Earlier this week, my mom sent me an article from The Wall Street Journal titled “Even MBAs From Top Business Schools Are Struggling to Get Hired” that stopped me in my tracks. It described how even MBA graduates from top business schools are struggling to find jobs. At places like Duke and the University of Michigan, a large number of graduates were still unemployed months after graduation.
For a long time, earning a prestigious degree felt like a promise of stability. It was a path people trusted — familiar and even predictable. But now, even that path is changing.
At the same time, artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the job market. Many entry-level roles — the ones people once relied on to get their foot in the door — are disappearing faster than expected. And we all know AI isn’t limited to just one industry.
All of this has made me start to question what my own steps after high school might look like, even though I’m only in 7th grade. I’ve been wondering whether gaining early, real-world experience, paired with online education, might actually be more beneficial than following a single traditional route. Learning while doing, building skills, and adapting as the world changes feels more important in a future shaped by AI and constant innovation.
This doesn’t mean education has lost its value. It means we could — and maybe should — focus on what matters more than ever.
Instead of obsessing over possibly playing a college sport (guilty), degrees (also guilty), or titles, we should be developing skills that transfer into real life: connecting with other like-minded people, problem-solving beyond textbooks, building and fixing things, communication, organization, learning how to think clearly, and creating something useful. It helps that my dad is running and getting a tech startup funded that helps solve some of these gaps.
Still, even when you do “everything right,” life can take a sharp turn.
One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is how painful it can be to chase a dream, only to have God say no. Not “later.” Not “wait.” Just no. And honestly, that really hurts.
I haven’t played a baseball game since mid-June of last year because I broke my clavicle — twice. My decisions to snowboard and play tackle football at recess without pads meant those injuries took away a season I worked hard for and really wanted.
What I hear often from my mom and my Tio Hector is something like this: sometimes God’s plan doesn’t make sense in the moment, especially when it hurts. They remind me the same thing happened to them. The plans they thought they wanted didn’t work out, but what God redirected them toward ended up being better — even if they couldn’t see it at the time and it was painful. I’ve had time to focus, reflect, and possibly readjust my own future steps.
The future isn’t locked into one degree, one job, or one title. So instead of asking, “What job will I have?” a better question might be: “What skills am I building that can grow with me, wherever God leads?”
At least I know this: faith changes how we see all of it.
Faith gives us something the world can’t — identity before achievement.
The Bible never says, “You are what you do.”
It reminds us that we are made in God’s image and that we belong to Him.
That changes everything.
Work matters. Excellence matters. Integrity matters. Effort matters.
But our value does not rise or fall with success, titles, or outcomes.
We aren’t promised certainty — but we are promised purpose.
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About Future Voices
Future Voices is a Sunday-morning column in The Dallas Express in which young Texans share how faith and perseverance shape their lives. These stories remind readers that God often speaks through the honesty and courage of the next generation.
