Preparing the Next Generation: AI, Purpose, and the Future of Work

June 25, 2025

By Scott Michajluk

I’ve got two boys. One’s heading into his junior year of college, the other’s just about to start his freshman year. Like most parents, I’m proud of the young men they’ve become, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also thinking:

Have we actually prepared them for what’s next?

And by “next,” I don’t just mean campus life or summer internships. I mean the very real question of what kinds of jobs will actually exist by the time they graduate.

A Quiet Moment That Said a Lot

We were sitting around the table not long ago when my youngest son brought up a friend who was struggling to choose a major. The topic quickly turned to future careers, and eventually, AI came up.

I asked them both:

“Do you think what you’re studying today will even look the same when you graduate?”

Silence.

That pause told me everything.

Look, I’m not here to tell you the sky is falling. I’m not a futurist and I don’t carry around a crystal ball. I’m an ops guy with a psych degree and a dad - so I tend to think in systems, straight lines and high empathy. But one thing’s clear: if you’ve got kids, especially older teens or college students, and you haven’t talked with them about how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, you’re already behind.

This Isn't Just About Jobs - It's About Identity

Here’s the thing: AI isn’t just automating tasks or replacing workers. It’s reshaping what a career path even means. It’s shifting which skills hold value and how companies think about hiring and growth.

But the real impact? It’s hitting at the level of identity and purpose.

For generations, work has been more than income - it’s been structure, pride, contribution. When intelligent systems start handling the kind of thinking, analyzing, writing, and diagnosing that we used to spend years mastering, it doesn’t just affect industries, it affects how people see themselves.

That’s what we need to talk about with our kids.

These Conversations Need to Happen

If you’ve got a teenager, a college student, or someone just entering the workforce, it’s time to get honest. Not in a doom-and-gloom way. And not with a 45-minute lecture, either. Just real, sincere conversations.

Ask them:

• What kind of problems do you want to solve?

• What skills will always need a human touch?

• What makes you uniquely hard to replace?

I’m not saying every kid needs to pivot into robotics or data science. (Mine certainly haven’t.) But they do need to understand the environment they’re walking into. And frankly, so do we.

Make It Real, Not Abstract

Also, if your kids are anything like mine, keep it short and simple—and ideally timed between snacks. I’ve found the best time for these chats is somewhere between “pass the salsa” and “when's the last time you checked the oil level in your car?”

The point is not to scare them. It’s to equip them.

Help them think beyond a major or a job title. Help them focus on empathy, trust, resilience, adaptability, curiosity, and human connection—because those things don’t go out of style, even if the software does.

What They Need from Us Isn’t Answers

They don’t need us to predict the future. They need us to help them think clearly about how to meet it.

That means staying engaged, asking questions, and not handing off these conversations to a school counselor or TikTok algorithm. This is part of our job as parents, mentors, and leaders.

AI may be rewriting the rules, but we still have a say in how the next generation shows up to the game.

And if you're wondering whether I’ve figured it all out? Definitely not. But I’m in the conversation—and I’m inviting others to do the same.