Yao Yang, a leading economist at Peking University and director of its China Economic Research Center, just dropped some serious wisdom for Gen Z navigating today’s rollercoaster job market. 💼 With post-2000 graduates facing AI disruption and global economic shifts, his four-part playbook is going viral among career-minded youth.
📌 Reconciliation with History
Yang urges young people to embrace lessons from past economic transformations, arguing “understanding patterns helps us write new rules.” Think less ‘this is how it’s always been done’ and more ‘how can we innovate?’
🌍 Expand Your Horizons
From cross-border remote work to emerging green industries, the professor advises looking beyond traditional career maps. “Your next opportunity might be in a field that doesn’t even exist yet,” he told students during a recent campus talk.
🤖 Master AI-Proof Skills
While chatbots handle spreadsheets, Yang highlights irreplaceable human strengths: creative problem-solving, cultural intelligence, and emotional leadership – skills he says will “define the premium workforce.”
🎯 Freelance Frontier
For the TikTok generation valuing flexibility, Yang suggests exploring gig economy platforms and global freelance marketplaces. “The 9-to-5 isn’t dead,” he clarifies, “but there are now infinite ways to build your career mosaic.”
