My daughter has always been interested in the studies of humanities and more specifically, international relations. It’s probably because our house is constantly tuned to financial and news channels. But I think it was The Good Wife tv-series that confirmed her interest in studying law. She also asked me to buy her the timeless, To Kill a Mockingbird.

That began a discussion about what kind of job would be suited to her interest and aptitude, especially in the age of AI. So, I asked her to answer three questions.

What do you want to do? It’s a simple question but surprisingly many kids in her peer group have no clue what they want to do with their lives. “I don’t know,” she said to me. It’s also not fair to demand an answer on the spot. Not only does the question not require an answer right now, but the answer is also dynamic and will change over time. Answering this question can begin by knowing what she doesn’t want to do. For her, it was easier to answer that question.

The next question I posed to her is What can you do? Well, for this question, she knows her own limits and that isn’t in the world of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). She has absolutely no interest in solving quadratic equations beyond the sufficient knowledge to pass her high school courses. Nor is she interested in calculating the diminishing fuel necessary to propel a spacecraft at greater speeds to one day colonize Mars. Business and commerce come easier to her.

The final and probably the most important question I asked her to answer is What does the world need? That was very a interesting question she is still trying to wrap her head around. Many current ‘jobs’ that are taken up by humans would likely be optimized or eliminated in the near future with automation and AI. The world simply does not need another iOS programmer. We could, however, use more trades people in millwork, plumbing and HVAC and electricians. But she has no interest in those disciplines. Then she asked, what about lawyers? To which I responded that lawyers don’t necessarily have good reputations, and there are already generative AI agents that are very good at examining case law.

We began a discussion about what kind of job would be suited to her interest and aptitude, especially in the age of AI. So, I asked her to answer three questions.

But there’s nothing to say that she can’t combine expertise with a truly multidisciplinary approach to a career. What if she combined international trade with law? Would that be useful in a multipolar context? That lit up a string of lightbulbs in her head.

I told my daughter that she doesn’t need to decide what to do right now. Even when she gets into university, specialization doesn’t really begin until second year for most disciplines. But it’s good to think about what she wants to do; what she can do; and what she should do. She’s still got a couple of years of high school and university is a venue for her to learn how to learn. And if she pursues post-grad, there will be practicum, internships, apprenticeship to hone those skills. She has a bit of time. But not so much time that she can squander it.

The seeds have been planted. She doesn’t need to pick a job; but instead think about a career plan that can change over time which will take her through multiple jobs.

As I’ve told her many times, it’s likely possible that she hasn’t met her best friend yet. So equally plausible, it’s likely that the specific jobs in her career path probably don’t even exist yet.