I do not have children, but I worry about this too. My hope is that the utopian outcome is where we are headed. My eternal optimist part wants to believe that this shift will lead to a new focus and appreciation for human creativity and expressions of that. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
So many thoughts. My eldest was in college during lockdown so there were no internships and no job openings for a couple years as companies tried to figure out how to get people back in the office or work remotely. Meanwhile new grads were coming in annually. Currently, almost all of his friends still do not have stable employment despite having degrees from top schools. Thankfully my youngest is graduating and received a job offer but the differences between the two are worrying. I feel like those college pandemic kids are going to be a lost generation. And now we have this current economic situation.
I so agree with you on critical thinking. We need that badly. Humans have a very difficult time understanding statistics. They often see statements as binary and often overestimate potential impact without considering the "bell curve". College also gives kids great exposure to those who are different than their upbringing, giving them a better understanding of humanity and our world. I suspect this is why this administration wants to kill our world renowned university systems.
Congratulations to your new graduate and the job offer! I also know of recent year graduates who are still trying to find their paths. I have faith that it will happen but it might take a little longer. This is what I keep telling myself! They will find their way. And yes, it's very short sighted what the administration is doing to institutions. This is going to hurt our country more than they want to admit. I am very worried for the international students right now, including new friends that my younger one has made her freshman year. None of this makes much sense.
The environmental impact of AI is what truly astounds me. In an ideal world, the true cost of AI should be disclosed up front (just as the true cost of... everything, in terms of energy output, should be). The idea of half the country being jobless while AI centers burn through the last remaining fossil fuels brings us into dystopian sci fi future much faster than I had imagined. Thanks for writing a thought provoking and... prescient? oof, essay
I think it's totally crazy that the environmental impact doesn't come up as much as it should! We have no environmental guardrails and it's still unknown what the impact is. So I guess we're just forging ahead and we'll just...find out??
Such good timing for this article. I've been reading the same things you're reading and thinking about my kid... she's not even in 8th grade and I'm wondering what the hell the world is going to look like in 5 years when she's ready for whatever comes after high school. I'm thinking of encouraging her to be a plumber.
I hope things shake out a bit when she enters college. At least the orange felon will be out of office by then, but maybe not the administration. Fingers crossed. As far as AI, we might have a better sense of the implications by then, who knows, or maybe we will be in a reality where half of entry level jobs are gone, just as predicted. Uncertainty makes it hard to plan anything - that's what's been so frustrating for current and recent crop of college students.
Such a good read. Thank you, Jenna. I love the emphasis on not knowing.
My daughter started college in 2018. At the time, the world was feeling more uncertain, so thinking too far ahead didn't seem very useful. So I told her to focus on:
Staying grounded in yourself and connected in healthy relationships
Finding something (anything!) that interests and challenges you
Avoiding debt aside from small student loans if needed
If you're able to manage those three things generally, I told her not to worry about where you'll be next. Just enjoy where you are now.
My son just finished his first year of college. The world feels even less predictable. So I go back to telling him those same three things. He's going on a road trip to Wyoming with the geology club this month. They'll be camping and digging for fossils. He'll probably never become a paleontologist, but I know experiences like those help young people in whatever they end up doing later.
Good solid advice, Daphne. Apart from that, not sure what else to tell them. Above all, we just want our kids to be happy, decent, and empathic people. My kids struggled to land internships or research this summer, so they are working jobs, volunteering in their science majors and the younger one will continue the research lab she joined this spring at school when she goes back. Apart from the initial disappointment, it's been a decent summer so far. Sounds like a fun trip for your son!
