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The college decision in 2026 is not the same as it was in 2006. With AI compressing entry-level white-collar jobs and 25% of bachelor's degree programs delivering a negative ROI, families need a new analytical framework — not social inertia.

In this bonus episode of Surviving AI, Carlo Thompson runs the full math on the college vs. trades vs. apprenticeship decision in the AI economy.

**What you'll learn:**
- Why workers aged 22–25 in AI-exposed roles have already seen a 16% employment drop — and what that means for new graduates
- The 25% of degree programs with negative ROI — and how to know if you're about to enroll in one
- The trades and apprenticeship math nobody shares: $80K starting salary, 90% employment, $3K–$15K cost
- The "sheltering in higher education" trap — why grad school as AI anxiety relief is usually the wrong call
- The 5-question decision framework for making this call analytically

📊 **Key data this episode:**
- 25% of bachelor's degree programs: negative ROI (Fed Reserve Bank of NY)
- 51% of Gen Z regret going to college
- Workers with AI skills earn 56% more than peers in identical roles
- Apprenticeship completers: ~$80K year one, 90%+ employed
- Trade vs. college net position by age 22: $80K–$150K ahead for the trade path

🎙️ Surviving AI Bonus Episode | Companion to Episode 21: The Family Strategy

📌 **SUBSCRIBE:** Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify

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AI isn't just disrupting individual careers — it's disrupting entire households. With AI eliminating 16,000 U.S. jobs per month (Goldman Sachs, April 2026), families need a coordinated strategy — not just individual survival plans.

In this episode of Surviving AI, Carlo Thompson breaks down The Family Strategy: the exact framework for protecting your household through AI-era career disruption.

**What you'll learn:**
- The 3-Part Partner Conversation Framework — how to have the most important career talk of your relationship before it becomes a crisis
- 4 household scenarios (both partners at risk, one at risk, single income) with specific playbooks for each
- How to prepare your kids for the AI economy — by age group — including the brutal college vs. trades decision
- The aging parent conversation you need to have before a crisis hits
- The 30-minute Weekly Family Check-In system that keeps everything on track

📊 **Key data this episode:**
- Goldman Sachs: AI cutting 16,000 U.S. jobs/month (April 2026)
- Workers aged 22–25 in AI-exposed roles: 16% employment drop already
- AI-displaced workers face 30–40% longer job searches
- 2026–2028 = peak disruption window — the time to act is NOW
- 20% of organizations will flatten hierarchy by end of 2026, eliminating 50%+ of middle management

🎙️ Surviving AI is the podcast for professionals who want real data, real strategies, and no BS about what's actually happening to the workforce.

📌 **SUBSCRIBE** to never miss an episode:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Spotify

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The AI leaders are making predictions most workers are ignoring. Dario Amodei warns of 10-20% unemployment. CFOs admit privately that AI job cuts will be 9x higher than announced. And consumer spending drives 70% of the US economy.

So what actually happens when white-collar workers start losing jobs at scale?

In this episode, Carlo Thompson walks through the economic cascade he calls "the circle of life" — how mass job displacement triggers a consumer spending collapse that ripples through every sector of the economy, and what the data says about whether there's a soft landing, a K-shaped stagnation, or something much worse.

This is the conversation the business press isn't having.

⏱ Chapters:
0:00 — The Circle of Life (Cold Open)
4:00 — What the AI Leaders Are Actually Saying
13:00 — The Economic Mechanism
22:00 — The Conversation We're Not Having
29:00 — Three Scenarios: The Honest Answer
37:00 — What You Do When You Don't Know Which Scenario Wins

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