The Graduate's Dilemma: Career Planning on Short AGI Timelines
Coverage of lessw-blog
A recent discussion on LessWrong highlights the growing existential anxiety among college students who fear rapid AI advancement is rendering traditional career advice obsolete.
In a recent post, LessWrong hosts a critical discussion regarding the existential and practical dilemmas facing today's college students. The entry, titled "Wanted: Advice for College Students on Weathering the Storm," articulates a growing anxiety among young intellectuals: the fear that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence-specifically the potential for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) by roughly 2027-are rendering traditional life paths and career advice obsolete.
This topic is particularly resonant as the gap between technological acceleration and institutional adaptation widens. For decades, the standard roadmap for high-potential students involved obtaining a degree, perhaps learning to code, and entering the workforce to build capital over forty years. However, the author argues that this "long game" is no longer a viable strategy for those who subscribe to shorter AI timelines. The post describes a cohort of students "staring into the abyss," feeling that they have only a few years to establish financial security or meaningful impact before automation fundamentally reshapes the economic landscape.
The discussion critiques the current state of mentorship. Conventional advice from older generations-such as "work on what you are interested in" or assurances that automation is decades away-is increasingly viewed as detached from the reality of current AI trajectories. Consequently, the focus for many students is shifting from "impact maximization" (such as AI safety research, which is seen as highly exclusive and difficult to enter) to "self-preservation." The core tension lies in the need to secure a future in a world where the value of human labor is uncertain, and where Western social safety nets may not be robust enough to handle widespread displacement.
This post serves as a significant signal for educators, policymakers, and industry leaders. It underscores that the "alignment problem" is not just a technical safety issue but a sociological one, influencing the mental health and economic planning of the emerging workforce.
For a deeper understanding of this generational perspective, read the full post on LessWrong.
Key Takeaways
- Shortened Timelines: Students are increasingly planning their lives around the possibility of AGI arriving within the next 3-5 years, creating a sense of extreme urgency.
- Obsolescence of Standard Advice: Traditional guidance to "follow your passion" or "learn to code" is viewed as insufficient for a future dominated by automation.
- Shift to Self-Preservation: Many students are pivoting from altruistic goals (like AI safety) to financial survival strategies, fearing that social safety nets will fail.
- Barriers to Entry: There is a perception that meaningful contributions to AI safety are restricted to a tiny elite, leaving the majority without a clear path to impact.
- Generational Disconnect: Current mentors and managers often fail to validate the specific anxieties of a generation facing the potential end of the traditional labor market.