#Careers

A former Google executive says long degrees in law and medicine risk becoming obsolete.
He warns that AI may match or surpass human expertise by the time students graduate (Yahoo/Fortune).

This claim matters for Thai students and policymakers planning careers and education investments.
Many Thai families view professional degrees as secure paths to social mobility and stable incomes.

The former Google AI team founder made the remarks in recent interviews with business press.
He said doctoral and long professional programs take years while AI evolves rapidly (Yahoo/Fortune).

A prominent technology industry veteran who previously led artificial intelligence initiatives at Google has sparked intense debate across Thailand’s education sector with provocative warnings about the future relevance of traditional professional degrees. Speaking during recent high-profile media interviews, this former executive delivered a stark message that could fundamentally reshape how Thai families approach their children’s educational investments and career planning strategies.

The core argument centers on a compelling temporal mismatch between the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence capabilities and the extended duration required to complete prestigious professional programs. According to this technology leader’s analysis, students entering law school or medical programs today may discover that artificial intelligence systems have achieved or exceeded human-level expertise in these fields by the time they complete their degrees and begin practicing.

A recent interview with a Google software engineer offers timely and practical advice for computer science students in Thailand and across the globe, emphasizing that securing an internship—even in a student’s first or second year—can be a crucial gateway to landing a future position at a top international tech firm. The engineer, who earned a full-time offer after interning with Google for two summers, reveals that the threshold for getting accepted into early-stage programs is considerably lower, providing an accessible pathway for aspiring students facing today’s competitive technology job market (Business Insider).

More college students than ever before are choosing to major in psychology, drawn by the field’s versatility and its promise to help understand both themselves and others. Yet, as the latest research and economic data reveal, this boom comes with a significant financial catch for graduates. While the degree opens doors to a host of industries, the starting and mid-career salaries for psychology majors often lag behind those of peers in more specialized or technical disciplines—a tension now under scrutiny for both Thai and global students making career decisions in today’s changing economy (Newsweek/MSN).

The technology job market has always valued practical skills, but new research and expert commentary are now challenging the long-standing dominance of computer science (CS) degrees for programming jobs. A recent article published by CIO, “12 reasons to ignore computer science degrees,” argues that shifts in industry needs and the explosive growth of AI and no-code tools are quickly eroding the value of traditional CS education, sparking debate among tech leaders and educators worldwide. As companies in Thailand continue to expand their digital ambitions, the question of whether a CS degree remains necessary has become increasingly urgent for students, parents, and employers across the kingdom.

With the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies capable of generating computer code from simple prompts, a pressing question has emerged: Will computer science as a discipline—and the jobs of programmers—soon become obsolete? The answer, according to recent in-depth analysis and expert commentary, is a resounding no. As AI becomes an increasingly common fixture in the world of software development, it is reshaping but not replacing traditional computer science roles, opening new opportunities for innovation—and requiring a new set of skills from practitioners and students alike (Herzing University).

A new report has turned expectations about employability on their head, showing that graduates of nutrition, construction services, and animal/plant sciences have the lowest unemployment rates among recent U.S. college graduates—beating even traditional STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields such as chemistry and physics. The findings, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and published in Entrepreneur on May 16, highlight changing dynamics in the labor market and have important implications for Thai students considering their future studies.

Prompt engineering, a specialized field that soared to prominence alongside the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) like ChatGPT, is already facing an existential threat—one ushered in by the very technology it helped enable. According to recent analysis from Fast Company and commentary from industry leaders, prompt engineering is quickly being subsumed by the rapid evolution of AI models themselves, transforming from a discrete job to a skill that is quietly embedded in many traditional roles across a variety of industries.