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Young graduates should abandon rigid career plans in the current job market, former Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg has said.

“Don’t script your career when the future is uncertain,” she told Brandeis University graduates on May 17. “You don’t need a 10-year plan. If I had one, I would have missed the internet.”

Sandberg said young graduates need a short-term target and a “long-run dream” of the life they want, adding that they should not worry about how the two connect.

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“The path is going to surprise you, and the opportunity lies in those surprises,” she said.

Sandberg also advised graduates against panic over headlines warning of a difficult job market, drawing parallels between headlines all the way through to 1971.

“Declaring this particular year the worst is a tradition almost as old as graduation itself,” she said. “I’m not telling you the job market is easy, but every generation has figured it out.”

Sandberg’s remarks come against a backdrop of research warning of declines in entry-level jobs as AI automates tasks. Meanwhile, tech leaders such as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warn that entire job roles could be eliminated.

As artificial intelligence reshapes industries and career paths, some investors are increasingly looking toward earlier-stage technology companies focused on the future of work, immersive computing and AI-driven productivity tools. Interest in private and pre-IPO technology opportunities has grown as investors search for companies they believe could benefit from the next wave of workplace transformation.

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This article 'You Don't Need A 10-Year Plan,' Former Meta Operating Chief Tells Gen Z To Abandon Age-Old Career Advice originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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