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For generations, starting a career followed a pretty familiar path.

Finish school. Find an entry-level job. Learn from people around you. Build experience. Take on more responsibility. Move up.

Artificial intelligence is beginning to change that first step.

New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas suggests that the effects may already be showing up for young Texans entering the workforce.

That doesn’t mean opportunity is disappearing.

It means the way young people prepare for opportunity needs to change too.

What’s Happening in Texas?

Artificial intelligence has moved quickly from something people experimented with to something businesses use every day.

In a May 2026 survey by the Dallas Fed, about two-thirds of responding Texas businesses said they were already using AI. That was up from 40 percent just two years earlier.

Most businesses using AI said it had not changed the number of workers they needed. But researchers are seeing changes in the kinds of jobs employers are posting.

Dallas Fed researchers found that job postings have declined more in occupations where AI can perform a larger share of the work. Those effects can matter especially for people trying to get their first opportunity in the workforce.

A separate Dallas Fed study released this week looked at graduates of Texas public universities. Researchers found weaker employment outcomes for recent graduates from majors that commonly lead to jobs with more tasks that can be automated by generative AI.

The researchers aren't saying AI is the only reason young people are facing a tougher job market.

But the findings offer an important signal: The skills employers need are changing.

The First Job Matters

Think about everything someone learns during a first job.

How to work with a team. How to solve a problem when there isn't an obvious answer. How to communicate with a customer. How to meet a deadline. How to take feedback. How to recover when something doesn't go as planned.

Those experiences help turn knowledge into workplace skills.

So, what happens if some of the basic tasks traditionally given to new workers can now be completed with AI?

That's an important question for employers, educators, families and the workforce system.

It also helps explain why career preparation can't wait until someone is ready to submit their first job application.

Start Career Exploration Earlier

At Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA), we're working with schools, employers, training providers and community partners to help young people understand the opportunities around them and start preparing earlier.

Our K-12 Career Coaching team works directly with students to connect what they're learning in school with real careers.

Events such as our new LEAP Regional Career Expos give students opportunities to explore industries, meet employers and experience careers instead of simply reading about them.

Through Career Ready Central Texas, students and families can explore career pathways, education and training options, career and technical education programs and other resources from one central starting point.

And we're continuing to expand opportunities that connect learning directly with work.

Experience Is Becoming Even More Valuable

The changing workplace makes hands-on experience especially important.

A student who has toured a manufacturing facility, talked with a nurse, completed a career and technical education program, participated in an internship or learned alongside an employer has something technology can't easily provide: context.

They've seen how work actually gets done.

That's also why WSRCA continues to build partnerships around apprenticeships and work-based learning.

Registered Apprenticeships allow people to earn a paycheck while learning an occupation and building recognized skills.

Our new YouthBuild partnership with American YouthWorks will expand education, training and hands-on career opportunities for young people in rural Central Texas.

These aren't separate programs chasing separate goals.

They're pieces of the same workforce strategy: give people more ways to explore careers, develop skills, gain experience and connect with employers.

Learning to Work With AI

Preparing young people for an AI-enabled workplace doesn't mean everyone needs to become a computer programmer.

It means understanding how technology can be used as a tool while continuing to develop the skills that people bring to the workplace.

Communication matters.

Critical thinking matters.

Reliability matters.

Teamwork matters.

Technical and hands-on skills matter.

Knowing when an AI-generated answer is wrong matters too.

The Dallas Fed's research points in a similar direction, suggesting that students and recent graduates can benefit from developing skills that complement generative AI rather than focusing only on tasks the technology can perform.

Employers Have a Role Too

There's another side to this conversation.

If employers need experienced workers tomorrow, young people need opportunities to gain experience today.

That could mean offering internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, workplace tours, mentorships or simply spending a few hours talking with students about what careers inside a company really look like.

Employers can also help schools and workforce partners understand which skills are becoming more important as technology changes their businesses.

That's a big part of WSRCA's role as an employer-led workforce development board.

We listen to what industries need today, look ahead to what they'll need tomorrow and work with education, training and community partners to help build those pathways.

The Career Ladder Isn't Going Away

AI will continue to change work. Some tasks will become easier. Some jobs will evolve. New occupations and opportunities will emerge.

We shouldn't prepare young people for the workplace we remember.

We need to prepare them for the workplace they're actually going to enter.

That starts with career exploration. It grows through education and training. And it becomes real when a young person gets the chance to apply those skills in the workplace.

The first step onto the career ladder may be changing.

Our job is to make sure young people can still find it.