Career Development in the Age of AI: Insights from Industry Leaders.

Dec 13, 2023 by Matt Burr

I had an amazing and thought-provoking conversation last week with Heather Yurko (Vice President, Mastercard) and Pamay Bassey (Chief Learning and Diversity Officer, Kraft Heinz), where we explored the evolving landscape of career development in the era of Generative AI.

Follow this link to watch the full conversation. Or, if you’re pressed for time, our very own Robert Burnside asked ChatGPT to summarize the conversation by grouping it into six big themes. (If you’d like to read a longer post from Robert on the experience of writing with Chat GPT click here)

Here’s Chat GPT’s summary:

1. Work will consist of a continuing evolution of projects that gather ongoing changing groups of people with the skills to accomplish them.The days of the old-fashioned “job” are coming to an end.
2. It is urgent that you master now how GenAI can take over the routine aspects of your work so you can do the real work of human interaction.
3. Develop systems in your organization that unlock the potential in everyone through access for all to apply for the work needed and equipping everyone equally with the support for their learning and growth.
4. Own your own career, with curiosity and learning as your power skill, determine what else you can do and apply for the role.
5. No one has a linear career journey. There is no ladder that you climb, there’s moments of disruption or unexpected events, maybe something that feels like a setback or a wrong turn, that turn out actually to be the things that are the stuff of a great career journey.
6. Along the way, it’s important to pursue your interests and passions, even if they don’t seem directly related to your career. You never know how they might come in handy later on.

The speakers also provided some next steps for career development, including staying curious and continuously learning about AI and its applications, considering having a reverse mentor or staying connected with those early in their careers to gain different perspectives, and taking advantage of opportunities to learn and develop skills, even if it’s outside of formal company structures.