Translated from 日本語 • View original Congratulations on your employment.
There are a few things I want to share with everyone about to take their first steps as working adults.
Especially for those who have chosen jobs related to engineering or product in the IT industry, there are things you need to be honest about.
**You now stand on a starting line unlike any previous generation. **
It is both a crisis and an opportunity.
Let's go through them step by step.
AI is already becoming a 'colleague'
In 2023, when ChatGPT began to gain widespread popularity, the mainstream opinion was that "using AI is convenient."
By 2025, AI would be writing code, fixing bugs, drafting specifications, and designing tests.
And now, looking around me, it's becoming harder to find people working without AI.
The pace of this change will not slow down. In fact, I see it accelerating.
In fact, there are reports that the number of software engineer job openings in the United States has dropped significantly.
Stories of companies starting to narrow down on junior engineer hiring have also become heard in Japan.
The story of "AI taking jobs" is no longer a future issue.
The "valley" that spreads between juniors and seniors
What worries me most is a structural issue faced by young people just starting their careers.
There used to be work that new graduates and junior members had been responsible for.
Implementing simple features, fixing bugs, organizing documentation, summarizing competitive research...
These "introductory tasks" are gradually being replaced by AI.
Seniors can multiply their abilities many times over while using AI.
Meanwhile, Junior is losing the very "stepping stone for growth" caused by AI.
The golden career path of "writing code, failing, reviewing, and learning" is quietly beginning to crumble.
This is not just about engineers.
Product managers, QAs, and UX designers are no exception. User research, competitive analysis, specification drafting—these tasks are now being handled by AI.
That is precisely why those of you who are about to enter the working world are required to consciously consider "how to coexist with AI."
What kind of environment will you spend your twenties in?
Here, I want you to pause for a moment and think about something.
Some of you may feel reassured if you join a well-known company. Stable salaries, well-established training programs, and clear career paths—these are certainly attractive companies that make them attractive.
But to be honest,
**In an era where AI is changing jobs at such a rapid pace, I want you to seriously consider whether spending your twenties at a company where work style changes are slow is truly the right choice. **
Companies that are slow to transform have inertia born from past successes.
Adopting new methods requires a lot of approval, and even if you feel the need for change, the weight of the organization hinders it.
This is a structural problem faced by many companies, regardless of size.
To avoid misunderstandings, there are indeed organizations within large companies that can quickly embrace change.
Although it is rare for large companies to make decisions quickly and actively promote the use of AI,
The issue is not the size of the company, but whether the organization is "assumed to keep changing."
With AI changing the way we work, there is a huge gap in the growth speed of employees between organizations that can respond quickly to change and those that take years to adopt it.
At the peak of my absorption in my twenties, the gap is huge.
From what I've seen, I've seen many cases where people who spent their twenties in slow transformation struggled in their thirties and forties.
Within the seniority-based system, I was kept waiting for 'it's not your turn yet,' and by the time I finally got my position, it was becoming difficult to keep up with the changes in society—that's the story.
**The environment has a greater impact on human growth than we imagine. **
In flat, speed-focused organizations like Caracru, even new graduates have the opportunity to work on important projects regardless of seniority.
There is an environment where you can immediately integrate AI into actual work and try it out. Even if you fail, you have the flexibility to quickly correct your course.
I believe this is not just company promotion, but rather a fundamental story about the growth environment in the AI era.
When choosing a new workplace, I hope you will assess not only the company's brand and size, but also whether the company operates with the assumption that change is possible.
However, there is one thing I want to add.
**No matter what company you join, you can grow at an astonishing pace during the first two years. **
During the period when you are only experiencing things for the first time as a working adult, regardless of the quality of the environment, your daily work itself is a continuous process of growth.
This is a time when whether you can truly face the work at hand and whether you can work hard at the job at hand is far more important than whether your company is undergoing rapid transformation.
So, first of all, no matter what environment you find yourself in, I want you to give your all to the task at hand.
On top of that, as you continue working, you will gradually become aware of new things.
Does this company welcome change? Are you being given opportunities that match your growth?
Are organizations trying to confront the evolution of AI?
