Picking a Career AI Can't Steal From You
145: Check yourself... Before you wreck yourself.
Welcome reader! Another AI article on how to position yourself. After getting multiple questions around "does X career still make sense considering AI?". This post is the only right way to answer and give our thoughts. Taking the most popular white collar roles and breaking them down further. Before moving forward to get the most out of your corporate career, first review the corporate cheat sheet and basic guide to maximizing your corporate life. This should help you form the bigger picture around the topic.
Much Needed Reality Check
Most roles are… Adult kindergarten: Those who operate in the corporate environment know exactly what this is about. Right now, it all feels like one big kindergarten. On top of that, add that most roles don’t bring any meaningful value or impact revenue… Things get interesting when you start thinking about it. What is the problem with that? There is none. As long as the economic situation is good, everyone pretends that everything is perfect. When did the problem start? When the shift happens, not everyone has a positive outlook on the market. With technological advancements and AI getting involved. It is only a matter of time before middle managers start to realize that most of their employees can be replaced. Not only was it replaced, but it was also made more efficient in the process. This post is a perfect opportunity for a reality check and to share our thoughts on how current roles will evolve.
Where the future is heading: Before someone comments, we are all being replaced anyway. That is not the case. At least not for the next decade. Why? The only way that state would be achieved is if UBI becomes a thing, and we don’t think that is going to happen soon. Once that happens, the game changes and everything you have read on this webpage or any other around creating wealth... Becomes irrelevant. Since we have never been about a doomer approach and neither is that something you should practice in your daily life. The more likely scenario is that most of the current roles will get a new form. Not only the new form but also a new set of daily activities and what they are about. Example? Instead of being a graphic designer, you might become an AI graphic designer. Instead of being a copywriter, you might become a prompt copywriter. It sounds stupid. But in reality, it is far from what will probably happen. What is the bigger problem? Those who are average or under average at their job will probably get wiped out. Allowing those who are top performers to deliver the same amount of work or even more for less cost - employing only one person instead of two. The other scenario is that it will lead to lower salaries and everyone becoming a generalist of a sort. Which will further lead to harder promotions, etc… Both scenarios do have a complete chain effect on other stuff. Since that is not the main idea of this topic, and this is becoming a rant. What should you do? Protect yourself. How do you do that? By getting into a position where AI will have the least or the most impact. Meaning that there is a good chance that your next role will be based around the profit centre. Another important one to keep in mind is the combination of more human + complex. The less the chances of you being replaced.
What We Preach - Our Career Picks
Those that we have been mentioning over the past years…
Enterprise sales (Tech sales): If we had to remove everything and pick just one career path that would have the least impact and ensure you are in it for the long term. Sales. To be more precise enterprise sales. Before anyone comments, there are already AI voiceovers and outreach can be fully automated. That is correct. Yet, everyone reading this understands that most completely miss the point. Sitting on a proper enterprise meeting - the deal won’t be replaced that soon. We can guarantee you that. Enterprise sales should be the ultimate goal for everyone in the sales game, aiming to make as much money as possible. Will the purely outbound (junior) roles get a hit? Most likely over time. Should you be worried about it? No.
AI sustainability rating: 5/5
Software Engineering: One that gets the most outrage when it comes to AI. Career pick that gives you huge freedom if done right. What has happened over the last couple of months with "vibe coding" is a joke. One that no one should be taking seriously. What about software engineers and their careers? There are changes in the industry. Mostly around junior roles. Some say it is an AI effect, while others attribute it to overhiring from a few years ago. The truth? Probably somewhere in the middle. Those who specialize or possess specific niche knowledge that others don’t? Nothing to worry about. Yes, AI is getting better. But thinking you will be able to prompt your way into a high senior position is a joke. At least for now… Strong pick if you are planning to play the long game, considering the skill set you are building and the ability to use it for your own business.
