4 Years is a Long Time
Over Thanksgiving break, I found myself cleaning out my office when I stumbled upon an old Economist article from December 2020, speculating about the potential return of inflation. Back then, the United States was in the middle of economic stimulus measures with no clear signs of inflation, and our economy hadn’t yet fully reopened. The supply chain crises of 2021—symbolized by the infamous ship stuck in the Suez Canal—were still unimaginable.
One phrase from the article stood out: “High joblessness and contained inflation expectations make forecasting continued low inflation a no-brainer.” Four years later, this prediction hasn’t aged well. Post-pandemic, unemployment plummeted, and grocery shoppers quickly noticed rising prices of everyday goods.
This got me thinking about our (in)ability to predict the future—not just inflation, but the larger question of what lies ahead. What jobs will be available four years after someone starts college? What will the economy look like for those graduates? History has shown us that graduating into a recessionary economy can suppress wages for years, but what about today’s students?
Imagine entering college in the fall of 2020. Advice from family and friends likely leaned toward STEM fields, with computer science at the top of the list. “You’ll be ready to write code for any tech company you want!” the thinking went.
Fast forward to today. Those 2020 freshmen are now seniors entering a vastly different labor market. While unemployment rates are low and the economy is growing, the entry-level job market is rapidly shifting. Companies are adopting AI tools to handle tasks like creating presentations, compiling reports, and summarizing documents—tasks that once defined many entry-level associate roles.
So, what roles should college seniors be preparing for in 2025? Valerie Capers Workman recently noted that companies are crafting roles where success depends on a combination of AI fluency and soft skills. Yes, knowing how to use AI effectively will be a critical qualification, but who could have predicted that in 2020? Two years ago, “prompt engineering” wasn’t even an option in course catalogs, and yet it’s quickly becoming a skill in demand.
And what about today’s freshmen? How can they choose majors or pathways to future-proof their education? While clear career paths like PreMed, Nursing, or Law offer some predictability, I continue to advocate for the adaptability of a well-rounded Liberal Arts education. College isn’t just about developing specific technical skills—it’s about building a foundation for lifelong learning and personal growth.
As the labor market evolves unpredictably, the ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and adapt to new challenges will remain invaluable. Four years is a long time, and if there’s one lesson we’ve learned, it’s this: the best preparation for the future is the ability to learn and evolve.
