What Next?

Last week I spent some time with my grandchildren and, typical of most adults when chatting with their grandchildren, I asked them what they hoped to do once they had grown up.   Before I tell you what they told me, let me say that just about everyone in their everyday lives has a graduate degree in different fields, and all are relatively successful in their careers.   Naturally, I expected them to say something that reflected their backgrounds, and I was not disappointed.   One wants to be a paleontologist, another an engineer, while one decided she wants to be a doctor, and the last one wants to be a businessperson and make lots of money.   I am convinced that this scene is repeated countless times in countless homes, and children often repeat what they think their parents want them to say.   Nothing wrong with that.   When I was 5 years old, I wanted to be a cowboy, but that gave way to a fireman, then a soldier and so on until finally I had to console myself with being a teacher.  

The truth of the matter is that when we are young, and maybe right up until we actually get the job, we have no real inclination as to what it takes to become a cowboy, nor what a cowboy does.   So, I guess my grandchildren will go through the same process, narrowing down their career options until it comes the time to choosing a career.   Except here’s the kicker.   Recently, Elon Musk said that with the arrival of AI, in the not-too-distant future, about the time my grandchildren are ready to hit the job market, there won’t be any jobs left for them.  Granted, Musk is prone to exaggeration; however, recent statistics seem to bear out some of what he says as being true. 

New graduates in computer sciences and coding are finding jobs nearly impossible to find, despite having been told for years that great jobs with large salaries were awaiting them.   I even told my grandchildren to be certain they are good coders because there is a future for them.   I might have to revise my recommendations.   Bill Gates urges young people to head to biosciences and energy, and AI.  This is happening while Wall Street banks are eliminating junior analyst positions, and LinkedIn is warning of breaking career ladder roles in financial and professional services.  Here is what I just read in an online journal: “AI is severing this chain. When algorithms can instantly generate code, analyze data, or update spreadsheets, companies eliminate not just individual jobs but entire developmental pathways.” (The Deep View, August 11, 2025).

Where then does all this leave my grandchildren?   What do I tell them?   How do I explain there may be no job for them in the future, and that based on what they are “learning” in school these days, they are basically wasting their time as they prepare for a job typical of the 1950’s when grandfather was born.  These are truly scary times, and I worry about their future.  I guess I should be ashamed since my generation will be leaving them a polluted world facing severe climate change and no jobs or security for them.  I want to have hope for them, but I don’t see where or how.