I keep coming back to the same moment.
A young person looks up, half hopeful, half braced for disappointment and asks: “What should I be when I’m older?”.
It sounds like a simple question. It is anything but because the honest answer is not a neat job title. It is not “doctor” or “plumber” or “teacher” or “engineer” tied up with a bow. The honest answer is this: some of the jobs we are pointing them towards today will not look the same by the time they finish school. Some might not exist at all.
If you are a teacher, you will have felt that shift in the room. If you are a parent, you will have carried it quietly, like a stone in your pocket. And if you are a young person, you will have heard the noise online, watched the headlines, and wondered if there is any point trying.
AI and technology are moving fast. Faster than worksheets. Faster than careers posters. Faster than most of the systems we rely on. And that is why I believe we need a live careers education system. One that can change quickly, stay honest, and keep young people steady.
For years, careers education has been built around certainty. Pick a path in a careers’ advice appointment, choose the right subjects, get the qualifications. Follow the steps, job done until retirement. That structure has helped a lot of young people. It has helped adults, too.
But the world of work is not holding still.
AI can now write, design, code, analyse, translate, and support customers at scale. That does not mean humans are finished; it means jobs are being reshaped in real time. And yet there is a permanent sense of palpable anxiety in the workforce as redundancies loom. So when a young person asks: “What if I choose wrong?” or “What if I train for something that disappears?” they are not being dramatic. They are being observant. When we cannot answer clearly, something fragile can break. Not their respect for us, but their trust in the idea that the future is something they can plan for. What can fill that silence is apathy and helplessness.
Most existing careers education still leans on things that are, by design, slow to change. Printed resources, static PDFs, labour market information that updates on a cycle, one-off employer talks (usually by a willing parent) that do not always reflect what is happening now or necessarily the interests of students or curriculum content that takes months, or years, to refresh. Young people can end up learning about a world that has already moved on. They can feel like they are running, but the finish line keeps shifting. They can start to believe the problem is them. It is not.
What young people need is not a perfect answer, but a way through
If we cannot predict every job title, we can still teach young people how to navigate change. I think careers education needs to move from “pick a job” to “build a toolkit of skills”. Not a toolkit that sounds like corporate jargon. A real one. What I call a “bag of tricks” or being a “jack of all trades”. The kind you can draw from in any situation.
The ability to ask good questions. The confidence to try something new without feeling stupid. The habit of reflecting, and adjusting, and trying again. The skill of showing evidence of what you can do, not just listing what you have studied. This matters for every young person, but it matters most for those who already feel the world was not built with them in mind.
If a young person is neurodivergent, or has SEND, or is care-experienced, or has already had a rough start, the message they often receive is: “Keep up.” Careers education should not add to that pressure. It should be a gentle guiding hand for young people who might be in survival mode, processing trauma and not even ready to face their future when their past is dominant in their mind.
Why “live” careers education is not a nice extra
When I say a live careers education system, I mean something that can be updated quickly, without waiting for a full rewrite, new product, or progression lag. A live system reflects what is happening now. It responds as new tools, new sectors, and new risks appear. It is shaped by real work, not just theory. It offers different ways for young people to learn and show progress. It tracks growth in confidence, skills, and awareness over time.
When AI changes the workplace, a live system changes too. That means we are not training young people for yesterday. This is also about wellbeing. This is not only about employability; it is also about how safe and supported young people feel.
Young people are already navigating anxiety about the future. Pressure to “get it right” early. Confusing messages online about success. The fear of being left behind by technology yet told to minimise screentime and be wary about online risks. If careers education is slow, vague, or out of touch, it can add to that stress.
A live system can do something quietly powerful. It can say, in plain English, “Here is what is changing. Here is what is staying the same. Here is what you can do next.” It can replace doom with direction. When AI changes job roles quickly, compliance is not enough. We need careers education that keeps pace.
Current UK figures: a reminder of the stakes
When we talk about future jobs, it can sound abstract, but the consequences of young people feeling stuck or unsupported, are real. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that 12.8% of people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment, or training (NEET) in October to December 2025.
That is not a small group. It is a signal. If careers education is outdated, young people may make choices based on old information. They may miss new pathways, especially technical routes. They may lose confidence. They may disengage. A live system helps us respond earlier, and more fairly.
Practical actions you can take (even if you feel out of your depth)
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- Start by giving yourself permission to be honest. You do not need to pretend you can predict the future. When a young person asks about AI, it is OK to say, “Some jobs will change, but you are not powerless.” That sentence alone can empower.
- Make careers conversations more about questions than answers. Instead of “What job do you want?” try “What problems do you like solving?” or “What do you enjoy doing that makes time go fast?” Those questions still work, even when job titles shift.
- Keep a “live” habit in your classroom or at home. Once a month, pick one industry and look at what has changed. What tools are people using now? What skills are showing up in real job adverts? Treat it like a weather check, not a life decision.
- Invite young people to build evidence, not just ambition. Encourage them to create small, real outputs: a short video explanation, a simple project, a poster, a mock pitch, a mini portfolio. When the world changes, evidence travels.
- Talk about pathways like a network, not a ladder. Remind them there is more than one route. That it is normal to pivot. That changing direction is not failure, it is learning.
And finally, protect their hope. Not with false promises, but with steady support. The future of work will keep changing. That is not a reason to give up on careers education. It is a reason to make it more human, more honest, and more alive because if we want young people to feel ready for what comes next, we cannot keep teaching them as if the world stands still.