Helping teens choose career paths in the AI and STEM economy

Traditional roles are being rapidly redefined as the world adopts (demands) more AI, quantum, and high-performance computing, New opportunities across energy, healthcare, IT, national security and defense are emerging – while many of the most in-demand jobs of the next decade don’t even exist yet.

While traditional careers like doctor, lawyer, and engineer still exist, the next-generation requirements are evolving to include interconnected disciplines that blend science, technology, data, and design.

For today’s top graduates, it’s an exciting but uncertain time. These students are bright, intentional, and eager to apply their talents meaningfully — yet the future of work can feel abstract. It’s hard to picture what a “day in the life” will look like in careers that are still being invented.

In this series, I will explore the emerging job market to help parent’s and students better understand the educational and career pathways that will shape the next decade.

What’s Changing

STEM is no longer a collection of silos. It’s a collaborative ecosystem where chemistry meets computation, and aerospace meets artificial intelligence. Companies like Meta, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Berkeley Labs, and NASA are proving that breakthroughs come from teams that blend physics, data, and creativity — not just one degree or title.

Tomorrow’s innovators will work in teams at the intersection of:

• Computing & AI: Building intelligent systems that design materials, predict outcomes, and power quantum discoveries.

• Engineering & Manufacturing: Creating sustainable technologies — from self-repairing spacecraft to autonomous vehicles.

• Energy & Environment: Solving the global challenges of power generation, water, and climate resilience.

• Biological & Health Sciences: Using data-driven models to cure diseases and reprogram living systems.

• Cross-Disciplinary Design: Uniting communication, ethics, and systems thinking to guide responsible innovation.

Why It Matters

The new generation of STEM careers are not just “jobs” — they’re missions. They require curiosity, agility, and collaboration (teamwork) across fields that didn’t talk to each other a decade ago. Whether you’re coding, experimenting, or analyzing, every contribution is shaping a smarter, more sustainable solution.

The Opportunity Ahead

High school graduates entering STEM today will help define what’s possible by 2035. From quantum networks to next-generation energy systems, these emerging fields will need new thinkers — and now is the time to start exploring which pathway inspires you most.

This article kicks off a series highlighting the future of STEM careers by discipline — from AI and engineering to biotech and environmental science.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Computing, Data & AI — The New Oil and the Refinery That Runs It.