AI sustainability rating: 4/5
Front Office Finance: Hard to say what is happening in finance considering all the changes. It is a legacy industry where most things that could be done 30 times faster are still not being done that way. To put it better, it is still done as it was decades ago… Front office finance is an extremely broad term, ranging from S&T to IB. Making it hard to position and give proper advice on it. Some roles are more client-oriented, while others are more analytical behind the desk. If we take that into consideration 3.5/5 is the fair overall score. There is a sales part, and there is a lot of boring Excel work that should have been taken care of. This puts our front office finance rating somewhere between 2/5 and 5/5 - depending on the specific role.
Putting everything together - AI sustainability rating: 3.5/5
Our comment: There should be no surprises with our picks. Will you miss picking and sticking to any of these? Not really, as long as you know what your end goal is and what it takes to get wealthy. Building a business on the side is the biggest leverage you can have. Worth mentioning that if more complex roles (such as SWE) get replaced… It means that those that are less complicated will get replaced even easier. Meaning that if the doomsday scenario happens and the most roles do get automated. There is so much space to maneuver. Remember, no negativity is worth diving deeper into
Most Popular Career Picks
Where things get interesting: Since most of the people are unable to operate in the first three or are too lazy (they all require effort to break in) to ever get to those. This is where things get interesting. To make things easier for us, we selected around 20 of the most popular white-collar roles and shared our take on them. It doesn't take a genius to realize that most roles are straight-up nonsense and should be avoided at all costs. Based on the research, a few sites that came in handy such as source, source, and source. Worth mentioning that it is impossible to cover all the roles as each organization uses different titles for the scope of their work.
Tech
AI & Machine Learning Engineer: Not much to add considering the complexities and the necessity for the future. The field is growing rapidly, and every F500 company is investing in its AI department. Hard to predict what the role itself will turn into, but at least for the next few years, we can confidently say there is nothing to worry about.
AI sustainability rating: 4/5
Cybersecurity roles: With trends such as vibe coding becoming mainstream. Cybersecurity once again shows us that there is a big gap between those who understand how to create an application and what it takes to sell it to others vs. those who don’t. Hard to say how AI will impact the cybersecurity industry itself. But it is not something we would confidently bet on. Why? As AI grows, those who use it as an attack vehicle are gaining angles they didn’t have before. Take a look at what has happened with deepfake methods over the past year or so. This is just the tip of the iceberg of where things are heading. If you need a reminder source.
AI sustainability rating: 3.5/5
Big data specialist: Role that heavily depends on the organization to organization. If you are only doing basic Python and some statistics here and there… Your days are numbered. If you are doing more complex tasks that require an understanding of the architecture, or which system fills the data for you. You have more time. Overall not that great of a pick.
AI sustainability rating: 2.5/5
FinTech engineer (Blockchain, smart contracts): Again, not much different compared to the general SWE role we outlined above… Worth it + the future is moving heavily in a crypto direction - making it even more valuable.
AI sustainability rating: 4/5
Cloud computing expert: Similar to that of the big data specialist. It depends on your organization and its structure. We know of individuals who handle basic automation, while others work on complex architecture. To be as realistic as possible, it is often more complicated than big data, so it's fair to give it a bit more weight on a scale.
AI sustainability rating: 3/5
Data & Analytics
Data scientist: This is another career path (role) that has lost its original meaning over time. What data scientists mean now and what it used to mean years ago is not the same. There are levels to these roles, and the higher, or better said, the more scientific you go. The fewer chances of you getting replaced by an AI. Most are unfortunately not in that situation, and their roles are barely different from those of big data.
AI sustainability rating: 3.5/5
Data analyst: After talking with a few Telegram members about this role. It is surprising how many of them are doing it. When it comes to AI and this type of role? There is not much space left. Overall, roles that are primarily based on reporting should be avoided, at least that is our view. Less in a way if you are presenting to stakeholders your findings.
AI sustainability rating: 1.5/5
E-commerce specialist: Depending on what your employer requires from you. If the work is more focused on the creative side, the less chances you will be in danger. If the work is purely analytical, why has it performed better than B? There is so much that AI can’t do better than you.
