AI is barreling into white-collar industries, and more people than ever are trying to AI-proof their careers. Gen Z college graduates are increasingly landing in retail and food service as AI absorbs many of the entry-level roles that once served as their on-ramp.<\/p>\n
\n
Alejandro Rodriguez, a 20-year-old certified Porsche apprentice technician, wants Gen Z to know that college isn\u2019t the only path to a respected, fulfilling career\u2014especially one that\u2019s less vulnerable to AI.<\/p>\n
Rodriguez, a recent graduate of Universal Technical Institute, told Fortune that despite excelling in school, taking college classes, and earning a 4.5 GPA in high school after a lifetime in the gifted and talented program, he decided to follow his passion for cars. That drive didn\u2019t take him to college, but to a technical institute.<\/p>\n
Given his academic record, school administrators weren\u2019t thrilled when he began floating technical school as a post-graduation plan instead of a four-year college. \u201cIt [college] was expected of me because of how I did in school,\u201d Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I told them that\u2019s not what I wanted to do, I wanted to go to a technical school, they really tried to get me to apply for community colleges instead.\u201d But after he pushed them to accept that it was his path, Rodriguez said they \u201cfinally conceded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back, he says his school offered no pathway toward blue-collar work. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t a single day we\u2019d have a shop class, no woodwork, nothing hands-on,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cIt would be nice to have those options that just weren\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodriguez says there has finally been a gradual shift toward taking blue-collar professions more seriously\u2014but it\u2019s a recent development, and AI has accelerated it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI definitely has a part in it,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are starting to come out of work, and they\u2019ve got to do something. And our jobs kind of can\u2019t be taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
A secure career, with no debt<\/h2>\n
The data backs up the instinct. An April 2026 Census Bureau paper found that hiring of workers ages 22 to 24 fell sharply in the industries most exposed to AI, such as software and information technology, even as hiring held steady in less-exposed fields. A companion paper co-authored by the same economist found that graduates shut out of those roles often shift into lower-paying retail or food-service work to pay the bills.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the debt that often comes with a degree. The average Gen Zer carries $22,948 in student loan debt, according to the Education Data Initiative.<\/p>\n
Luckily for Rodriguez, his parents were open-minded and let him explore an alternative that led to a secure career with almost no debt.<\/p>\n
They had \u201calways been supportive,\u201d he said, and let him shadow a family member who worked as a Mercedes technician, telling him, \u201cWell, if you think you want to do this, go work with him over the weekends and see if you like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As high-achieving as he was in high school, he worked just as hard in technical school. \u201cI was very set on what I wanted to do,\u201d Rodriguez said. \u201cI wanted to go to Universal Technical Institute, go through the Ford FACT program, and use that to get into the Porsche PTAP program. And I hit every single one of those goals that I set for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
He believes he\u2019s on his way to a lucrative career\u2014though, like any job, he says the paycheck comes down to skill and work ethic. \u201cIt depends on your drive, how much you want to work, how much you want to invest in yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
His advice for young people weighing the same path: \u201cAlways keep investing in yourself, because these skills nobody can take from you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Meet #20yearold #GPA #skipped #college #technical #school<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AI is barreling into white-col… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8150,2398,1657,3108,536,8151,537,792,2688,1829,2270,8152,2320],"class_list":["post-5070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news","tag-20yearold","tag-career","tag-college","tag-colleges-and-universities","tag-gen-z","tag-gpa","tag-jobs","tag-meet","tag-school","tag-skipped","tag-student-loans-and-debt","tag-technical","tag-u-s-economy"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n