Workforce expert Brent Orrell has a message for all college students, regardless of their major: “You’re not going to have the option of not learning how to use AI.”
Orrell, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, has worked on workforce development policy for more than 20 years, including as Assistant Secretary at the Department of Labor. In the past few years, his research has focused on how AI will change the job market, and how we can respond.
In an interview with The Standard, Orrell shared his advice on how college students can make themselves more employable in an AI economy and how to make AI “work for you without substituting for you.”
Orrell highlighted the unique challenges facing college students who will graduate in the next few years. “We’re clearly seeing a slowdown in hiring for entry-level, white-collar positions. Those are the kinds of jobs that recent college grads have specialized in filling.”
While Orrell noted that AI is only one of several factors that have likely contributed to this slowdown, AI competency will be a “big factor going forward” in how employers evaluate recent graduates.
“We’re moving away from the knowledge economy and toward the judgment economy,” Orrell explains. AI will produce a “real tidal wave of information analysis.” Employers will need “people who have the ability to assess that information.” Employers will need people who can think a level deeper than ChatGPT and ask “Is it true? Is it wise? Is it moral?” rather than “plugging numbers into a spreadsheet.”
“We’re moving away from the knowledge economy and toward the judgment economy,” Orrell explains. AI will produce a “real tidal wave of information analysis.”
So what can we do to prepare? First, undergrads should “do whatever they can to familiarize themselves with some of the major tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity.”
Orrell recognized that most Baylor students are not allowed to use AI for school assignments, and instead recommended they weave AI into their everyday tasks like chore lists and trip planning. He also recommended using online courses to teach yourself AI skills. “Don’t wait for somebody else to teach you. There’s so much of this you can learn on your own.”
Orrell’s advice is backed up by the numbers. The major consulting firm PwC reported in June that AI-skilled workers benefited from an average 56% wage premium in 2024, double the 25% wage premium the year before.
Baylor provides several AI resources for students, including a Canvas-based AI literacy course and a student guide to generative AI.
Additionally, Orrell encouraged undergrads to use their remaining time in college to develop a broader set of skills than they may have initially planned. “Most undergrads don’t end up using their degrees in a specific sense. It’s the underlying skills that you want to emphasize if you’re a history major, research and writing. If you’re a psychology major, human insights and relationships.” Orrell emphasized “soft,” personal skills over “hard,” technical skills. “If you’re a finance major,” Orrell added, “I would make darn sure that you understand what’s going on in the finance sector relative to AI.”
Orrell encouraged students of all majors to research the current state of the job market in their intended fields and locations. If they need help, he suggested they “ask AI.” Give a chatbot a little information about your future plans, and ask what skills you should be developing to prepare.
“The number one thing that employers are concerned about is, do you work well with others and can you communicate?”
Orrell shared some specific tips on adapting your resume for an AI job market. He identified two things students should emphasize: first, “your agility with and ethical use of AI” and second “that you have a broad set of skills that make you a good learner on the job when confronted with new technology or new questions that you have to answer.” To demonstrate a broad skillset, Orrell recommends that students should incorporate their broader interests and hobbies toward the top of their resume. Hobbies that demonstrate social skills, like organizing a pickup basketball league, are especially important. “The number one thing that employers are concerned about is, do you work well with others and can you communicate?”
Every Baylor student will need to learn how to compete in a job market saturated with AI. Instead of waiting for their classes to give them those skills, they should take the opportunity to learn on their own and get a headstart on the AI future.
Orrell plans to visit Baylor for an Alexander Hamilton Society speaking event in February.
