO + Data Analytics → Higher-ranking, performance-driven content
• Copywriting + AI Automation → Faster, more scalable sales copy
• Storytelling + Video Scriptwriting → Expands audience through multimedia
• Content Writing + Digital Marketing → Monetizes writing skills

Once you have your talent stack (and I mean every skill) you’re ready to build!

#2: Build Your T-Shaped Skill Stack

Here’s what we know.

• Skill gaps are widening: 70% of HR teams have skills gaps in their company
• There is a HIGH demand for the right kind of skilled talent in tech

Being able to build a skill stack that can change is key to your future.

The BEST way to do this is with the T-shaped skill stack. It leverages the power of specialist and generalist skills to create a talent stack that works in the job you’re in.

• The vertical bar in the T: Your expertise and depth of skill in your field
• The horizontal bar in the T: Broader knowledge across multiple areas

So, when you’re creating your T-shaped skill stack you focus on a primary skill that has a lot of rich expertise directly related to your job, and then build complementary, related skills that could apply to other niches or departments alongside it.

In other words: You’ll be a subject matter expert in one area – but have knowledge in many others.

THESE employees are incredible gap fillers. They make perfect hires because they have all the benefits of a specialist, with all the usefulness of a generalist on their side.

Plus! T-shaped skill stacks can be re-sequenced.

• They up your value because they make you MORE effective
• They tap your problem-solving powers (pulling from multiple disciplines means patterns, connecting dots and solving problems gets easier, a top performer trait)
• They make expansion easier, pivoting to new positions faster and fresh challenges simpler to crack because you learn in different directions!

What is your job right now? Does your T-stack match it?

Find, build or re-sequence the stack that fits you to a T.

#3: Add Multiplier Skills (And How AI is the Ultimate One)

So remote workers earning 6 figures aren’t necessarily the best at one thing – or many things - they’re the best at combining things.

Synthesis. Sequence. The ability to stack as needed.

Everyone has a skill stack that they tap into. But not everyone can amplify those skills depending on what is needed in the moment.

That’s where multiplier skills come in – and they’re a great way to skyrocket your value.

A multiplier skill is an ability that amplifies all of your other skills and makes you a much higher value individual as a result.

They’re literal force multipliers!

Public speaking is a popular one – because it positions you for leadership and mentoring. 

Being a fantastic software engineer is great. But being one who can speak publicly and clearly communicate complex niche topics? Invaluable.

Multiplier skills include things like learning, critical-thinking, problem-solving, async management, data literacy and leadership.

Are you using any multiplier skills yet?

The ultimate force multiplier right now is AI.

• Speeds Up Learning: AI tools help you acquire new skills faster, cutting learning time from months to mere weeks. Sometimes days.
• Automates Repetitive Tasks: AI can take care of your grunt work, freeing you up to focus on high-impact, strategic tasks. You’ll get a LOT more done.
• Enhances Every Skill You Already Have: Whether you're a writer, developer, or marketer, AI will boost your creativity, productivity, and decision-making. Workers using ChatGPT finished 12% more tasks, 25% faster and at a 40% higher quality bar than before. Imagine what you could do!
• Expands Your Skills: AI lets you do more with less, allowing a single person to work like they’re an entire team. According to MIT, top performers are seeing a 40% productivity lift.
• Makes You Future-Proof: Learning how to use and apply AI strategically makes sure that you're not replaced by it.

Master AI, and every skill you have becomes exponentially more valuable.

So, chart out which multipliers will get you where you need to be!

Making Your Skills Stack Up This Year

Skill stacking needs to become a priority in your career.

Chan Keng Ian didn’t break records because he was the fastest - he broke them because he was the smartest stacker in the game.

He knew exactly which skills to sharpen, how to sequence them, and when to adapt. That’s what made him a world champion.

Top earning remote workers do exactly the same thing.

They don’t just collect rando skills!

They intentionally, strategically collect and stack them. They sequence their growth, layer on multiplier skills, and leverage AI to amplify everything they do.

Isn’t it time you started skill stacking with INTENT?

Here’s your winning formula:

• Know your primary skills & strengths (and build on them)
• Stack complementary skills that multiply your impact (and income)
• Use AI to accelerate learning and performance (for growth)

The job market is a shifty uncertain monster right now.

Sure, some specialists will do great, and some generalists will thrive. But most will sink into mediocrity. 

Those of us who focus on becoming that rare hybrid of both – who can skill stack and re-sequence like a world champion – the future is ours.

So – how do your skills stack up?