Great read, Jenna. You dove into so much the human costs of AI, which is only half the battle because of the environmental costs and how it feels like people still don't factor that in when they choose to use AI to do something. (This was, admittedly, one of the thoughts that also popped in my mind when I went on a first date with someone I met through the apps and she seemed surprised that I didn't use ChatGPT to clean up or form my messages to her, which them surprised me.) Regardless, the changes I want to how people approach AI and the hopes to how we view college as more than just a job factory for students and more as a place for intellectual and emotional growth don't feel possible without the destruction of this consumption-driven capitalism. Unfortunately because of the ones we have in power right now, the preservation of that system is their highest priority so that they're shielded from these human consequences of AI and devaluing of education--because let's face it, this job-producing mentality toward schooling starts at the earliest levels with how much we emphasize standardized tests--that we're slowly starting to realize the full scope of.
Yes, we discussed this briefly in a comment above, but so little is said about the environmental impact. It's pretty alarming that it's always glossed over. And I know I didn't focus on it here, but it's because it really deserves its own discussion.
And wow, someone expected you to use ChatGPT to check over your messages? Lol. Is that people are expect now that we all use it for everything?? And if so, fine, but really strange to ask that out loud!
This ChatGPT revelation was news to me! I know I’m a good writer and that’s why my texts come out smooth! Now it’s made me wonder if she’s used ChatGPT to check her work before messaging me lol
Most employment climates always say don't bother, you can't get anything these days. Keep applying anyway. The pandemic was the worst but i kept applying. I've always found something and have changed jobs many times in my life. I am not a remarkably intelligent or well-connected person. I think i just didn't listen to the statistics and news and kept my eye out for what I wanted. You'll find a way if you don't believe it when they say there is nothing for you or yours.
Not much to do but keep applying, yes! The pandemic was bad—and we had to close our food business because of it — but the AI ramifications for jobs is a complete upheaval of the labor dept, much like computers, much like the internet. Time will only tell.
You speak what’s in my head. I don’t even know what to say to my kids about jobs. Part of me feels like I set them up by saying “study what you love,” but like you say…it has changed dramatically in just a few short years. My head spins.
I really feel for your kid’s generation and beyond. Jobs will evolve as AI becomes more prevalent, but I don’t hold a utopian view of how it’ll be utilized. I might be pessimistic, but it’s only going to help the rich become richer and everyone else will be fighting for scraps, financially.
The way companies are using tech is extractive environmentally and does little to actually make people’s lives “easier” whatever that means. Most jobs will continue to wring the most out of fewer employees, while those tossed out of higher paying jobs will create more of a crowded field for lower paying jobs.
Top that off with the long-term governmental and social damage being inflicted by the current administration, it’s going to be a tough road. I wouldn’t know what to tell my kids if I had any, myself. So much is being upended and changed at such a rapid pace that it’s probably best to just flip a coin at this point. I have a lot of tepid action about the future of the country and world, but there’s still a little bit of an optimist in me hoping that more strongly positive voices and actions will eventually prevail.
Yeah, everything you said. I didn't want to write such a pessimistic downer of an essay, so I kept some restraint and trying to practice a little optimism overall. I think we'd all go crazy if we didn't. But the truth is, most people aren't aware of what's coming. Systems are designed to help the rich get richer—historically that's always been true. Generational wealth is going to be so much more important and that will perpetuate the wealth divide. Younger generations in general aren't going to have more wealth than their parents or grandparents. I can sense in my friends' thinking (and myself) that we are already thinking along these terms. I don't really know how else I can help my kids except to teach them to start investing early, even now with their minimum wage summer jobs.
This trend may inevitably feel harsh for children who have spent more than a decade diligently honing themselves, but I believe that those who have continued to refine themselves with sincerity, even in the midst of chaos, won’t be entirely pushed aside. (Apologies if this sounds like naive optimism.)
I think this is less a time for finding the right answer and more a time for taking a wide view—like a Go or chess player—and cautiously placing thoughtful, strategic moves here and there.
Each move may not lead to immediate results, but perhaps such actions could, in a safe way, guide the unintentional germination of the probabilities we hold.
As you said, this chaotic world runs on probability and statistics, and it seems increasingly clear that the world values not the ability to drive life, but to operate it.
I appreciated how your sharp insight felt attuned to the speed of reality. Thank you for the thoughtful piece.
