Now in any recession, it's the young ones who are going to find it hardest to get jobs, and this recession is no different. Student Job Search says many students and graduates are really struggling to find jobs, part time, full time, which means they're also finding it tough to pay the rent and to put food on the table. And just looking at the story, it seems that many young people who've followed their passions are finding it the most difficult to get work. They've taken out student loans to get degrees in fields like screen production or radio, or they've done a Bachelor of Communications and then they're finding that the jobs simply aren't there, not for entry level.

Or there are fears that the jobs for which the young people have qualified, taken out the student loans, worked their way through and qualified, simply won't exist in the future. Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, has warned that up to half of white collar work could be automated by 2030 In this country, MB warns that young people may struggle to get onto the employment ladder as an increasing amount of entry level work is automated. The unemployment rate among New Zealand's 15 to 24 year olds currently sits at around 15% triple that of the working age population.  These are young people who are looking for work. They weren't faffing around just taking a dole or a youth allowance. These are young people who want work and the unemployment rate is around 15%

Research from the AI Forum in this country earlier this year showed that 45% of businesses were planning to lower their headcount due to implementing AI. So not only are they struggling to find jobs in the field that they've studied and they've graduated in, there's real concern that they're not going to get a job in 10 years from now, that job simply won't be there. There was a review of a number of go get em tiger type books in The Economist this week  under the heading "Traditional career advice is failing Gen Z".

Two of the books have authors who tell their readers to get out there and find a career you love, to follow your passion, nothing will make you more successful than loving what you do for a living. But the third author took the opposite approach and I think it's probably the more sensible one. He says get good at something that helps others and the passion will follow. His argument is that if you're good at your job, you'll have more leverage to do enjoyable work than if you pursue a passion and you're mediocre. Don't go for the big bucks, he cites the happiness paradox where once basic comfort and security are met, extra income yields much smaller gains in daily emotional well being. Just being wealthy isn't going to make you happy. You get to a certain tipping point where you can pay all your bills on time, have a little bit set aside for disposable income, a holiday once a year perhaps, that'll do you. Anything beyond that and it's not really worth it. He says do something where you feel valued and where your skills are in demand. Do that rather than follow your dream of becoming a professional YouTuber or a cinematographer or what have you.

I have been very, very lucky to begin a job at 17 that I have loved, and I've pretty much done it on and off since I was 17 working in the media. Being a television presenter, being a radio journalist, being a writer, being a columnist, loved it. Apart from two years of COVID, but we don't need to go into that right now, not today. Absolutely loved it and feel very, very lucky to have done so. But what is your advice to your young people? Or if you are a young person who has recently graduated, how did you decide what to do? How difficult has it been trying to find a job? I mean 15% unemployment among the 15 to 24 year olds. That's a lot of young kids that are knocking on doors willing to do anything, and they are. These aren't lazy kids. They're willing to do damn near anything. They've given up working in screen production or radio or public relations, they just want a job. What's your advice? Do a bit of research and find out what jobs might be AI proof, service jobs, or do you still think it's important to tell kids to follow their passion?

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