The Future of Work: High-Paying Careers That AI Won't Replace — Silicon Valley Girl Podcast

What if I told you that if you start today, in just one year, you could land a job that pays over $100,000 a year, and you will not be replaced by AI. Yes, everyone's panicking about losing their jobs to machines. But the smartest tech CEOs are quietly doing the opposite. They're actually hiring more humans, not fewer. I think you've seen the turmoil going on between people leaving Google, going to Meta, getting those crazy $100 million packages as per rumors and uh and different groups debating whether they're going to join Open AI or Google. Smart people are always in demand. And hopefully this video will help you navigate through your own journey in the era of AI because the real story isn't humans versus AI. It's about careers where being human is the greatest competitive advantage. I'm Marina and today I'll show you first of all which futurep roof skills are in highest demand, how much you can actually make in these roles and what to do this month, today, this week to start moving towards them. This isn't just another video like how to learn how to code. I've actually analyzed over 30 major research reports from McKenzie, MIT, and Stanford. and of course interviewed insiders from GitHub, Amazon, Anthropic and more because 2025 is a turning point and the people who act now, they are the ones who thrive. So let's cut through the noise and look at what the data really says about the future work and what the smartest people tell us. So here is what's fascinating. While sensational headlines predict doom and gloom, the actual research tells us a completely different story. I've compiled data from over 15 major studies and guess what? The results are going to shock you. So, here's the quote from Mark Andre. They're so gated on data that they're literally going out and hiring thousands of programmers and doctors and lawyers to actually handwrite answers to questions for the purpose of being able to train their AIs. Think about it. Open AAI, Google, Anthropic are struggling to improve their AI models. So, they're hiring a lot of humans to help them do that. Meanwhile, PWC's 2025 global AI jobs barometer analyzing over 800 million job postings found that wages are rising twice as fast in AI exposed industries. It analyzed nearly a billion job ads across six continents and found something remarkable. Industries most exposed to AI are seeing 3x higher growth in revenue per employee than those least exposed. Workers with AI skills now command a 56% wage premium, up from just 25% last year. The numbers do not lie. Let's talk about what's actually making people anxious. Yes, some CEOs are making bold predictions. Ford CEO Jim Farley says AI will literally replace half of all white collar workers. Even Amazon's Andy Jasse admits they expect workforce reductions. I think they have more robots working for them right now than humans. However, here is what the comprehensive research actually shows. MIT did this study that said most jobs aren't economically beneficial to automate right now, meaning it's too expensive to automate them. It's actually cheaper and more economically beneficial to hire human. World Economic Forum says 40% of employers plan workforce reductions, but they also project 11 million new AI related jobs. And this is what I'm actually seeing in my team, right? We're automating a lot. I finally realized that as a creator, I don't have to have a huge team to create 10x more content, but we still grew our workforce. Not by 10x. We hired maybe five new people. But it's still very interesting how this is all working. When AI starts giving power to companies and people who realize they can do more, they still need more people. Maybe not as much, but they still need new people. But while companies figure out how to balance AI and human talent, you still have a very important personal responsibility, you need to protect yourself in this new landscape. I'm protecting myself as a creator by learning how to use AI tools to multiply my content. But have you ever Googled yourself cuz I do it all the time, right? And chances are you've seen your personal info show up on people's search sites, phone numbers, home addresses, even names of your family members. And as a person who's putting content out there, of course you're seeing it. And I'm sure you're a great person. There are also other people who are seeing it and sometimes they are weird. And I recently got a call. It Oh my god, it was so funny. I got a call and normally I don't just pick up my phone if I don't know who's calling, but I wasn't too busy. So I pick up my phone. There is this guy who says, "Hey Marina, I'm here in the Bay Area. Would you come to my podcast?" I was stunned. I'm like, "Excuse me, who are you?" So he introduced himself. I have no idea who that person is. You know, send me an email. I'm not sure I can do it right now cuz we're about to start uh traveling. But I asked him where he got my number and he said, "I just Googled it." I was like, "What? You just Googled my phone number?" So, I have this chat with other YouTubers and we started talking and they started recommending a lot of apps and one