Even if it's naive optimism, really appreciate reading this today. I like your take on the navigating the changes. It reminds me that life is a series of small steps, progressive, but also sometimes regressive, but steps nonetheless. Thank you.
It really gets to some of my biggest concerns. And I keep telling people in my English department that I realize we are dealing with systemic issues that stretch far beyond just our school, but we have to do something.
Your resident optimist here! (Who’s also terrified, btw) Gunning for what will invariably be an opportunity to push resilience in our kids as a primary skill. Like, prioritize. Emotional, tactical, intellectual, economical resilience.
You’re so right about the pendulum having swung too far toward the ‘guarantees’ we’ve supported via higher learning; I personally think it’s generations in the making, really nailed by the Boomers’ disappointment in their own inability to change the system.
My hope is yours, that we’ll return to teaching our young adults how to be thinkers, curators and social contributors—less as subtext to capitalist-driven careers, and more as the through line between the myriad things they can do to support themselves financially AND soulfully.
I'm glad for the optimists. I'm too much of a realist, but trying not to go down the pessimism route because that feels too dangerous. The truth is, everyone is speculating and no one really knows where we will be in 5, even 2 years. Teaching our students exactly what you have listed, will forever be valuable whatever happens.
My daughter is graduating college next week with a graphic design degree (and hope to be an illustrator) and the only thing I know for sure to tell her is that she has a home to come back to while she searches for a job. Lots of questions and no great answers. Every adult she talks to in the industry got their first job through a friend which isn’t very helpful advice… for now she’s patching together some freelance work and watching job boards daily. It’s rough out there!
Firstly, congrats on the huge achievement for your daughter! Second, crazy how we now all have adult children now, yes? And yeah, networks and connections is now more important than ever.
I do not have children, but I worry about this too. My hope is that the utopian outcome is where we are headed. My eternal optimist part wants to believe that this shift will lead to a new focus and appreciation for human creativity and expressions of that. 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
All we can do is keep living and creating right? We’re not stopping by this train from happening. Optimism is good!
Exactly!
So many thoughts. My eldest was in college during lockdown so there were no internships and no job openings for a couple years as companies tried to figure out how to get people back in the office or work remotely. Meanwhile new grads were coming in annually. Currently, almost all of his friends still do not have stable employment despite having degrees from top schools. Thankfully my youngest is graduating and received a job offer but the differences between the two are worrying. I feel like those college pandemic kids are going to be a lost generation. And now we have this current economic situation.
I so agree with you on critical thinking. We need that badly. Humans have a very difficult time understanding statistics. They often see statements as binary and often overestimate potential impact without considering the "bell curve". College also gives kids great exposure to those who are different than their upbringing, giving them a better understanding of humanity and our world. I suspect this is why this administration wants to kill our world renowned university systems.
Congratulations to your new graduate and the job offer! I also know of recent year graduates who are still trying to find their paths. I have faith that it will happen but it might take a little longer. This is what I keep telling myself! They will find their way. And yes, it's very short sighted what the administration is doing to institutions. This is going to hurt our country more than they want to admit. I am very worried for the international students right now, including new friends that my younger one has made her freshman year. None of this makes much sense.
The environmental impact of AI is what truly astounds me. In an ideal world, the true cost of AI should be disclosed up front (just as the true cost of... everything, in terms of energy output, should be). The idea of half the country being jobless while AI centers burn through the last remaining fossil fuels brings us into dystopian sci fi future much faster than I had imagined. Thanks for writing a thought provoking and... prescient? oof, essay
I think it's totally crazy that the environmental impact doesn't come up as much as it should! We have no environmental guardrails and it's still unknown what the impact is. So I guess we're just forging ahead and we'll just...find out??
Such good timing for this article. I've been reading the same things you're reading and thinking about my kid... she's not even in 8th grade and I'm wondering what the hell the world is going to look like in 5 years when she's ready for whatever comes after high school. I'm thinking of encouraging her to be a plumber.