AI sustainability rating: 1.5/5
Finance / Administration
Financial / Business Analysts: Both roles have already been impacted and will continue to be. Forecasting, modeling, and Excel in general… Most of those operations can be performed better by a basic AI model. Better said most analysts are getting outperformed heavily by the current setup. Considering that it is almost impossible to generalize everything. Those who work directly with clients or present the data have the leverage over those who don’t.
AI sustainability rating: 2/5
Project Manager: Depending on the type of PM you are and the organization you work in - better said, the scope you are covering. We would argue that being a PM is generally a relatively safe position, considering the importance of the role. While in the other organizations, you might do the documentation and nothing else. In other cases it might be completely different.
AI sustainability rating: 3.5/5
Human Resources: The only "safe part" is the one that does the recruiting and filtering of talent. Everything else has already been done a long time ago. There is so much to add here.
AI sustainability rating: 0.5/5
Sales: It is a broad category that sales fall under. CRM related tasks and basic operations (with a focus on the data side). AI can take a big chunk of that and work on it and make it better. Nothing impressive on that side and it can be easily replaced. The real sales where there is a human connection on the other side? Not that fast to be replaced. Administration and filling in the Excel sheets - lower score. Connecting with the others and selling to them - higher score. Outbound is being impacted rapidly. Meaning that over time, AI will impact junior positions that involve a lot of outbound work. Nothing to worry about if you are following the path that will allow you to leverage meetings and skills that won’t be replaced that easily. Social ones.
The only reason the score is lower than it should be is that "sales" is a pretty broad term. AI sustainability rating: 4/5
Marketing
Digital Marketing Strategist: Everyone who has been following this page for some time knows that social skills and creativity are the hardest things to replace. A digital marketing strategist is the name used for multiple roles, ranging from media buying to positions similar to those of an e-commerce specialist. The rule of thumb is that the closer you are to the profit center and the more direct the impact (like in media buying), the better. Why? Because roles like this require specific knowledge and an understanding of how to impact revenue. For you to keep in mind more on the media buying side and creating impact = higher sustainability. It is one of those roles that will give you a huge skillset once you choose to do things your way and develop your business on the side.
AI sustainability rating: 4/5
UX/UI designer: The reason roles like this are getting 3/5 is because there is a social aspect, and if you know how to sell the story to the client or stakeholder… You will benefit. The current AI timeline and how the role itself is being impacted is that the majority of UX/UI designers can produce results faster. The role overall still retains that creative aspect that will be harder to replicate or at least if you know what you are doing you will be able to achieve results much faster compared to others.
AI sustainability rating: 2.5/5
Content Creator: Here is one area where many people will disagree with us. Something we already covered in depth in how to replace your marketing team. Content creation for those who are already operating on another level? 10x easier, meaning more outcomes for them. Content creation for those who are already struggling? It is just going to get harder to gain attention. The score can be either 1/5 or 5/5. Hard to pinpoint exactly.
AI sustainability rating: 0/5
Ranking list based on popularity and our sustainability score:
Enterprise sales
Software engineering / Blockchain Dev.
Marketing strategist (media buyer) / AI roles
Project Manager
Cybersecurity Roles
Data Scientist
Cloud Computing Expert
Big Data Specialist
UX/UI Designer
Financial / Business Analysts
E-commerce Specialist
Data Analyst
Human Resources
Summary: Change is coming. Should you panic? No. Should you prepare yourself as best as you can? Absolutely yes. This should serve as a guide on how to evaluate your career choice and determine if it's something you feel comfortable with in your current role. Posts like this bring a lot of comfort, and it’s understandable. But try to be open minded and realistic as much as possible, and knowing and understanding what is happening and how roles are getting impacted can change your life. At the same time, it is hard to predict what will happen, as the acceleration part can’t be ignored, and reading something like this at any moment could be unreliable. On the other hand, organizations are slow to implement. Meaning there is a good chance that all of this will be entirely irrelevant to you once your business takes off.
Disclaimer: None of this is to be legal or financial advice of any kind.