Employment is Dead; What Comes Next? | Deborah Perry Piscione
How do we prepare kids for a world where stability doesn’t come from a job title — but from the ability to continuously create value, learn quickly, and adapt? And how does this fundamentally change what kind of education actually matters now?
In this eye-opening conversation with Deborah Perry Piscione, an innovation expert and author of Employment is Dead. How Disruptive Technologies Are Revolutionizing The Way We Work, we explore why the next generation must think like innovators, not employees, building career capital through skills, networks and creative pursuits rather than chasing job titles or climbing outdated ladders.
Deborah has spent years working at the intersection of innovation, entrepreneurship and the future of work, helping organizations and leaders understand how rapidly the definition of “career” is evolving. In the future, success will be built less around linear career paths and more around a mosaic of experiences, passions, projects, and collaborations. Through her work, writing, and research, she has helped shift the conversation from employment as identity to contribution as identity, a shift that becomes even more urgent in an AI-accelerated world.
Why this matters:
→ The future of work won’t wait for kids to apply — it will reward those who create. Opportunity is increasingly going to people who start things, build things, and connect ideas across disciplines.
→Career security is shifting from job titles to skills, relationships, and adaptability. Those who can learn quickly, collaborate widely, and pivot confidently will have the greatest stability.
→ Kids need to learn how to build opportunities, not just qualify for them. Success will come from initiative, creativity, and the confidence to act without a predefined path.
