How Young Professionals Can AI-Proof Their Career
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This episode is brought to you by Charles Schwab. Decisions made in Washington can affect your portfolio every day. Washington Wise from Charles Schwab is an original podcast that unpacks the stories making news in Washington. Listen at schwab.com slash Washington Wise.
Here's your money briefing for Friday, January 3rd. I'm J.R.
How does AI threaten entry-level jobs on the career ladder?
Whelan for The Wall Street Journal. As artificial intelligence helps to perform workplace tasks more efficiently, career coaches agree that many jobs on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder are at risk of elimination. But they say AI can't do everything. For younger professionals just starting out, there are ways they can AI-proof their job search and their entry into the workforce.
You are trying to develop your people skills because you can't really compete with a machine in terms of knowing a million facts. But you can compete with a machine in knowing better how to deal with people, how to see the big picture, how to organize a complicated project, how to get along with people.
Which human skills should young professionals develop to compete with AI?
We'll talk to Wall Street Journal reporter Bob Hagerty after the break.
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How can acting and improv classes build people skills that AI can't replicate?
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The current generation of college graduates is competing with AI in addition to other candidates as they look for work. Wall Street Journal reporter Bob Hagerty joins me to discuss ways they can AI-proof their search and their careers. Bob, where on the career ladder is AI expected to have the most impact?
Why is developing a distinctive voice or 'moderate misfit' identity important vs. AI?
probably at the beginning of the career ladder. But the thing is that nobody really knows to what extent AI will change the job market. The way forward is not exactly clear. There's no surefire formula for AI-proofing your career. But there are some good ideas.
I guess one of those is just to be prepared.
Yes. Another of the ideas is that if you're going to be competing against a machine, you might want to double down on your human skills.
How do big projects and cross-disciplinary portfolios make you AI‑proof?
such as communication and getting along with colleagues. In other words, your emotional intelligence or EQ. One professor of business psychology told me that AI most likely has already won the IQ battle, but the EQ battle may still be up for grabs.
But people's skills come more easily for some than others, right?
That's true. And for those who have trouble with people skills, it's a good idea to be really cultivating those while you're in school. And people come up with lots of different ways of doing that. At Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, one of the most popular undergraduate electives is called Acting for Non-Majors. And this is an activity that sort of forces you to overcome your fear of talking to strangers. And it helps teach you how to improvise and have fun with a group of strangers.
And how does that insulate you from AI?
You are trying to develop your people skills because you can't really compete with a machine in terms of knowing a million facts. But you can compete with a machine in knowing better how to deal with people, how to see the big picture, how to organize a complicated project, how to get along with people.
We often hear people talk about thinking outside the box. Why is that important when finding ways to protect your career from AI?
Well, one idea is that you don't want to seem like just everybody else.
What practical steps should young workers take to learn and use AI as a tool?
Matthew Roscoff, who's the vice provost for digital education at Stanford, told me that AI is like a B-plus student and can tell you what the average person would say. But he says A-plus work is the product of an individual brain with a distinctive voice. So you should be trying to develop your own voice and identity.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:22
2
How does AI threaten entry-level jobs on the career ladder?
0:22–1:05
3
Which human skills should young professionals develop to compete with AI?
1:05–1:44
4
How can acting and improv classes build people skills that AI can't replicate?
1:44–2:17
5
Why is developing a distinctive voice or 'moderate misfit' identity important vs. AI?
2:17–2:44
6
How do big projects and cross-disciplinary portfolios make you AI‑proof?
2:44–4:08
7
What practical steps should young workers take to learn and use AI as a tool?
4:08–4:46
8
What combination of EQ, breadth, depth and AI fluency do employers value most?
4:46–8:34
Speakers
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