Amanda Main on Gen Z’s Career Pivot, AI Reality, and the New Blueprint for Work

At Yotru, we share stories from people who are changing how work feels and evolves. Each Voices of Work feature highlights a leader who helps shape how people learn, grow, and get hired.

This time, we spoke with Dr. Amanda M. Main, Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Central Florida College of Business, an award-winning psychologist and educator known for her research on leadership, team dynamics, and the psychology of work. She has been studying a quiet but powerful shift among Gen Z that is reshaping what career success really means.

The New Blueprint: Why Gen Z Is Changing Course

Amanda has spent years preparing future business leaders, but she says the next generation is no longer following the same career script.

More than 40% of Gen Z are entering trades or technical fields, including many who already hold university degrees. A growing number say they would trade a desk job for something that offers more stability, fair pay, and freedom. “It’s not rebellion,” she said. “It’s realism.”

That shift matches what we see at Yotru. Young professionals are building resumes that highlight real skills, certifications, and projects that show what they can actually do. Proof is becoming more valuable than polish, and it is changing how hiring decisions are made.

When AI Moves the Goalposts

Amanda is direct about the reality of automation. Entry-level white-collar jobs, once considered safe, are being replaced at a fast pace. Studies predict that as many as half could disappear within the next five years. For her, the lesson is clear: students need adaptable, cross-functional skills that will stay useful as technology continues to evolve.

She calls this “career insurance through learning.” The workers who thrive will be the ones who stay curious, keep learning, and combine technical ability with human qualities like empathy, creativity, and judgment.

The Trade-Up: Stability Meets Strategy

While technology changes office work, the trades are facing a very different challenge. Industries like construction are short hundreds of thousands of skilled workers. For Gen Z, that shortage represents opportunity, not decline.

Trade programs cost less than university, often allow students to earn while they learn, and prepare them for work that is hard to automate. Many young people are blending technical training with business or technology skills to create hybrid careers, such as a carpenter who manages projects or a welder who understands automation systems.

Redefining What Success Looks Like

Amanda believes this shift is as much cultural as it is economic. “Gen Z isn’t giving up on ambition,” she said. “They are redefining it.” Success is starting to mean stability, autonomy, and visible results rather than titles or office walls.

She encourages educators and employers to adapt by combining classroom learning with practical experience, expanding apprenticeships, and treating skilled trades as respected, future-proof career paths. The old ladder no longer fits today’s reality. What is taking its place is a network of flexible pathways that reward learning and adaptability.

About Dr. Amanda M. Main

Dr. Main is Chief Innovation Officer and Assurance of Learning Coordinator at the University of Central Florida College of Business. An industrial-organizational psychologist and executive coach, she has advised organizations from NASA to early-stage ventures and has been featured for her work on leadership, innovation, and workplace culture.

Editor’s Note: This article is part of Yotru’s Voices of Work series, highlighting leaders who are redefining how people learn, lead, and get hired. To get featured, please contact us.