New cohorts for Intersectional Career Development certificate program announced; first cohort starts Jan. 26
January 8, 2026Polarization, career development professionals, and the ethical decision-making model
January 12, 2026When we talk about the future with artificial intelligence (AI), it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Will entry-level jobs vanish? Will machines replace educators, counsellors and career practitioners? These are reasonable fears, but the evidence tells a more balanced story. While AI and automation will transform how we work, they also reaffirm why human skills and personalized guidance matter more than ever.
Rather than eliminating most jobs, AI is reshaping them: shifting tasks, changing priorities and creating new roles. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 estimates that 59% of workers will need reskilling or upskilling to adapt to these changes. Notably, seven of the 10 fastest-growing skills projected by 2030 are the very human, transferable skills: creative and analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility, technological literacy, curiosity and lifelong learning (World Economic Forum, 2025). These are exactly the kinds of skills that career development professionals (CDPs) have always helped people to identify, strengthen and articulate.
AI tools are also transforming the job-search landscape (OECD, n.d.). Many students now turn to chatbots to draft résumés, refine cover letters or practice interview questions. This shift frees CDPs to focus on the human side of career development – the conversations that spark insight, confidence and direction (Savickas, 2013). Clients will need help interpreting information, managing uncertainty and clarifying what matters most to them.
In this evolving context, CDPs can lean into reflective, exploratory approaches that build self-awareness and agency. Career wayfinding offers one such model: a mindset that values reflection and experimentation over fixed destinations (Woodard, 2019). As Woodard notes, wayfinding is “about getting comfortable with the idea that you may have more than one destination.” Tools like the Challenge Mindset Cards invite students to explore their values, purpose and the problems they want to solve rather than focusing on a specific job title (SparkPath, 2025). These conversations cultivate transferable skills such as critical thinking, adaptability and self-awareness that will be most valuable in an AI-influenced future (World Economic Forum, 2025). In an increasingly automated world, authentic connection, curiosity and reflection remain our most powerful tools.
By 2040, AI may handle many of the procedural parts of career guidance including searching job databases, generating application materials, even suggesting possible career pathways. But the heart of the field will remain the same: helping people make sense of their experiences, clarify their goals and connect their talents to meaningful work. Our challenge is not to compete with AI but to complement it, and to bring humanity to a world increasingly shaped by machines.
Christine Mishra is a PhD candidate in higher education at the University of Toronto. Her research explores how transferable skills are developed in Canadian universities. She is passionate about helping students and educators adapt to an AI-transformed future of work and learning.
References
Savickas, M. L. (2013). Career construction theory and practice. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (End Ed., pp. 147–183). Wiley.
SparkPath. (2025). Challenge Cards. SparkPath. https://mysparkpath.com/
Woodard, S. (2019, February 19). Career wayfinding: Building your way forward. Scott Woodard Coaching. scottwoodardcoaching.com/blog/career-wayfinding-building-your-way-forward/
World Economic Forum. (2025). The Future of Jobs Report 2025 (p. 289) [Insight Report]. www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/