It’s a straightforward formula: you go to high school, and either you jump straight into your chosen career path or go to college or trade school before landing your dream career. However, in today’s age, numerous variables have come in the way of that seemingly simple equation, making it harder to land the desired job.
Students often spend years building their portfolios, curating them to perfection. They’ve gotten the necessary degrees, participated in extracurriculars, and done an internship, only to find out that their highly polished portfolios ended up in the rejection pile. Perhaps it isn’t a matter of getting rejected from their desired job, but the fact that their desired job isn’t making any more offers to recent graduates in the first place, causing them to settle for other roles. This was the case with Ashely Terrell, who, despite having graduated from the University of Hawaii over a year ago with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, was unable to get a job offer to match her skills. She hoped to land a job that involved doing content strategy or marketing for a startup, but the only job offer she received after months of job searching was promoting power tool products at a local Home Depot. Terrell expressed how this job didn’t match her career aspirations and landed a new job at a local Marriott hotel with a pay cut; however, she was eventually laid off. This is just one instance of the brutal job market rearing its ugly head toward college graduates. The harsh struggles of securing a job apply to a whole generation of young people newly entering the workforce.
The World Economic Forum found that since January 2024, global entry-level job listings have decreased by 29 percentage points. As a result, there is more competition in the workforce, and Gen Z has certainly felt the tightening chokehold of the job market on their dreams.
Sander van’t Noordende from the World Economic Forum writes, “Gen Z talent appears to be settling for opportunities that don’t fit their long-term ambitions. In fact, almost half say their current role doesn’t align with their dream career.”
The reason behind Gen Z’s barriers to achievement is the tightening job market, inflation, and the rise of AI. In addition, businesses tended to overhire in the post-pandemic economy in 2021 and 2022. Many of these hires are still in the same positions, which has led many businesses to slow down their hiring process and stop looking for new roles. In addition, the rise of AI is another reason for the stagnant labor market. Even though AI isn’t necessarily replacing workers, businesses are still taking time to evaluate where they could use new employees and where AI can fill the gaps in their hiring strategies. The increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence appearing to take over human jobs has resulted in the frustration of many recent graduates. Terrell noted how AI has been taking over job listings that she is qualified for, leaving her with fewer opportunities to climb up the career ladder. The anger and bitter disappointment at having a cold, artificial hand snatching away job listings extends to many workers wanting to make the best out of their current careers.
The BBC states, “…According to new LinkedIn findings, workers are worried: 41% of professionals say the pace of AI change is taking a toll on their wellbeing.”
While the situation is disparaging, it’s not hopeless. In fact, there are ways to take advantage of AI in the workplace. The World Economic Forum reports that 55% of Gen Z already use AI for problem-solving in their jobs. Taking control of this technology and using it to fill in certain gaps or for problem-solving can help workers manage their time more efficiently. In addition, exposing workers to AI training can make an impact on how effectively the business is run. However, the focus of the workplace shouldn’t solely be on how AI can benefit the business, but also on how the workers themselves can advance to higher positions and make an impact. Currently, Gen Z is moving on faster from their positions when compared to older generations at the same point in their careers. Having career pathways with milestones can make Gen Z feel that they are progressing in their careers. Putting emphasis on the human aspect of a workplace rather than AI can positively impact those who want to move up in their careers. College graduates can also start to recognize that AI is shaping the workforce and the steps they need to take to come out ahead.
Aneesh Raman, the chief economic opportunity officer at LinkedIn, stated in a BBC interview, “96% of the average computer software engineer’s job is susceptible to being done by AI, either immediately or soon. This doesn’t mean the job goes away; it means that what it is to be a computer scientist changes. We start to see employers saying things like ‘If you have that computer science degree, do you have a philosophy minor so you can help me think about the ethical implications of what I’m building?’”
The shift in the job market is one marked by static career paths and traditional linear progression, to a more dynamic path where employees can be adaptable and attain the necessary skills to thrive with AI in the workplace.
“The predictable path used to be, ‘I got this degree now, give me that job,’” Raman said. “…Now, saying, ‘I got the degree,’ doesn’t say as much. You’ve got to say what it means.”
In addition to more dynamic career paths and adaptable skills, young workers are also investing in trade school. Chris Henderson, who got a degree in business management from New Jersey’s Rowan University, is one example of this. His search for a job within his salary range came to fruition, and he made the decision to work in his family’s electrician business. Henderson went to trade school for two years and now makes an annual salary of $72,000. Nevertheless, his business degree wasn’t for nothing. He plans to use it to run his family’s electrician business or to start his own contracting company. Henderson is an example of how young people can explore new career paths or trade school and be successful when their original plan didn’t work out. Despite the challenges in the turbulent market, Henderson and Terrell don’t have any regrets about going to college, stating it helped them find their passion and gain more independence and life skills. Jobs and career paths are constantly changing, but how a person chooses to manage their career is what leads to success.
“At LinkedIn, we’ve got data that 70% of the average job will have changed by 2030. We’re all going to be in new jobs, even if we don’t change jobs. But new types of jobs also get created. Influencer wasn’t a job 10 years ago. Data scientist wasn’t a job 20 years ago. So, we haven’t even started to see that yet, aside from AI jobs,” Raman said.
Fast forward a few years, and suddenly, the straightforward formula of getting a job after graduating from college doesn’t seem so simple. It’s getting harder for recent college graduates to find jobs, and AI has exacerbated that issue. People investing in a more dynamic career path and thinking about what unique skills or experiences set them apart in a competitive job market can make a difference. For the employees already dealing with AI in the workplace, being familiar with AI tools can help them get ahead in their careers. By being more adaptable and open to learning new skills, people can wrestle their jobs back from the cold, artificial claws threatening to take them away.
