Just about a year ago, we published a new grad guide to the world of work (we’ll be updating that soon, so stay tuned on that front). Most of the insights are still relevant and helpful. But there’s One Big Thing that is everywhere today that we didn’t cover then.
You might have guessed that it’s generative AI. Even though the technology is sparking a ton of excitement in every industry, the latest evolution in AI has also brought with it a collective anxiety about job displacement and robot overlords. Joking. Kind of.
Whether you’re a new grad or have a few after-college years under your belt, you might be worried that generative AI is going to disrupt the job market and throw a huge wrench in your career plans, particularly at the entry level. It’s true that generative AI is going to change the way plenty of us work, but there’s no sense in fighting against it. Embracing generative AI and learning the technical skills required to work with it, no matter what industry you’re going into, is probably a good idea.
But there are also “soft skills”—qualities that make you a valuable teammate and leader—that, no matter how the job market changes, will keep you employable: critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and flexibility.
Critical thinking
The thing that experts (such as the chairman of one of the world’s most valuable companies) say is going to be an indispensable skill in this brave new world is critical thinking. It’s “purposeful, reasonable, and reflective thinking when you are faced with complex issues and conflicting situations.” That includes probing and questioning assumptions, gathering info, and putting it all together into a well-reasoned argument.
Sometimes, asking the right questions can be more important than the answers themselves. As businesses and technologists focus on making sure AI is getting smarter and better, “what should we be doing now that we have created technologies, machines, and computers that can do all these things?” says author, chief innovation officer, and professor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. “I don’t know the definitive answer to this question, but I can tell you it’s probably not staring at your screen or phone for most of your day, clicking on boxes, and reacting to algorithmic recommendations to train AI to get even better.”
Intellectual curiosity
In 2019 BC (before coronavirus), you could sit in a conference room or classroom and raise your hand anytime you didn’t understand something, didn’t know the answer, or just wanted more info. You could be a blank slate, and what that meant, to your manager or boss or teacher, was that there was potential for you to grow and learn from those around you, so long as you made the most of the opportunity.
In the remote-work environment, it’s a little harder to replicate that idea in a literal sense, but certainly not impossible. And the point remains that being intellectually curious and seeking answers to questions you didn’t even know you could ask will get you far in life. Workers who stay focused on lifelong learning outperform their peers, after all.
Your employer might offer learning resources or offer to cover the cost of courses that could improve your skills. And if not, you can teach yourself almost anything online these days. (In response to our newsletter about generative AI, a teacher said that he used ChatGPT to help him write personalized lesson plans. Why not do that for yourself?)
Flexibility
When asked what advice one might give to young people just starting college or entering the workforce, one CEO said developing a mindset of flexibility and resilience is key: “They’re not just going to graduate with a degree in one area and immediately be employed in that area for the rest of their lives. It doesn’t work that way anymore. We’re all going to be learning, exploring, adding new skills to our portfolios. Changing jobs, changing careers. Our education needs to be a preparation for that mindset.”
Back to the robots: you might think AI already has all the answers, but there are an infinite number of questions left for you to ask.
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