"There's no point": AI forces college students to rethink their major

Students — and their parents — are searching for future-proof college majors for an AI -powered world.

Why it matters: AI is changing the skills employers expect from entry-level workers, while colleges are rethinking how to prepare students for the transition.

The big picture: Rumors of the death of jobs might be greatly exaggerated , but college students and graduates are still worried about what comes next.

College instructors and administrators need to spend more time thinking about what students are going to do with their degrees and how what they've learned applies to their career, Casey Evans, interim dean at American University's Kogod School of Business, tells Axios.

Parents expect it too.

"How are you connected to employers? What's the rate of internships?" Evans says families regularly ask.

By the numbers: Nearly seven in 10 (69%) college students worry AI will make it harder to find a job, per a recent survey of 2,000 U.S. higher education students by Superhuman (formerly Grammarly).

Fewer than half (45%) say they feel optimistic about the job market after graduation, One in five (22%) students say they've changed their major or concentration because of concerns about the job market.

Zoom out: Today's college majors aren't necessarily built for the future labor market.

Transferable skills like critical thinking, AI literacy, leadership and collaboration will be the skills employers are looking for, according to Leah Belsky, VP of education for OpenAI.

At American University, for instance , students learn how to use AI critically — including how to identify errors, consider ethical questions and decide when the technology adds value, Evans tells Axios.

The curriculum pairs AI skills with communication, teamwork, presentation and critical-thinking requirements — skills Evans says employers continue to seek.

Case in point: Burton Baecker, a rising sophomore at the University of California, Davis started as an accounting major, but soon realized AI could do much of his classwork.

He added finance onto his major to broaden his job prospects and financial literacy.