When the Ladder Breaks
Midjourney: Curt Doty
Gen Z, AI, and the New Career Ground. They told us: go to school, get that entry‑level job, climb the ladder slowly but surely. For many Gen Zers, those first rungs are vanishing.
A recent Quartz piece lays out the stark data: entry‑level job postings are down 35% since 2023, and many new grads can’t find full‑time work aligned with their degrees. Even more alarming: nearly half say they don’t feel ready even to apply. Meanwhile, AI is creeping into what used to be safe entry jobs — paralegal work, tax prep, other routine tasks — shrinking the very foundation of the ladder. Quartz
If you’re Gen Z, or hiring them, this isn’t a future‑threat: it’s happening now.
Why the First Rung Is Disappearing
Several forces are combining:
Economic drag. A sluggish economy means fewer employers are hiring junior roles, and many are demanding more experience just to get their foot in the door.
Automation & AI. Systems are picking up routine work. Roles that used to be junior training grounds are being streamlined, automated, or rethought altogether.
Mismatch in training and expectations. Degrees aren’t translating directly. Employers see many graduates unprepared for job realities; grads feel like they don’t know how to compete.
Gen Z’s Reactions: Not Just Surviving, but Adapting
The old map is gone. Gen Z isn’t standing still:
They’re choosing career paths that feel less likely to be wiped out — “AI‑proof” fields (healthcare, trade, roles where human judgment matters).
They’re switching majors, seeking internships that provide hands‑on, practical experience rather than just credentials. Fast Company
They’re rethinking the ladder: not an upward climb, but lily pads to hop between — flexibility, learning, stability, purpose.
What This Means for the “AI Literacy” Imperative
I have written before about how urgent it is for people to gain AI literacy and training. This moment brings that urgency into sharp relief.
AI literacy isn’t optional. To compete for shrinking entry‑level roles, to adapt as tasks shift, young workers will need to understand what AI can do, where it fails, how to use it as a tool rather than be replaced by it.
Training has to shift earlier, and be more accessible. If many new grads don’t feel ready, it's not just a problem of motivation — it’s a mismatch of what schooling, internships, etc., are delivering.
Employers must lean in. If firms want to build talent, they need to invest in training, accept more junior roles even knowing they’ll require mentorship, and redefine “entry‑level” in a world where the baseline task set has shifted.
Related Article: https://www.realmiq.com/blog/why-ai-training-isnt-optionalits-urgent
What to Do Now (for Both Gen Z and Institutions / Firms)
Here are strategic moves — things you might push for, or advise:
Curriculum + skill alignment. Schools and training programs (colleges, bootcamps) need to embed AI tool‑usage, prompt engineering, ethics of AI, limitations deeply—not as side‑courses but core to many degrees.
Lifelong learning mindset. Given how fast this is changing, being able to reskill or pivot matters more than ever. Platforms, microcredentials, mentorship, peer networks—all must get more robust.
Rethink internships and junior roles. Even companies that can’t afford big training budgets must provide entry paths, even if imperfect, even if hybrid/freelance/gig‑style to start.
Transparency & expectation‑setting. Colleges, employers, and young workers need clear signals: what skills are valued now; how AI changes what “experience” even means.
Policy & social supports. As these structural shifts play out, there’s a role for public policy: subsidies, grants, programs to help young workers in under‑resourced communities access training and opportunities.
The collapse of the first rung of the career ladder isn’t just a threat to Gen Z - it’s a stress test for all the systems we rely on: education, employment norms, corporate talent pipelines. The response will define whether we build something new, or leave a generation dangling. AI literacy is not a vocab quiz.
AI isn’t stealing everything. But if we don’t get AI training and literacy right - for young people, employers, educators, and policy makers - those missing rungs will become cracks in the foundation, not just for Gen Z, but for the future of work.
The picture is bleak: a generation told to prepare earlier and do more for jobs that are already vanishing. The Fed may try to soften the blow with lower interest rates, but monetary policy alone can’t create better on-ramps into the workforce.
If you want to get ahead—and stay ahead—consider IMMERSE WORKSHOPS, my hands-on AI coaching experiences designed to build confidence, capabilities, and career momentum. Whether you’re an individual looking to level up or a company needing to upskill your entire team, this is where it starts.
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Let’s make it happen. Contact me directly to book a session or bring AI training into your organization.Because in this new era of work, clarity and capability are everything.
Sources:
Read in Inc.: https://apple.news/Aw7MddARKTpOdoqQtJROgpg
Read in Gizmodo: https://apple.news/ADAD8wWYITDyi6ANNS2ZEcw
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-jobs-entry-level-salary-ab2a11c0?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://qz.com/gen-z-careers-economy-jobs?utm_source=chatgpt.com
About the Author
Curt Doty, founder of CurtDoty.co, is an award winning creative director whose legacy lies in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and User Experience Design. His work of entertainment branding includes Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, and TV Guide Channel. His work in movie marketing spans the major studios: Universal Pictures, Fox Searchlight, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Miramax and Disney. He is now helping independent filmmakers market their movies for festivals and distribution.
He currently serves on the board of the Godfrey Reggio Foundation and is the AI Writer for Parlay Me.
To learn more about Curt’s pedigree of innovation, check this out.
