How can young people build a career in a world that keeps changing the rules? It’s a fair question, and one that’s being asked by matriculants and students across the country. It’s also the right question: not what should I study, but how do I find a way of studying that ensures I am keeping up with the pace of the world?
With every second headline claiming that AI is coming for the entry-level jobs and the current unemployment rate sitting at an almost record high, this is a reasonable concern. The Statistics South Africa Quarterly Labour Force Survey puts unemployment for people aged 15-34 at 45.8%, and behind these figures are young South Africans who have invested in education and skills while remaining locked out of meaningful work opportunities.
Part of the reason for this disconnect is the gap between what you’re taught and what companies want. There has always been some distance between the classroom and the office, but now AI has stretched it beyond what a fixed syllabus can keep up with. Tools are rebuilt while they’re being taught.
Students newly joining the workforce often experience this gap first-hand: they might have been taught the basics and theoretical concepts in the classroom, but they lack the practical knowledge and experience of what actually happens at the workplace on a day-to-day basis.
