Let’s be honest. Career counseling on most college campuses is the academic equivalent of giving someone directions with a blindfold on, while mumbling. It’s not malicious—it’s just outdated (…by about two decades). And if you’re a parent or a college student reading this, you’re probably feeling a cocktail of confusion, anxiety, and maybe a sprinkle of rage. You should. Because the path from college to career has been completely rerouted—and nobody updated the map.
Let’s zoom out.
A Brief History of Broken Promises
Back in the 1980s, getting a college degree meant you were essentially golden. You wanted to work in finance? Great—Wall Street was printing money. Engineering? Congrats, you were building America. Computer science? You were part of the vanguard. A bachelor’s degree was the career counseling—it told employers: “This person can read, write, and probably won’t burn the building down.”
Fast forward to the 1990s and early 2000s. The internet explodes. Suddenly, career paths that didn’t exist are becoming six-figure juggernauts. But here’s the twist: the playbook didn’t update. Colleges still pushed “follow your passion,” and kids kept majoring in fields with more debt than job prospects. Career counseling centers? Most were still handing out resume templates and advising students to “network.”
Sigh.
Now, we’re in the eye of the hurricane: AI, automation, conglomerate restructuring and consolidation, remote work, trade wars, and a job market that punishes the unstrategic.
Enter AI: The Great Career Re-Sorter
Since ChatGPT lit the world on fire in late 2022, AI hasn’t just changed how people work—it’s changed who gets hired. Employers don’t want warm bodies—they want hybrid professionals: people who understand both the domain and the tool.
Let’s break it down by industry:
Finance
Old-school finance jobs (think: analysts, auditors, middle-office roles) are getting vaporized by AI. Hedge funds and investment banks are now hiring fewer MBAs and more engineers. Quant skills are king. Python > PowerPoint. Data > Gut.
Advice: If you’re not learning to code, model, or run analytics, you’re on the bench.
Technology & Computer Science
Still hot. Still crowded. AI is both opportunity and threat. Coders are now competing with tools that can write code faster and better. But someone still has to supervise the machines.
Advice: Specialize. Cloud architecture, AI ops, data engineering. If you’re just “a CS major,” you’re a generalist in a specialist’s world.
Cybersecurity
Exploding. As everything goes digital, everything becomes hackable. Companies are desperate for cybersecurity professionals, especially those who can out-think machines and adversaries.
Advice: This is one of the few fields where you can make $150k without a degree—as long as you have certs, skills, and proof of work. It’s a great option for those who want ROI fast.
Informatics & Data Science
Sexy on paper, often bloated in execution. The field’s growing, but entry-level roles are increasingly automated. You need more than just a Coursera certificate.
Advice: Combine data skills with domain expertise. A data analyst who knows healthcare or supply chain isn’t replaceable—they’re invaluable.
Sciences
Biotech, environmental science, and health tech are sleeping giants. As climate change and aging populations reshape the economy, these fields will surge—but they require patience and postgraduate training.
Advice: If you’re in STEM, find a lab, a startup, or a grant-funded project while still in school. It’s not just what you know—it’s who sees you applying it.
The Real Risk? The Wrong Mindset
Most career counseling is built on three outdated ideas:
- Your degree determines your job. (Nope. Your skills do.)
- You have time to figure it out. (Nope. Sophomore year is late. Freshman year is strategy time.)
- Follow your passion. (Nope. Aim for what I’ve termed the intersection of Ability, Interest, and Compensation. Passion follows mastery.)
What Parents Can Do Right Now
- Encourage internships early—and often. One summer internship is a checkbox. Three internships is a narrative. Any job can be called an internship.
- Talk about ROI, not just dreams. Yes, every kid wants to “make a difference” (or make money) But that gets easier when you’re not living in your parents’ basement. Encourage careers that fund freedom first.
- Push for technical literacy. Your kid doesn’t have to be an engineer. But if they don’t know basic data tools, they’re flying blind.
- Fund skill-building, not just tuition. Pay for that SQL bootcamp, that AI course, that GitHub portfolio coach. These matter more than a minor in Communications.
What Students Should Do (Like, This Week)
- Build a “Proof of Work” Portfolio. Employers don’t care about potential. They want to see that you’ve shipped something—code, a design, a research paper, a data dashboard, anything.
- Learn AI Tools. ChatGPT, Midjourney, Copilot, Claude, whatever’s next. You don’t need to master them—just use them better than your peers.
- Stop treating LinkedIn like a funeral. It’s not just for people over 40. It’s your living resume. Post your projects. Comment on industry leaders. Build visibility.
- Find a mentor in your dream industry. Not a professor. A working professional. DM them. Ask smart questions. People help those who hustle.
- Clean Up your Online Persona. If you don’t decide what’s online about you, the world (or an algorithm) will do it for you. Make sure you’re posting stuff and updating profiles that represent your values.
The Next 5 Years: A New Hiring Economy
AI will continue to gut mediocre jobs. The middle is collapsing. You’ll either be in the room training the models, or outside asking them for a job. But here’s the upside:
- Great talent is now more visible than ever.
- Proving your ability is easier (and cheaper) than ever.
- And most of your competition is still snoozing.
Final Thought
The new economy doesn’t care where you went to school. It cares what you can do—and what you’ve done. That’s scary. But it’s also the most meritocratic moment we’ve had in a generation.
So skip the career center’s pamphlet on “How to Dress for an Interview” and start building proof, skills, and a reputation—before graduation.
And parents: be your kid’s venture capitalist, not their parachute.
Want more no-BS insights like this?
Check out Rob Danzman’s podcast The Better Semester, dive into his books, and subscribe for more deep dives on how to parent like a strategist, not a snowplow.