Quote · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
Rebranding the Democratic Party + The College Affordability Crisis
Where this was said
Q3: What College Degrees Are Worth It in the Age of AI?
At 26:48 · chapter starts 21:25
The final question is the biggest one for most of the audience: should you still go to college, and if so, what should you study? Galloway grounds his answer in fresh data. The unemployment rate for recent grads hit 5.6% to end 2025 — above the national average and the highest since 2020. [1] — Scott Galloway "Workers aged 22–25 in the most AI-exposed jobs have seen a 13% relative employment decline since late 2022, while workers 30+ in the same r…" 22:25 Forty-three percent of employed grads are in jobs that don't require a degree. Early-career workers in AI-exposed fields — software development, customer service, accounting — have seen a 13% relative employment drop since late 2022, while experienced workers in those same fields are thriving. [1] — Scott Galloway "Workers aged 22–25 in the most AI-exposed jobs have seen a 13% relative employment decline since late 2022, while workers 30+ in the same r…" 22:25 A Gallup poll found 42% of current students have reconsidered their major because of AI. But Galloway's prescription isn't to pivot to the 'safe' field. He points out that students are reliably rearview-mirror oriented: whatever they're rushing toward is usually at peak and about to be disrupted. His actual advice: find what you're genuinely good at, study some science (biology and chemistry underpin almost everything), learn to write and tell stories, and build as large a network as you can while you have the excuse to do so. The sciences, he believes, are about to explode. Computer science is in an awkward middle position — still valuable long-term, but oversupplied at the entry level right now. And through all of it, the single most durable skill is storytelling: the ability to craft a narrative arc and compel people to act or feel something is something AI won't displace. [1] — Scott Galloway "Workers aged 22–25 in the most AI-exposed jobs have seen a 13% relative employment decline since late 2022, while workers 30+ in the same r…" 22:25
The unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22–27 ended 2025 at 5.6%, well above the 4.2% overall rate and the highest December level since 2020.
Among employed recent college graduates, 43% were working jobs that don't require a college degree — the greatest share since 2020.
Since late 2022, early-career workers aged 22–25 in the most AI-exposed occupations — software development, customer service, accounting — have seen a 13% relative decline in employment.
Workers aged 22–25 in the most AI-exposed jobs have seen a 13% relative employment decline since late 2022, while workers 30+ in the same roles saw employment grow 6–12%. AI is hitting entry-level far harder than experienced workers.
A Gallup poll found that 42% of bachelor's degree students have reconsidered their major because of AI, with 16% having already switched.
The average trade school program costs $5,000 to $20,000 total compared to $30,000 in student loan debt for the average bachelor's degree borrower, and trade grads enter the workforce 2–3 years earlier.
Trade school costs $5,000–$20,000 total versus $30,000 in average student debt. Trade grads enter the workforce 2–3 years earlier, and the welding industry alone will need 320,000 new professionals by 2029. The ROI math is shifting.
The welding industry alone needs 320,000 new professionals by 2029, with 160,000 currently nearing retirement.
