I Asked ChatGPT What the Best Career Path Is for Current Graduates — Here’s What It Said – AOL.com
For premium support please call:
For premium support please call:
As high schoolers face graduation with excitement, many also have trepidations as they enter college or the adult working world. ChatGPT often serves as an effective brainstorming tool, so GOBankingRates asked it about the best career path for current graduates.
Explore More: Looking for a Career? These 10 Jobs Are Fun and Pay Well in 2025
Check Out: 4 Low-Risk Ways To Build Your Savings in 2025
Here’s the prompt ChatGPT was given: “I am a high school senior who just graduated and you are a school career counselor. What is the best career path for current graduates?” Find out what it said.
Also see the three best first jobs to set yourself up for a comfortable retirement, according to a career expert.
Trending Now: Suze Orman's Secret to a Wealthy Retirement–Have You Made This Money Move?
First, ChatGPT answered, “The best career path … depends on your interests, skills and market demand.” Then, it pinpointed five fields with what it called “strong potential.” Here are the five fields it highlighted:
Technology, including software development, cybersecurity and data science
Healthcare, including nursing, physical therapy and healthcare administration
Trades, such as electricians, plumbers and HVAC technicians
Finance and business, including financial planning, accounting and business management
Creative industries, like digital marketing, content creation and graphic design.
Learn More: 4 Best First Jobs If You Are Looking To Change Careers
GOBankingRates referenced U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other data to see whether these fields are, indeed, lucrative career paths for recent graduates.
While some require four-year college degrees to earn the highest salaries, others represent a shorter path to generating income. Some require licensing, certifications or even apprenticeships so that grads can learn while they earn.
It’s generally accepted that careers in technology are growing quickly. As organizations begin to rely on artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, enhanced cybersecurity becomes more important than ever. Jobs in information security analysis, a specific path with cybersecurity and computer science, is growing at a rate of 33%, much faster than average, according to BLS data. The median pay is more than $60 an hour, or nearly $125,000 per year.
Likewise, job opportunities for software developers are growing at a rate of 17%, with the median annual salary exceeding $130,000, or more than $63 an hour, according to BLS data.
Healthcare is another field that most experts agree has high demand and increasing wages.
A recent study from Talroo and Resume Now pinpointed healthcare as the seventh-hottest industry with high wages, positive wage growth and a growing talent gap. As previously reported by GOBankingRates, workers in allied healthcare positions can earn an average of nearly $34 an hour.
Additionally, nurse practitioner is one of the fastest-growing fields, with a 46% growth rate between 2023 and 2033, according to BLS data.
Skilled trades, like plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems, represent opportunities for high school graduates who don’t want to pursue a four-year degree. Although President Donald Trump paused some funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was supposed to contribute to the creation of 345,000 trade jobs by 2028, according to Forbes, the industry remains solid for new graduates. For instance, jobs for electricians are growing at a rate of 11%, much faster than average, according to BLS data.
Hands-on skilled trades aren’t likely to be overtaken by AI anytime soon. Two hot fields ChatGPT neglected to mention? Wind turbine service technicians, where jobs are expected to grow at a rate of 60% through 2033, and solar photovoltaic installers, with job growth at 48% through 2033, according to the BLS list of fastest-growing occupations.
Finance and business was the fourth field highlighted by ChatGPT. Some careers in this field are accounting, budget analysis, financial analysis, cost estimation and tax examination, according to the BLS. It reported that employment in the field is estimated to grow faster than average through 2033, with a median annual wage of nearly $81,000 as of 2024.
Some career paths in this field could offer an even higher median salary, though most will require a four-year degree.
Somewhat surprisingly, ChatGPT mentioned creative fields like digital marketing, graphic design and content creation as promising career paths for new grads. When prompted to comment on fears that AI would displace these roles, it responded, “AI will more likely serve as a tool that enhances human creativity rather than replacing it entirely. Creative roles … will continue to thrive, with AI assisting in tasks but not replacing the need for human insight, originality and cultural context.”
However, per BLS data, careers in graphic design are growing at just 2%, which is slower than average, and the median salary is less than $30 an hour. Digital marketers, which encompasses the broad fields of advertising, promotions and marketing, could fare better with 8% job growth projected through 2033 and a median annual salary of $159,660, per BLS data.
Multiple times during the conversation, ChatGPT emphasized that the best career choice is an individual decision dependent on a graduate’s interests and strengths.
But for many high schoolers, determining their interests and strengths can feel insurmountable. Journaling their feelings around extracurricular activities, clubs and hobbies they have explored, talking with trusted adults, and even completing personality assessments can help a teen find their best direction as they choose a career path.
More From GOBankingRates
6 Costco Products That Have the Most Customer Complaints
Mark Cuban Warns of 'Red Rural Recession' — 4 States That Could Get Hit Hard
How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too
4 Low-Risk Ways To Build Your Savings in 2025
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I Asked ChatGPT What the Best Career Path Is for Current Graduates — Here’s What It Said
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