I hope things shake out a bit when she enters college. At least the orange felon will be out of office by then, but maybe not the administration. Fingers crossed. As far as AI, we might have a better sense of the implications by then, who knows, or maybe we will be in a reality where half of entry level jobs are gone, just as predicted. Uncertainty makes it hard to plan anything - that's what's been so frustrating for current and recent crop of college students.
Such a good read. Thank you, Jenna. I love the emphasis on not knowing.
My daughter started college in 2018. At the time, the world was feeling more uncertain, so thinking too far ahead didn't seem very useful. So I told her to focus on:
Staying grounded in yourself and connected in healthy relationships
Finding something (anything!) that interests and challenges you
Avoiding debt aside from small student loans if needed
If you're able to manage those three things generally, I told her not to worry about where you'll be next. Just enjoy where you are now.
My son just finished his first year of college. The world feels even less predictable. So I go back to telling him those same three things. He's going on a road trip to Wyoming with the geology club this month. They'll be camping and digging for fossils. He'll probably never become a paleontologist, but I know experiences like those help young people in whatever they end up doing later.
All that being said, I'm very worried too.
Good solid advice, Daphne. Apart from that, not sure what else to tell them. Above all, we just want our kids to be happy, decent, and empathic people. My kids struggled to land internships or research this summer, so they are working jobs, volunteering in their science majors and the younger one will continue the research lab she joined this spring at school when she goes back. Apart from the initial disappointment, it's been a decent summer so far. Sounds like a fun trip for your son!
Great read, Jenna. You dove into so much the human costs of AI, which is only half the battle because of the environmental costs and how it feels like people still don't factor that in when they choose to use AI to do something. (This was, admittedly, one of the thoughts that also popped in my mind when I went on a first date with someone I met through the apps and she seemed surprised that I didn't use ChatGPT to clean up or form my messages to her, which them surprised me.) Regardless, the changes I want to how people approach AI and the hopes to how we view college as more than just a job factory for students and more as a place for intellectual and emotional growth don't feel possible without the destruction of this consumption-driven capitalism. Unfortunately because of the ones we have in power right now, the preservation of that system is their highest priority so that they're shielded from these human consequences of AI and devaluing of education--because let's face it, this job-producing mentality toward schooling starts at the earliest levels with how much we emphasize standardized tests--that we're slowly starting to realize the full scope of.
Yes, we discussed this briefly in a comment above, but so little is said about the environmental impact. It's pretty alarming that it's always glossed over. And I know I didn't focus on it here, but it's because it really deserves its own discussion.
And wow, someone expected you to use ChatGPT to check over your messages? Lol. Is that people are expect now that we all use it for everything?? And if so, fine, but really strange to ask that out loud!
This ChatGPT revelation was news to me! I know I’m a good writer and that’s why my texts come out smooth! Now it’s made me wonder if she’s used ChatGPT to check her work before messaging me lol
You KNOW she did lol!
Most employment climates always say don't bother, you can't get anything these days. Keep applying anyway. The pandemic was the worst but i kept applying. I've always found something and have changed jobs many times in my life. I am not a remarkably intelligent or well-connected person. I think i just didn't listen to the statistics and news and kept my eye out for what I wanted. You'll find a way if you don't believe it when they say there is nothing for you or yours.
Not much to do but keep applying, yes! The pandemic was bad—and we had to close our food business because of it — but the AI ramifications for jobs is a complete upheaval of the labor dept, much like computers, much like the internet. Time will only tell.
You speak what’s in my head. I don’t even know what to say to my kids about jobs. Part of me feels like I set them up by saying “study what you love,” but like you say…it has changed dramatically in just a few short years. My head spins.
We need to have a real conversation about this sometime. Hang in there.
I really feel for your kid’s generation and beyond. Jobs will evolve as AI becomes more prevalent, but I don’t hold a utopian view of how it’ll be utilized. I might be pessimistic, but it’s only going to help the rich become richer and everyone else will be fighting for scraps, financially.
