Hart, who previously served as a technology advisor to Jeff Bezos at Amazon and became president and CEO of Coursera in February 2025, told CNBC Make It that students need to go beyond traditional degrees to survive in a rapidly changing employment landscape.
“The advice I would give my sons…is to enhance their college degrees with specific micro-credentials,” he said, according to the CNBC website.
Microcredentials will become essential as AI replaces roles
Micro-credentials, short, targeted courses that demonstrate specific skills, are gaining traction as companies deploy AI to handle more tasks traditionally assigned to junior employees. Hart said these add-ons are becoming important as companies increasingly cite AI when firing employees.
Amazon cut 14,000 jobs this year as it doubles its AI development efforts. Salesforce has cut 4,000 customer support roles, saying AI can handle about 40% of the tasks performed within the company.
This trend is also evident in the employer outlook. A CIPD survey of 2,019 senior HR leaders found that 62% of UK employers expect junior, clerical, managerial and managerial roles to be the first to disappear due to AI. Competition for what’s left is intensifying. The UK Student Employers Association reported that 1.2 million applicants were competing for just 17,000 postgraduate positions.
“They are [micro credentials] “Prove to employers that you not only earned a degree from the university you’re studying, but also enhanced it with something generally more workforce-focused,” added Coursera’s Hart.
This is consistent with broader changes in worker behavior. LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise report found that AI literacy is the most frequently added skill to users’ profiles.
Hart emphasized that while qualifications are important, personality still drives hiring decisions for young candidates.
“Let’s say you’re a college student right now. Typically, you’re hired for your first job based primarily on the characteristics they see in you,” Hart explained. Graduates with minimal real-world experience are judged more on their mindset and potential than on past accomplishments.
Employers are looking for “positive, hardworking people who take initiative and are quick learners,” he said. The pursuit of micro-credentials is indicative of that very nature.
Experts agree. Experts previously told CNBC Make It that people who have been laid off because of AI should prioritize short-term, targeted training, especially improving AI literacy, rather than going back to school to earn expensive and time-consuming degrees. Demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning shows employers that the same dedication will be reflected in your work, they said.
