Sunday May 17, 2026
This weekend was about college graduations for many young adults. From parties and plans to caps tossed skyward, proud families cheering, and the hopeful energy of a new chapter beginning.
My grandson Matthew - who graduated from Tulane last May - returned for the 2026 graduation of one of his closest friends ... and a great reunion. After a gap year working in Medicine - Matthew will continue on with his dream to be a doctor - at Boston University starting this summer.
For many graduates - the path ahead is already taking shape with a first job offer or acceptance into graduate school. For others, however, commencement day arrives alongside the harsh realities of today's job market, rising living costs, student loan payments, and growing uncertainty about how artificial intelligence may reshape careers across nearly every profession.
From business and journalism to law, healthcare, education, film, design, and technology, AI is rapidly transforming the workplace. Many graduates are entering industries where automation, algorithms, and machine learning are already changing how work is performed.
In some cases, artificial intelligence is already replacing many of the entry-level and support positions that were once available to recent graduates, creating concerns about fewer opportunities to gain experience and establish a career foundation. Some fear entire job categories may eventually disappear, while others worry that companies will increasingly prioritize AI-driven efficiency over human talent.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is creating entirely new opportunities and redefining what skills will matter most in the future. Adaptability, creativity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and human connection are becoming just as valuable as technical expertise. The challenge for this generation is learning how to work alongside rapidly evolving technology rather than compete against it.
A diploma still represents years of sacrifice, determination, sleepless nights, and financial investment. Yet graduation today is no longer simply the finish line - it is the beginning of navigating a world changing faster than ever before. Many young adults are stepping into careers that may look dramatically different within just a few years.
Still, there is something timeless and inspiring about graduation season. It reflects resilience, ambition, and hope despite uncertainty. Every generation faces defining challenges, and this one enters adulthood at the intersection of economic pressure, technological revolution, and shifting ideas about work and success.
For graduates of any age - it is important to remember that careers rarely unfold in a straight line. Some of the most meaningful opportunities emerge unexpectedly through persistence, reinvention, and the courage to adapt. In an era increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence, the human qualities that machines cannot truly replicate - empathy, imagination, intuition, and lived experience - may become more valuable than ever.
In our simulated reality that is quickly moving to its final destination (designation) - the one thing we can count on is that everything is quickly evolving not just from year to year - but by it's very design - from minute to minute. Change is not only part of the equation for graduates but for everyone.