AI Is Breaking the Career Ladder – Here’s Where to Move Next

The 5 industries set to thrive and what to study, learn and do now

👋🏼 Hey, I’m Adam.

I write about the intersection of technology, culture and the future—what’s breaking (most of it), what’s next (a lot), and how to stay ahead while everything shifts under our feet. AI isn’t just transforming industries; it’s rewriting the rules of work, creativity, and power.

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Today we’re talking about:

• AI’s Acceleration is Real: Last week, we laid out how AI has already come for jobs across tech, finance, law, and customer service—this week, new data confirms it’s hitting software engineering even harder than expected.

• The Five Industries That Will Thrive in the AI Era

  • The Key Trends

  • How You’ll Know This is Happening – The quantitative and qualitative signals to track

  • The Skills That Matter

  • Entrepreneurial Angles

• How to Future-Proof Yourself:

  • For Students: Mix technical skills with creative and emotional intelligence—don’t just learn to code, learn to think critically and solve problems AI struggles with.

  • For Graduates: Choose industries where AI is a tool, not a competitor—and keep learning as the landscape evolves.

  • For Entrepreneurs: Spot the gaps AI disruption creates—build businesses that leverage AI but aren’t fully dependent on it.

• The Big Takeaway: AI isn’t replacing all jobs—but someone who knows how to work with AI better than you will.

Let’s start with a simple truth

The industries facing immediate disruption aren’t niche or low-paying. They’re some of the highest-status, highest-salary careers—tech, finance, law, and customer service—now being automated faster than anyone expected. AI isn’t just another industrial revolution—it’s happening in real time, with no safety nets in place.

And this week? The evidence just got stronger.

For decades, learning to code was the safest bet.

Computer Science was the golden ticket—an industry that couldn’t hire fast enough. Parents, schools, and governments pushed it as the ultimate future-proof career. The numbers backed it up:

• Between 2010 and 2020, software engineering jobs grew by over 30%, outpacing nearly every other profession.

• Tech salaries soared—median pay for software developers hit $120,000+ in major markets.

• Colleges saw record enrolment in Computer Science programs, and bootcamps exploded to meet demand.

• Even during recessions, the advice remained the same: Learn to code, and you’ll always have a job.

That was the promise.

Now? AI just broke it.

• Software engineering job openings have hit a five-year low, down 35% since 2020—the steepest decline of any white-collar profession.

• There are 3.5x fewer developer vacancies than at the 2022 hiring peak.

• Even Big Tech—companies with near-unlimited cash—are slowing or freezing hiring as AI makes teams more efficient.

• Salesforce has kept engineering headcount flat after AI boosted developer productivity by 30%, signalling what’s to come.

  

  Software dev vacancies in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Australia. Data source: Indeed via FRED. For more on this topic, check out this great piece.

The transition isn’t gradual—it’s happening right now, faster than governments, universities, or workers can react. The career path that was once guaranteed is now at risk. AI isn’t just another tool; it’s reshaping entire industries before new safety nets exist. Companies aren’t waiting to see if AI will replace jobs—they’re already restructuring around it.

So what now?

The key to survival isn’t resisting automation; it’s moving where AI is a force multiplier, not a replacement. Some careers will thrive—not because they’re immune to AI, but because they harness it.

Here are the five industries where the opportunity lies.

How We’re Breaking This Down

For each of these industries, we’ll take a deep dive into why they’re AI-resistant, what’s driving demand, and how you can position yourself to thrive. We’ll break it down into:

• The Key Trends – The data and real-world shifts proving why these fields are growing despite AI disruption.

• How You’ll Know This is Happening – The quantitative and qualitative signals to track—hiring trends, salary shifts, and industry transformations.

• The Skills That Matter – The degrees, certifications, and knowledge areas that will set you apart in these AI-proof careers.

• Entrepreneurial Angles – If you’re thinking beyond traditional jobs, we’ll explore where the business opportunities lie in each sector.