College students wary of the job market are changing course in search of
'AI-proof' majors
[April 27, 2026] By
JOCELYN GECKER and LINLEY SANDERS
Two years ago, Josephine Timperman arrived at college with a plan. She
declared a major in business analytics, figuring she'd learn niche
skills that would stand out on a resume and help land a good job after
college.
But the rise of artificial intelligence has scrambled those
calculations. The basic skills she was learning in things like
statistical analysis and coding can now easily be automated. “Everyone
has a fear that entry-level jobs will be taken by AI,” said the
20-year-old at Miami University in Ohio.
A few weeks ago, Timperman switched her major to marketing. Her new
strategy is to use her undergraduate studies to build critical thinking
and interpersonal skills — areas where humans still have an edge.
“You don’t just want to be able to code. You want to be able to have a
conversation, form relationships and be able to think critically,
because at the end of the day, that’s the thing that AI can’t replace,”
said Timperman, who is keeping analytics as a minor and plans to dive
deeper into the subject for a one-year master’s program.
Today’s college students say that picking a major that’s “AI-proof”
feels like shooting at a moving target as they prepare for a job market
that could be fundamentally different by the time they graduate.
As a result, many are reconsidering their career paths. About 70% of
college students see AI as a threat to their job prospects, according to
a 2025 poll by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School,
while recent Gallup polling finds U.S. workers are increasingly
concerned about being replaced by new technologies.
Students seeking majors that teach ‘human’ skills
The uncertainty appears most concentrated among those pursuing degrees
in technology and vocational areas of study, where students feel a need
to develop expertise in AI but also fear being replaced by it. A recent
Quinnipiac poll found the vast majority of Americans believe it’s “very”
or “somewhat” important for college and university students to be taught
how to use AI, as Gallup Workforce polling finds AI is getting adopted
in technology-related fields at higher rates. Meanwhile, students
studying health care and natural sciences may be less impacted by AI
overhauls, Gallup found.
“We see students all the time change majors. That’s not new or
different. But it’s usually for a ton of different reasons,” said
Courtney Brown, a vice president at Lumina, an education nonprofit
focused on increasing the number of students who seek education beyond
high school. “The fact that so many students say it’s because of AI —
that is startling."
A recent Gallup poll of Generation Z youth and adults, between the ages
of 14 and 29, found increasing skepticism and concerns about AI.
Although half of Gen Z adults use AI at least “weekly,” and teenagers
report higher use, many in this generation see drawbacks to the
technology and worry about AI's impact on their cognitive abilities and
job prospects. About half — 48% — of Gen Z workers say the risks of AI
in the workforce outweigh the possible benefits.
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Josephine Timperman, a student at Miami University, poses for a
portrait Friday, April 24, 2026, in Oxford, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff
Dean)
 Part of the challenge for college
students is that the experts they would typically turn to for
advice, like advisers, professors and parents, don’t have any
answers. “Students are having to navigate this on their own, without
a GPS,” says Brown.
That uncertainty was evident last month at Stanford University,
where the leaders of several prominent universities gathered for a
wide-ranging panel discussion on the future of higher education.
Topics of concern included the AI revolution that is transforming
how students learn and forcing educators to rethink pedagogy.
“We need to think really hard about what students need to learn to
be successful in the job market in 10, 20, 30 years,” said Brown
University President Christina Paxson.
“And none of us know. We don’t know the answer to that,” Paxson
said. “I think it’s communication, it’s critical thought. The
fundamentals of a liberal education are probably more important than
learning how to code in Java right now.”
Anxiety also reaches computer science majors
Computer science major Ben Aybar, 22, graduated last spring from the
University of Chicago and applied for about 50 jobs, mostly in
software engineering, without getting a single interview. He pivoted
to a master’s degree in computer science and meanwhile has found
part-time work doing AI consulting for companies.
“People who know how to use AI will be very valuable,” said Aybar,
who sees new jobs emerging that require AI skills, particularly for
people who can explain the complexities in layman's terms. “Being
able to talk to people and interact with people in a very human way
I think is more valuable than ever.”
At the University of Virginia, data science major Ava Lawless is
wondering if her major is worthwhile but can’t get concrete answers.
Some advisers feel that data scientists will be safe because they’re
the ones building AI models, but she keeps seeing gloomy job reports
that indicate the contrary.
“It makes me feel a bit hopeless for the future,” Lawless said.
“What if by the time I graduate there’s not even a job market for
this anymore?”
She is considering switching to studio art, which is her minor.
“I’m at a point where I’m thinking if I can’t get a job being a data
scientist, I might as well pursue art,” she said. “Because if I’m
going to be unemployed, I might as well do something I love.”
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