of the apps that they recommended is an app called Delete Me. Data brokers collect your information from public records, apps, and social media, then sell it to advertisers, recruiters, and yes, even scammers. And in a world where AI can scrape, amplify, and weaponize that data in seconds, your digital footprint is more exposed than ever. Also, something to note, my name is very unique. You probably won't find a second Marina Milko, so the risk of exposure is real. And I have to be especially careful. And now, let's get back to what GitHub co told me about the future of developers because I know a lot of people who are in excited about it are watching this channel and this next insight is going to change everything for you. So, here's when it gets interesting. Thomas Donka, CEO of GitHub and uh GitHub is a platform where 100 million developers build the future. I recently interviewed him and what he shared he is actually super optimistic about the future and AI and he says it is actually the best time to learn to code. The companies that are the smartest are going to hire more developers. When you 10x a single developer then 10 developers can do 100x and no sane company or entrepreneur is going to say no to that growth to that empowerment. He's describing the future Mark and Dreon talked about in his interview with Chuck Alman. It's not about replacing humans. It's about making humans superhuman. And this insight from two of the most influential voices in tech changes everything about which careers will thrive. So you might be wondering, so Marina, what should I learn? Let's talk about AI proof career category number one, the human connection powerhouses. There is a study that calculated an AI resistance score for each career based on waitings of two metrics. Percentage of human interaction required and the likelihood of automation. Higher human interaction indicates greater reliance on human engagement while a lower automation risk makes it less likely that AI could replace humans in that role. The careers are ranked from most likely to less likely of AI replacement. So according to this Eskeemos 2025 study analyzing thousands of job functions, certain careers score nearly perfect on the AI resistance scale. So lawyers surprisingly because yes, I'm using Chad GPT to analyze all of my agreements and everything and give me sometimes legal advice. Lawyers actually have 100 AI resistance score because if you're an advanced lawyer, you need to be able to perform complex judgment. And we need that human interaction because when it comes to important and difficult situations in our lives, when we need a lawyer, we want a real human. We don't want to talk to a computer to help us go through a painful process. Medical professions have 93 AI resistance score because doctors make life or death decisions. It requires a human. HR managers have 87 AI resistance score because it's again human dynamics. But here's what's exciting. These aren't just safe jobs. They are high-paying and getting more valuable. Stanford's research shows that roles requiring human psychological analysis are becoming premium positions as AI handles routine tasks. MIT's latest study on human AI complimentarity identified five key areas where humans excel. They call it epoch framework. Empathy, presence, opinion or ethics, creativity and hope or leadership. These aren't just soft skills. They are economic power tools. And this is what I am teaching my kids. And this is what a lot of uh top industry experts I interviewed are teaching their kids as well. Okay. Now, let's move on to creators. The creative revolution, right? AI was supposed to kill us all, to kill creativity. Turns out it's fueling it. Now, here's where conventional wisdom gets turned upside down. McKenzie's research shows creative careers are actually becoming, guess what? More valuable, not less. Winners, creators of winners. Why? Because AI can generate content, but it cannot generate culture. It can make art, but it can't make meaning. According to data from over 12 different industry reports, high paying creative careers are actually thriving in 2025. Creative directors are getting from $140,000 to $220,000 a year. But of course, they have to be able to use AI tools. UX UI designers who are working with AI are getting from $110,000 to $170,000 a year. Content strategists who are AI enhanced are getting from 90,000 to $145,000. Brand architects from an average of $116,000 to $172,000 per year. So the takeaway is you're not competing with AI, you're conducting it. You have this super agency. And there is the third category of jobs, the AI human hybrid roles. These are the jobs born from AI not threatened by it. Most high-paying AI roles are about implementation and collaboration, not building the next chat GPT. So, here are the emerging high-paying AI human roles. This is the data we collected from eight different industry sources. AI prompt engineers $130,000 to $200,000. AI ethics officers $150,000 to $220,000. Human AI interaction designers, love it, $140,000 to $190,000. AI training data specialists $110,000 to $160,000. AI implementation managers, $160,000 to $240,000. We had one intern and one person was getting paid. We