Building a Future Resume for Your Teen (for Jobs That Don’t Even Exist Yet)

Building a Future Resume for Your Teen (for Jobs That Don’t Even Exist Yet)

Jobs are changing at warp speed, thanks to AI, automation, and tech that seems to leapfrog itself every six months. Careers like drone traffic controller or virtual reality architect sound like science fiction… until they don’t.

So how do you help your teen build a resume for a world of jobs that don’t exist yet?

  1. Forget job titles. Think skills.

Here’s a fun fact: in the age of AI, soft skills are actually the harder thing to replace. Empathy. Leadership. Creativity. These are the things that set humans apart from machines, and they’ll only become more valuable as tech advances.

It’s tempting to ask, “What do you want to be?” But better questions might be:

  • “What kinds of problems do you like solving?”
  • “Do you like building things, explaining things, organizing stuff, or creating ideas?”

The goal? Help your teen collect skills, not just job titles. Because while job titles change, skills evolve. Encourage group projects, volunteer work, public speaking, mentoring, or creative collaborations. These experiences grow “forever skills” every employer (even the ones from the year 2040) will want.

  1. Get curious about AI, not scared of it

We get it. The idea of AI replacing jobs is… a lot. But it’s also creating entirely new roles - like AI ethics specialists, chatbot conversation designers, and AI trainers (yes, that’s a real job).

So instead of treating AI like the big scary monster under the bed, help your teen explore it:

  • Let them try out free AI tools (like chatbots or design apps).
  • Ask how they might use AI to support a job, rather than be replaced by it.
  • Talk about the human side of future work - things AI can’t replicate (compassion, ethics, leadership, etc.).
  1. Build a “story bank” instead of a standard resume

Forget the bullet points for now. Help your teen build a story bank - a collection of mini-stories that show how they learn, adapt, and solve problems.

Example: “I started a TikTok account reviewing science experiments. When I noticed one video flopped, I figured out why and changed my editing style. My views tripled.”

Employers of the future will want to know: can you learn new tools fast? Can you think critically? Can you bounce back from failure?

Your teen’s story bank is where those answers live.

  1. Encourage lifelong learning (and micro-learning)

No one’s going to university for 12 years to keep up with tech. The future belongs to self-learners - people who can teach themselves new things as they go.

Learning how to learn is the ultimate resume item. Encourage your teen to:

  • Take short online courses (YouTube, Coursera, Google, Khan Academy, etc.)
  • Follow creators who talk about innovation, design, coding, or science
  • Build things just for fun (a blog, an app, a 3D-printed lamp - anything!)
  1. Explore interdisciplinary learning

The most exciting future jobs will sit at the intersection of disciplines:

  • Art + Tech - AR/VR storytelling
  • Psychology + Data - Behavioural UX design
  • Biology + AI - Personalised medicine

So, if your teen loves science but also plays the violin - amazing! That blend of interests could be what sets them apart. Encourage them to pursue both and look for ways to combine skills in creative ways.

  1. Encourage entrepreneurial experiments

They don’t need to start the next Apple. But running a Depop store or offering tutoring via social media builds entrepreneurial muscle.

They’ll learn:

  • How to pitch an idea
  • How to deal with rejection
  • How to market and communicate
  • How to manage money and time

These are priceless, future-ready experiences that go straight on the “real-world skills” list.

If your teen tries to launch a project and it doesn’t go anywhere? That’s resume-worthy too. Remember - we’re not building perfect children, we’re raising flexible, curious, resilient problem-solvers.

  1. Show them it’s okay to not know

Teens often feel pressure to “pick a path” early. But the old-school idea of “one career for life” is pretty much extinct. Help your teen see their resume as a living document - something that shifts, expands, and even resets over time.

Let them know:

  • The most successful people often change direction multiple times.
  • The ability to reinvent yourself is a superpower in a changing world.
  • Your interests now might not be your forever career, and that’s a strength, not a failure.
  • You’re never “starting from scratch” - you’re building on what you’ve already done.

Build in regular “career curiosity” chats instead of heavy sit-downs:

“What’s something you’d love to learn more about, even if it never became a job?”
“If you could solve one global problem, what would it be?”

These sparks lead to surprising opportunities.

Bonus: cool exercises to try together

Want to make it more hands-on? Here are some mini activities:

  • Future resume prompt: “Write a resume from the year 2035. What job do you have? What cool projects did you work on to get there?”
  • “Job of the Future” brainstorm: Make up three jobs that could exist in 10 years. What skills would someone need?
  • “What If I...” game: What if I started a YouTube channel about [insert topic]? What would my first video be?

These aren’t just fun - they train imagination, self-reflection, and creative problem-solving.

Your teen doesn’t need to plan their entire future. They just need to get curious, build a toolkit of skills, and be open to where their strengths can take them. The future may be unpredictable, but if they’re adaptable, creative, and a little brave? They’ll be more than ready.