Survey Finds This One Specific Skill Is More Valuable Than Any Other Qualification — Even A Degree
If you've got skills in the new tech revolution, you're becoming a hot commodity.
ThisIsEngineering | Pexels It's happening so fast, it's already becoming a cliché: AI is changing everything, and that's perhaps most true when it comes to the workplace. Accordingly, pretty much everyone is feeling rattled about their career prospects in the near future as AI threatens to steal all our jobs.
But a new survey finds that fear might be unfounded, at least for now. Because skills in new technologies are so in demand, they are starting to eclipse the usual qualifications we've always regarded as indispensable for success.
1 in 5 hiring managers value 'AI fluency' more than even a college degree, a survey finds.
As AI chatbot tools like Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT become ever more ubiquitous, it's become a common feeling that dumping huge amounts of work into the chat box is downright lazy. You become a corner cutter, someone who doesn't want to work hard, or worse: Someone who doesn't even know HOW to work hard.
We have the data to show that last point is actually true, at least as far as educational environments are concerned. But in the workplace? Well, it seems like things are shaping up very differently, according to a study by online college Nexford University.
They performed a survey of 1,004 American professionals to get a sense of how AI is reshaping the workplace, and an interesting trend was discovered: More than 1 in 5 hiring managers said they now value AI fluency above even educational credentials.
That is, a community college degree with fluency in AI skills is now more valuable to some decision makers than, say, a Harvard degree with no AI skills. In short, that "laziness" so many of us have looked askance at is rapidly becoming a hotly desired qualification, and in some cases, even a non-negotiable one.
Many hiring managers said AI skills are now a basic requirement for any job they fill.
Despite its foibles and disadvantages, AI obviously isn't going anywhere, and it's changing things at a rapid pace. Employers have clearly noticed, and are deciding to lean in rather than out. So much so that many hiring managers who responded to the survey said it's now a compulsory requirement for job applicants.
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More than 1 in 4 hiring managers told Nexford that AI fluency is now a baseline requirement to be considered for any job they are filling, and 22% said it's just as or more important than good communication skills.
Employers are clearly beginning to take a forward-thinking view of the future and are looking to ensure that their workforces are ready to compete in these technical skills. And it signals that we all might need to change our perspective on a controversial issue: AI use in education.
Hiring managers said they specifically look for AI coursework on the resumes of new graduates.
AI is causing a lot of consternation in education as more and more students seem to be actively "cheating" their way through college using AI tools to complete tasks like writing essays for them. Some universities have taken hardline approaches, implementing AI-detection software to penalize students who cut corners this way.
This is an understandable reaction, especially given the frankly terrifying statistics showing a growing literacy crisis and many professors' anecdotal reports of young people who arrive at college essentially unable to even think critically.
But Nexford's survey reveals that banning AI entirely is probably overkill. Thirty-seven percent of hiring managers said they prioritize candidates from universities or programs where AI is integrated into the coursework, and 35% specifically look for AI experience on young workers' resumes.
That data feels even weightier when considered alongside studies that have shown managers and business leaders have become wary of hiring Gen Z workers because of their reputation for being hard to work with.
To that end, the survey uncovered another trend worth taking seriously: AI fluency increases trust when it comes to young workers. Forty percent of hiring managers surveyed said they would trust a recent graduate more if their degree program included hands-on experience with AI. For all its pitfalls, AI just might be becoming the ace in the hole for future workers, so it may be time to adjust our attitudes toward this technology.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