hired these AI enthusiasts into our team to help us navigate through all of the AI tools that could further enhance how we produce content with AI, but also help us automate internal processes within our team. Amazon latest study with MIT found that 60% of workers who interact with AI see positive career impact. Anyways, the pattern is clear. Proximity to AI technology increases both job security and salary. There's another category and that's something that might shock you. Some of the most AI proof careers don't require a college degree at all. MIT's research on automation limitations shows that skilled trades are having a renaissance. When I was talking to one of the co-founders, hugging face, he told me that in five years, everyone would be a plumber. While that's not exactly true, we are seeing that people with actual physical skills are getting more demand. Electricians make a median of $78,000 annually, and that's growing by 6% annually. Plumbers, that profession that's very high in demand, $72,000 annually, faster than average growth. Oh my god, we just had this pipe problem in our house cuz there was this minor earthquake in California. And uh, of course, all of the drains broke down. We had dirty water in every sink and bathtub and it cost $5,000 to fix because one pipe under a house got broken. So, another great business idea, plumbing. HVAC technicians, air conditioning, $70,000 plus annually. A new AC in Hawaii was $16,000. And these jobs are growing by 15%. Renewable energy technicians, $85,000 annually, 52% growth, fastest in economy. Why are these jobs not just safe but thriving? So, three reasons the research identified. Physical complexity, problem solving in unpredictable environments and customer interaction. Exactly what humans excel at and AI struggles with. And uh you might say, "But Marina, robots are going to replace all of those." I'm not sure. Robots right now are trained in very specific environments. And if there's something new going on, like every house is different, then a robot can't really do anything. As of right now, we don't know what's going to happen in 10 years, but I don't think we're at this stage where robots are actively replacing humans like that. So, here's your evidence-based strategy for career futurep roofing. First of all, develop your human advantage. Focus on what MIT calls the epoch skills. empathy, presence, opinion or ethics, creativity, hope or leadership. So AI is more likely to complement not replace human workers particularly in tasks that require these human intensive skills which remain difficult for AI to replicate or automate. So human skills first. The second step become an AI multiplier. Don't compete with AI multiplied. GitHub CEO was right. The goal is to become 10x more effective. Workers who learn to direct AI tools see average productivity gains of 30 to 50% according to Microsoft's internal data. Step number three, position in growth intersections. Find careers that combine human judgment with AI. And here's the mindset shift that changes everything. Mark Andre recently called venture capital quite literally timeless, not because of data, but because it's built on human judgment and relationships. But he wasn't talking just about VCs. Any job that requires understanding people, navigating uncertainty, and making complex decisions, that's where AI can't compete. Stanford's research backs this up. Roles requiring human psychological insight aren't just safe, they are booming. So, our future as humans with AI and being human is your superpower. How cool is that? Doesn't it feel great to hear that? Like just being you is already enough. Just improve a couple skills and you're good.

We had one intern and one person on the team who was getting paid. We hired these AI enthusiasts into our team to help us navigate through all of the AI tools that could further enhance how we produce content with AI, but also help us automate internal processes within our team. Amazon's latest study with MIT found that 60% of workers who interact with AI see positive career impact.

Anyways, the pattern is clear. Proximity to AI technology increases both job security and salary.

There's another category and that's something that might shock you. Some of the most AI-proof careers don't require a college degree at all. MIT's research on automation limitations shows that skilled trades are having a renaissance. When I was talking to one of the co-founders of Hugging Face, he told me that in five years, everyone would be a plumber. While that's not exactly true, we are seeing that people with actual physical skills are getting more demand.

Electricians make a median of $78,000 annually, and that's growing by 6% annually. Plumbers—that profession that's very high in demand—make $72,000 annually with faster than average growth. Oh my god, we just had this pipe problem in our house because there was this minor earthquake in California. And of course, all of the drains broke down. We had dirty water in every sink and bathtub and it cost $5,000 to fix because one pipe under the house got broken. So another great business idea: plumbing.

HVAC technicians—air conditioning—make $70,000 plus annually. A new AC in Hawaii was