Getting a foot in the door can feel intimidating when opportunities are scarce and AI is reshaping the job market.
For two West Midlands students, preparing means gaining experience wherever they can, learning to use new tools and developing the people skills every career needs.
Ahead of Birmingham Tech Week’s Future Leaders event at The REP Theatre on Monday 19 October, we spoke to Janhavi Sawant, an International Trade student at the University of Warwick and an Innovation Fellow at Warwick Innovation District, and Htet Yan Linn, a Data Science student at Aston University and an associate of the Aston-Capgemini Centre of Excellence for Enterprise AI. They discuss finding opportunities, handling setbacks and preparing for an uncertain job market.
Entry-level roles and work experience opportunities are becoming harder to find. How can young people gain the practical experience they need?
Janhavi: Experience does not have to come solely from a traditional job. University societies, hackathons, networking events and side projects can all help you build practical skills. AI has also made it much easier to experiment, create projects and teach yourself new things. Start-ups can be particularly useful because you are often exposed to different parts of the business rather than one narrow role. Internships and apprenticeships are valuable too.
Htet: I agree that exposure is key. You can learn a lot online, but there is no substitute for speaking to people and seeing how workplaces operate first-hand. That first step from school or university into a professional environment can feel daunting, but that is why insight days and networking opportunities are worth taking. Put yourself forward and get as much experience of those environments as you can.
How should we prepare young people for jobs that may not yet exist?
Htet: Learning how to learn is becoming one of the most important skills you can have. There is an enormous amount of information available, but you still need to work out what you want to learn and how to get there.
Janhavi: Rather than trying to predict exactly which jobs will exist, I think we should focus on skills that transfer from one role to another. We have already seen new jobs emerge around AI, but they still rely on things like critical thinking and problem-solving.
Htet: People skills matter too. Being able to communicate, build relationships and work well with others is useful in any career.
How can young people build resilience in such a competitive, AI-driven job market?
Janhavi: AI is already part of working life, so it makes sense to learn how to use it well. I see it as an assistant: let it take care of tasks it can do quickly, while you concentrate on the work that needs human judgement and attention. We should not avoid AI; we just need to get better at using it.
Htet: The job market has become a resilience game. There may be more applicants chasing fewer opportunities, but you have to keep improving and stay confident in what you can offer. Keep building your skills, keep putting yourself forward and do not let rejection stop you.
