🪠Be a Plumber

Not an architect.

📡 On my Radar

When I was younger, someone told me I was just a fixer of things, a plumber—that I'd never create new things, like an architect.

I proved him wrong.

Being a plumber isn't a put-down. And if current trends continue, it'll soon be more important and well-paid than being an architect.

Because while everyone was panicking about robots taking blue-collar jobs, the opposite has happened.

Artificial intelligence ate the white-collar world instead:

• Job postings for "AI-doable" work dropped 19% in the last three years.

• Entry-level office hiring is in free fall.

• Half of all junior white-collar jobs will vanish within five years.

Meanwhile:

• There are 20 job openings for every single person entering the trades.

• Construction wages have jumped 20% since 2020.

• Electricians and plumbers are booked solid while analysts get automated out.

AI loves predictable tasks. It hates crawling under houses and solving weird problems with duct tape and a wrench. For now.

We are witnessing a game-changing shift for many previously left out of the workforce, but one that is also deeply disruptive for others.

My students have been asking what they should do in this environment.¹

If you're white-collar bound, go high-order: space tech, robotics, AI development itself. The jobs AI can't do are the ones that create AI or work in domains too complex for current systems.

If you're practical, consider the trades. Not just plumbing—think solar installers (fastest-growing job in America), wind technicians, data center electricians. Physical work in cutting-edge fields.

Or innovate your way out. Start something. Build something. The economy always needs people who can see around corners, even if it doesn't need as many people to fill out spreadsheets.

📈 By the Numbers

An entire generation is being wiped out.

👊🏽 Make a Difference

13 jobs | 2 funding opportunities | 1 fellowship

JOB (2) | Refugees International is hiring for two positions: Special Assistant to the President and Board, plus Senior Advocate for the Middle East.

FUNDING | Survivor Justice Center's Immigrant Justice monthly donor program needs support after recent funding cuts of hundreds of thousands of dollars.