'Graduates in the AI Era: Unlocking New Career Pathways' Speech at AI for International Students

Note: This Post origianlly publihsed on my LinkedIn

I was honored to be invited by Uoffer Global to speak at "AI for International Students," where I shared thoughts on "Graduates in the AI Era: Unlocking New Career Pathways." 🚀

In today's "AI Gold Rush," there are countless AI events and talks, but what makes this event uniquely valuable is its focus specifically tailored for international students. 🌏

This insightful half-day event began with a keynote and interview featuring Prof. Benjamin MacArthur from the University of Southampton and Chirath Hettiarachchi, Research Fellow at The Australian National University. They provided an academic perspective on cutting-edge AI research topics and insights into why aspiring students might want to explore AI academically. 🎓

Following an interactive AI knowledge pop quiz game and networking break, we had an informative session on how international students can leverage AI even before their studies (during the application stage) by Courtney G., International Development Officer at UCAS, and a panel discussion on opportunities of AI during their studies, featuring:

Lulu Yan, Recruitment Management at Study Group Tom Malcolm, Regional Officer – UKI, Europe and Africa at Lancaster University Natascha Minsel, Head of Partner Student Recruitment at Study Group Athar Ali, Senior Lecturer (FHEA) & Programme Director at the University of Buckingham

Finally, my talk focused on post-graduation opportunities, drawn from my experience as an AI startup founder. I shared ideas around three core themes:

🔭 Taking the Long View: How AI will reshape the future of work. I encouraged students to reimagine career possibilities and challenge traditional career ladder expectations.

🧩 Augmenting Intelligence: AI as a cognitive partner. Faced with these career challenges, I shared practical tips on how to effectively think and learn with AI—a topic I'm deeply passionate about.

🗺️ Self-Directed Learning: Navigating a world without formal teachers. I highlighted the critical shift from structured learning (known unknowns) in school to post-graduation, self-directed exploration (unknown unknowns)—a lesson I wish I'd understood sooner.

It feels like just yesterday I was in their shoes at university, dreaming about life after graduation and seeking career advice. I'm incredibly honored to share what I've learned and excited about. (If I'm honest, there's even a bit of imposter syndrome!)

But above all, I'm grateful for the opportunity to pay it forward. 💡

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