“Gen AI this, Gen AI that, I’m tired of hearing this,” said no one! We all know deep down that robots will soon take over the world. I don’t know about you, but I have accepted it. With Gen AI, it’s about working smarter, not harder. Knowing how to navigate this world with it is like having a superpower (Ironman really had a vision for the future, huh?) This superpower will come in handy while prepping for interviews and who doesn’t want more job interviews?
Let’s look at 7 different strategies for career readiness:
1. Blend and Upskill
It might be bold to say that AI is the new-age water, but run with it for now. Look at it this way: water blends with (almost) everything and that’s what Gen AI is like; blending with everything. Students need to upskill themselves as the industry changes to be more career-ready. Formal education needs to include AI-driven problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptability, and communication.
AI isn’t only a course. It is the need of the hour, everywhere like a network! In collaboration with Gen AI, students can continuously learn, making the process of getting into AI careers easy.
2. “Hey Chat, can you do my work?”
When I was in school, which wasn’t too long ago, I could only imagine robots doing my homework in my wildest dreams. But look at the world now—turns out dreams do come true!
AI can definitely do your work, but you can’t rely on that because we need a better version. Faculty is also a part of this digital transformation. They need to grade the students based on the human touch and creativity that the AI-produced assignment has, not just the final product.
Humans > AI
3. Don’t break rules, they’re not made to be broken!
With great AI power comes greater responsibility. AI rules are the fine lines separating genius and ‘crap!’ The catch with Gen AI and tools is that you hardly ever notice when you’re crossing the line and cheating. As Gen AI advances, the obligation to use it wisely and ethically comes along. Students need to understand the dangers of AI like data breaches, privacy concerns like we discussed earlier and bias. It is crucial for everyone to know the ethics, particularly in workplaces.
Automation and the fast pace of the world have left us with a lot of grey areas, but it is important for us to always be caught up with the policies and have clarity on rules.
Remember, rules are not meant to be broken when it comes to legalities! So, a little friendly career advice, be mindful of not crossing the lines with AI tools.
Build stronger connections and networks with cutting-edge technologies for web, cloud, and more.
4. Employer engagement partnerships
Partnerships between employers and educational institutions are crucial to prepare the students for their careers. With Gen AI on the rise, institutions need to reevaluate their interactions with the employers, especially the ones who use or are involved with Gen AI.
Interactions need to be more frequent and in varied formats for these engagements to succeed. Resumes and interviews are essential of course, but having soft skills in your bucket will always compensate for the lack of job experience. Understanding what the employers look for specifically will give you a heads-up during the long panel presentations and interviews.
5. Communication is always the key!
AI does not have emotional intelligence, and it cannot read the room or make an impression using its charisma; only humans can do that. AI has become better at handling tasks but there seems to be a growing demand for individuals who can oversee that work and identify professionals to push projects towards success. Opening a food joint is not enough, good communication skills, people skills, teamwork, leadership skills, etc. are essential for it to be accomplished.
Networking has seen a shift from events to online platforms like LinkedIn where you can get in touch with peers, mentors and experts in the industry to gain insights, learn, and build genuine connections. AI should be the epicenter of industry relationships. Think internships, mock interviews and business feedback personalized for AI. Showcasing AI skills in the best possible light is the main goal!
6. Practice does indeed make you perfect
In my opinion, the ideal approach to gain new knowledge is to learn as you go along with a little scaffolding if required. Much like learning to ride a bike, learning to use Gen AI effectively takes practice. Students require experience of using a plethora of tools in the real world to understand and become adept at Gen AI.
Considering how quickly AI tools expand and evolve, it’s vital to refrain from spending too much time on a single tool as it may become obsolete in the not-too-distant future. To keep the students up to speed with these technologies, institutions should provide them with access to large language models (LLMs) and useful generative AI tools.
7. The more you learn, the more you teach
If we compare professors to students, many of them need to pull up their socks and catch up with most students who are currently proficient in using Gen AI tools. Schools can help them by constructing training programs and adequate resource centers to become better with AI as their pupils.
To truly understand how adept AI has gotten at handling tasks, faculty should use the most updated versions of the AI tools, especially the paid ones. This way they will have an overview for work that was earlier graded low thanks to the Gen AI.
Teachers need more hands-on experience with these tools for them to fully explain how AI will affect future careers be it AI careers or something entirely different. It’s like how we look for tutorial videos for learning a new recipe, hubs in institutions will connect teachers to online and local courses they can take for learning basic training and improving their skills.
Alumni act as a benchmark for everyone. Their success, failures and career path serve as career advice and help in making important decisions. They are testimonials to how well the curriculum trains students for the real world and facilitates workplace readiness.
Student councils are the SPOC for everyone. They are representatives of the students and their work readiness.
And lastly, the faculty. Faculty is the organisation that will listen and implement what is necessary to obtain the optimal outcome. Together, they make the dream team to achieve the common goal of workplace evolution and adaptation with the changing world.
With these practices, academic institutions can produce students who are ready to make great careers in this new era of Gen AI and transform lives.
Bonus piece of advice
Remember, while all of this is important, health is just as essential as being ready if not more. Don’t let the hustle culture get to you. Prioritize your health because your body is the one supporting your brain. Let your brain juices flow and don’t shy away from asking questions, seek new opportunities to learn and never settle! After all, you don’t want to be boring, do you?
To sum things up, upskill, personalize, don’t break rules, network, communicate and practice! These will help with career readiness in the era of Gen AI.
Reach us at Nitor Infotech to learn more about careers in Gen AI and technology.
