Even in Singapore's 20s, I often hear older generations hear about job security, retirement savings, or climbing corporate ladders. But for many of my generation, those ideas feel increasingly outdated, if not completely out of reach.
I admit that: I'm afraid to commit to traditional full-time jobs.
Not because I lack ambition. It's not because I'm lazy. But because I really don't know if the job I train today will exist even five years from now.
Recent articles of Business time“Rethinking AI Skills: From Awareness to Practical Recruitment,” correctly points out that companies are rapidly investing in artificial intelligence (AI).
Tools such as ChatGpt, Microsoft Copilot, and other enterprise-grade platforms are embedded in your workflow. The reports that 92% of McKinsey companies will increase their AI investment over the next three years have all said. AI waves are no longer on the horizon. It's here.
While companies talk about aging their employees to “work with AI,” the reality for many of us entering the workforce is this: we are not just learning to work with AI. We are quietly trying to figure out how to not replace it.
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I'll take marketing, which is my field of study. Generation AI tools such as CHATGPT were used for copywriting, and information could be processed and sorted using Invideo AI for automated video creation, as well as niche GPTs like Excel AI.
These tools are fast, scalable and increasingly accessible. But they also raise an offensive question:
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If AI can write, design, and even strategy on a large scale, where is my human value?
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If AI can automate it tomorrow, is it worth focusing on something today?
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Should I work full-time when the skills I hired might become obsolete before I get promoted?
These are not theoretical concerns. They are daily mental disorders.
Instead, many of my peers are exploring alternative routes that allow them to build portfolio careers, freelance across the domain, and always pick up short-term microskills to remain adaptable. However, this agility comes with its own costs. Instability, burnout, and the fear of never becoming a truly “expert.”
AI has no undoubted opportunity to be locked. But for young professionals, it also introduces a quiet undercurrent of anxiety. Not only does it require skill proficiency, but it also requires realistic conversations about what long-term employment possibilities look like. In an age where technology evolves faster than training programs can keep up.
Until we close that gap, don't be surprised if more gen ZSs like me hesitate to sign on to a traditional 9-6 deal – not from indifference, but from deep uncertainty.
Amoslau
