[havblue]

When I was in high school, the guidance counselors never really talked about job headwinds. Those were things that would presumably happen to other kids. The recipient of a motivational speech has infinite potential.

It's the same logic with discussing AI. The audience is the cream of the crop and will adapt to the future and benefit from technology. It's those other kids who didn't get your advice that might have to change careers.

[soco]

Kid had recently a career event with a few speakers, and the first lady almost made them cry (or kid, at least) telling them all kind of career doom bulls*. The rest were regular folks with regular advice, no toxic positivity either, but that first lady got a fair share of enmity and boos. Some people are simply not made for public facing roles, yet somehow land there.

[mancerayder]

Things felt a lot more optimistic when I was in high school!

I knew people dropping out to work in tech, back in the late 90s. Even after two recessions, we tech workers with hot and difficult to gain skills always bounced back, and back then indeed older skills (as in older or easy to hire tech stacks) had problems finding new roles.

This time feels different. Is it really?

It feels like it to me, but then I spend my entire existence planning for some sort of scarcity situation and every day I think of what if. I did this before any AI threats, unfortunately for me.

[littlexsparkee]

This is the harm of meritocracy - the idea is so pervasive that if you don't make it, you believe it to be a deficit in you. Then your lack of success is stigma and keeps you there.

[Mezzie]

100%. This also creates a sense that people who aren't 'successful' aren't worth listening to.

It's actually fascinating to be in a place where my lack of material success is in no way my own fault, and to have that be agreed upon by most people. My existence makes people uncomfortable.