Gen Z has a bone to pick with AI—and rightly so. Even though the generation is the most likely to embrace the world-changing technology, it’s causing a “significant and disproportionate impact” on entry-level jobs, leaving young graduates uncertain of how to jumpstart their careers.
It’s something MasterClass CEO David Rogier calls “messed up.”
“You went, you studied, you interned, you used all these stamps on your passport, almost a proof of, I work hard, I’m smart, I care—but those things aren’t valued in the workplace anymore,” he tells Fortune.
Still, Rogier argues there are ways for young people to stand out in an AI-driven job market. His advice: Pick an industry that sparks your interest, spend a week or two immersing yourself in its challenges, and then use AI to build something the team doesn’t already have.
“I would make something with AI that that team is probably not using or doing. I would send it to everybody on that team and I’d say, ‘look, I built this for you, and I doubt you have this, and if you hire me, I will build more of it,’” Rogier says. “That will get every hiring manager to respond to the email and want to talk to you.
“It’ll be so far ahead of what their internal teams are built, they’ll be like, holy shit, I need that on my team,” he adds. Rogier spoke to Fortune off the heels of the launch of MasterClass Certificates, a new set of career-impact focused courses in partnership with top companies like Nvidia and Microsoft.
Using AI to unlock unique career pathways
While obtaining a four-year degree has long been the tried-and-true method to launching a career, some 51% of Gen Z recent graduates have regrets over their decision and consider their post-secondary education a “waste of money.” This is thanks in part to the surging employment rates among college grads that’s shrunk the job-market advantage of going to school.
That’s why other business leaders are echoing Rogier’s advice to look beyond traditional paths.
For example, billionaire Mark Cuban says students just coming out of college—or even high school—can take advantage of the fact that, according to MIT, 95% of AI pilots at companies are failing.
“Learn to customize a model, walk into a company, show the benefits. That is every single job that’s going to be available for kids coming out of school,” the former Shark Tank star told TBPN last month.
Cuban added that young people should become skilled enough to walk into any small business and be able to spot how AI could help. Learning the difference between AI-powered video generators, such as OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo, and understanding how to customize AI models is part of that journey, he said.
“There are millions of companies that have one, five, 10, 50, 100, 500 people that aren’t going to have AI budgets, that aren’t going to have AI experts. This is where kids get hired,” Cuban said.
Pairing AI with human skills
Reid Hoffman, the former LinkedIn cofounder, echoed that the secret for success for young people involves learning how to “AI-optimize” their careers and spending time understanding what employers are hiring for—and why.
In an op-ed for the San Francisco Standard, the billionaire called out four specific skills that AI cannot replicate as ones that will be the most in-demand:
- Emotional intelligence
- Ethical discernment
- Creative expression
- Intention
“People with the capacity to form intentions and set goals will emerge as winners in an AI-mediated world,” he wrote.
Similarly, Rogier said what ultimately will distinguish success will be the ability for candidates to express a willingness to adapt and pivot quickly.
“Your ability to learn things fast is now probably the most important skill.”