The way companies are using tech is extractive environmentally and does little to actually make people’s lives “easier” whatever that means. Most jobs will continue to wring the most out of fewer employees, while those tossed out of higher paying jobs will create more of a crowded field for lower paying jobs.
Top that off with the long-term governmental and social damage being inflicted by the current administration, it’s going to be a tough road. I wouldn’t know what to tell my kids if I had any, myself. So much is being upended and changed at such a rapid pace that it’s probably best to just flip a coin at this point. I have a lot of tepid action about the future of the country and world, but there’s still a little bit of an optimist in me hoping that more strongly positive voices and actions will eventually prevail.
Yeah, everything you said. I didn't want to write such a pessimistic downer of an essay, so I kept some restraint and trying to practice a little optimism overall. I think we'd all go crazy if we didn't. But the truth is, most people aren't aware of what's coming. Systems are designed to help the rich get richer—historically that's always been true. Generational wealth is going to be so much more important and that will perpetuate the wealth divide. Younger generations in general aren't going to have more wealth than their parents or grandparents. I can sense in my friends' thinking (and myself) that we are already thinking along these terms. I don't really know how else I can help my kids except to teach them to start investing early, even now with their minimum wage summer jobs.
This trend may inevitably feel harsh for children who have spent more than a decade diligently honing themselves, but I believe that those who have continued to refine themselves with sincerity, even in the midst of chaos, won’t be entirely pushed aside. (Apologies if this sounds like naive optimism.)
I think this is less a time for finding the right answer and more a time for taking a wide view—like a Go or chess player—and cautiously placing thoughtful, strategic moves here and there.
Each move may not lead to immediate results, but perhaps such actions could, in a safe way, guide the unintentional germination of the probabilities we hold.
As you said, this chaotic world runs on probability and statistics, and it seems increasingly clear that the world values not the ability to drive life, but to operate it.
I appreciated how your sharp insight felt attuned to the speed of reality. Thank you for the thoughtful piece.
Even if it's naive optimism, really appreciate reading this today. I like your take on the navigating the changes. It reminds me that life is a series of small steps, progressive, but also sometimes regressive, but steps nonetheless. Thank you.
This is so good I decided I needed to share it with my department head.
Thank you so much Sarah, I am honored!
It really gets to some of my biggest concerns. And I keep telling people in my English department that I realize we are dealing with systemic issues that stretch far beyond just our school, but we have to do something.
Your resident optimist here! (Who’s also terrified, btw) Gunning for what will invariably be an opportunity to push resilience in our kids as a primary skill. Like, prioritize. Emotional, tactical, intellectual, economical resilience.
You’re so right about the pendulum having swung too far toward the ‘guarantees’ we’ve supported via higher learning; I personally think it’s generations in the making, really nailed by the Boomers’ disappointment in their own inability to change the system.
My hope is yours, that we’ll return to teaching our young adults how to be thinkers, curators and social contributors—less as subtext to capitalist-driven careers, and more as the through line between the myriad things they can do to support themselves financially AND soulfully.
I'm glad for the optimists. I'm too much of a realist, but trying not to go down the pessimism route because that feels too dangerous. The truth is, everyone is speculating and no one really knows where we will be in 5, even 2 years. Teaching our students exactly what you have listed, will forever be valuable whatever happens.
My daughter is graduating college next week with a graphic design degree (and hope to be an illustrator) and the only thing I know for sure to tell her is that she has a home to come back to while she searches for a job. Lots of questions and no great answers. Every adult she talks to in the industry got their first job through a friend which isn’t very helpful advice… for now she’s patching together some freelance work and watching job boards daily. It’s rough out there!
Firstly, congrats on the huge achievement for your daughter! Second, crazy how we now all have adult children now, yes? And yeah, networks and connections is now more important than ever.
FYI, there’s a Chiharu Shiota installation in Boston this summer: https://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/chiharu-shiota/
Oh, thank you for this! I might have plans to head up there later this summer.