In this eye-opening episode of Generation AI, hosts Ardis Kadiu and JC Bonilla tackle the harsh reality facing the Class of 2025 - the first graduating class in human history competing directly with AI for entry-level jobs. With college graduate unemployment hitting 6% (exceeding the national average for the first time in 45 years), they explore how AI is fundamentally reshaping the job market. The hosts analyze reports from CBS News and SignalFire, discuss Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's stark prediction of 20% unemployment, and offer practical advice for new grads navigating this unprecedented shift. This episode is essential listening for students, parents, educators, and anyone concerned about how AI is transforming the path from education to employment.

The First Generation Competing with AI (00:00:00)

• Setting up the paradox: greatest productivity explosion yet most uncertain future for graduates
• Every generation gets a defining technology - this one gets AI
• 4 million Americans graduating into the tightest labor market competing with AI

Unprecedented Graduate Unemployment Crisis (00:05:52)

• College graduate unemployment hits 6% vs 4.2% national average
• First time in 45 years graduates face higher unemployment than general population
• Average student loan debt of $37,000 creating impossible catch-22
• Entry-level positions requiring 3-5 years experience

Tech Industry Restructuring and Entry-Level Freeze (00:10:20)

• Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon freezing entry-level programming positions
• Tech companies posting record profits while eliminating junior roles
• Tech as historic engine of economic mobility now stalling
• Parents questioning if STEM degrees still matter

Dario Amodei's 20% Unemployment Warning (00:19:51)

• Anthropic CEO predicts unemployment rivaling Great Depression
• 80% of code to be written by AI within two years
• Discussion of hyperbole vs reality in AI predictions
• GDP growth implications and historical context

All In Podcast Insights: New Grads as "Autocomplete of the Past" (00:25:00)

• Chamath's analogy: new grads were human autocomplete, AI does it better
• Young + AI-native = hireable vs old + resistant = obsolete
• Solution: start companies, join startups, or get left behind
• Every revolution creates more than it destroys

Universities at a Crossroads (00:28:48)

• Education as expensive trap vs great equalizer debate
• Curriculum development pressure and credential inflation
• Universities' slow response but emphasis on critical thinking
• Alternative paths (bootcamps, certificates) under pressure

Practical Advice for New Graduates (00:34:22)

• Double down on becoming AI-native - use every tool, automate everything
• Skip Fortune 500s - target Series A startups or start your own
• Embrace controlled chaos - job security is dead, adaptability is key
• Find human + AI roles, not human vs AI positions
• Interview question tip: ask how they use AI personally

The Great Experiment with No Control Group (00:39:06)

• Running an unprecedented experiment on an entire generation
• Class of 2025: lost generation or first AI generation?
• Old path closing for students, revolution or irrelevance for educators
• Everyone must be an active participant, not passive observer
• Industrial revolution parallels and being part of history

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Connect With Our Co-Hosts:
Ardis Kadiu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ardis/
https://twitter.com/ardis

Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/
https://twitter.com/jbonillx

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too! 

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.