Gen Z is rethinking college and rushing into blue-collar work as fears mount that artificial intelligence will wipe out white-collar jobs — with nearly three out of five young adults now viewing AI as a threat to their careers, according to a recent Harvard survey.
Early evidence suggests those fears may not be unfounded as employment for workers ages 22 to 25 in AI-exposed roles has already fallen 16% relative to less-exposed jobs, Stanford research shows.
Young workers aren’t waiting for the full impact to play out.
A recent Harvard Kennedy School survey of 2,040 Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 found 59% consider AI “a threat to their job prospects.”
In comparison, 48% consider outsourcing a threat and 31%, immigration.
Across the country, students are ditching traditional white-collar paths, dropping out of degree programs or changing majors in favor of hands-on trades and other work they see as harder for AI to replace.
That shift is already showing up in the classroom as enrollment in vocational-focused community colleges has surged nearly 20% since 2020, according to National Student Clearinghouse data.
With automation becoming increasingly widespread, more young Americans are now betting on careers in fields like construction, firefighting and electrical work.
Jackson Curtis, a 28-year-old insurance underwriting assistant outside Tacoma, Wash., is already making the leap.
After more than three years in the field, he’s now pursuing a career as a firefighter over fears AI could replace much of his office work.
“Even if they can come up with a way to utilize AI to fight fires, people are always going to want that empathy from an actual human who actually cares during a moment of crisis,” Curtis told the Wall Street Journal.
Others are abandoning white-collar tracks before they even begin in earnest.
Ryder Paredes, 22, dropped out of a computer science program and enrolled in trade school to become an electrician after watching AI rapidly improve.
“At first I was in denial,” he said. “But eventually I had to just face it.”
Jewel Rudolph, 25, skipped college and started an açaí bowl business — and now feels vindicated.
“There is security there, knowing AI isn’t going to be able to take what I’m doing,” Rudolph, who is based in Sumner, Wash., told the Journal.
Peter Murphy, CEO of exam-prep app maker Pocket Prep, told The Post that the shift reflects growing anxiety among young workers about how automation could reshape entry-level jobs.
“That’s going to create a lot of anxiety for people because not everyone’s going to get to participate in some of these transformations,” Murphy said.
He added that traditional degrees are becoming less of a differentiator as more graduates enter the workforce with similar credentials.
“When you have college graduates coming out with debt, but they’re all kind of ubiquitous in the sense that they all have the same credential — what’s going to elevate them above that?” he said.
Murphy said more young workers are turning to certifications and hands-on training to stand out, particularly in fields less exposed to AI.
“EMT and paramedic exam prep is our bestseller right now,” he said.