I want you to seriously think about what kind of environment you want to build your career in during a two- or three-year span, while feeling these things **firsthand. **
The first company you join is not everything.
What's important is to pause occasionally and think deeply. And I believe it's about being honest about your own growth.
Mastering AI as Your First Goal
The first piece of advice is simple.
**Instead of fearing AI, I want you to master it thoroughly. **
Some say, "Relying on AI won't build real skill."
I believe this is half right and half wrong.
Certainly, simply copying AI outputs without thinking will teach you nothing.
However, trying **to understand AI's answers and critically evaluating them itself enhances the quality of learning. **
Personally, compared to a year ago, I use AI more than tenfold.
But does that mean I have less time to think? In fact, it's the opposite.
Questioning the answers given by AI, improving them, and using them in one's own context—this "ability to critique AI" is the skill we believe will be needed in the coming era.
Start by making it a habit to work with AI every day.
Becoming someone who thinks about 'what should be solved'
What does AI excel at?
That is, "to provide the optimal answer to a clearly defined question."
Conversely, defining "what the problem is" and "what should be solved" is still overwhelmingly a field where humans excel.
There is something I especially want people who choose product-related work to be mindful of.
What are users struggling with, what challenges should the product solve, and what business priorities should be prioritized—these kinds of "question-raising abilities" are not easily imitated by AI.
The same goes for engineers.
While AI excels at directing "Please write this code," the decision to design based on how this system will change in three years is the responsibility of humans.
**Become not someone who gives answers, but someone who asks questions. **
I believe this will be the most fundamental differentiation for surviving in the AI era.
Keep Speed and Challenge Running Out
With AI, work speed increases dramatically compared to before.
This is true, and Karakul is working toward a goal of "triple productivity."
However, there is one pitfall.
The **moment you start thinking, "AI will do it, so I can take it slow," growth stops. **
As AI has become faster, I move faster too. Since AI drafts it, you can try out more ideas. The more AI writes code, the more time it spends improving design quality.
There must be a big gap between those who use it that way and those who feel, "It's easy because AI provides it," one year later.
Investing in "What Only Humans Can Do"
What AI excels at—pattern recognition, massive information processing, code generation, summarizing and translating text, and repetitive tasks.
What AI struggles with—building **relationships, gaining trust, moving teams, and making ethical decisions. **
I believe these are areas that will not change immediately even as AI evolves.
For those of you building your career, I want you to consciously invest in communication skills, negotiation skills, the ability to involve people, and the ability to build trust—these are the areas you are looking for.
AI cannot determine whether you are a trusted person.
But the colleagues I work with see it.
As AI advances, its value increases more than those who cannot operate within a team despite high technical skills. That's how I feel.
Having a Global Perspective
AI has dramatically reduced the cost of translation and interpretation.
Paradoxically, however, the **scarcity of talent capable of working globally has increased. **
This is because the barriers to tool adoption have lowered, accelerating the globalization of business.
Simply speaking English is not enough; people who can think in a global context and truly communicate with people from different cultures are in demand.
This is not just about language skills.
Understanding global politics, economics, and culture, and the ability to participate in discussions with your own opinions—this is the so-called liberal arts.
I want you to read the news every day.
Please pay attention not only to economic papers but also to English articles. Consciously broadening your knowledge beyond your area of expertise supports your long-term career.
Keeping Hands Up Builds Your Career
We've talked about the growth environment in the AI era, but no matter how good the environment is, I believe that ultimately, there is only one thing that sets us apart.
**It's about keeping your hands up. **
Opportunities don't come just by waiting. It comes to the person who says, "I'll do it."
This has been a truth that has never changed, but I feel its importance is increasing even more in the age of AI.
The reason is simple: as AI replaces the "parts that complete assigned tasks," what remains for humans is the "part that creates the work themselves."
The work of people waiting for instructions will shrink at a speed close to AI.
On the other hand, the work of those who can raise their hands, identify challenges, and take action actually expand.
When young, it's easy to hesitate to raise your hand out of fear of failure.
"I'll gain a bit more experience first," "I'll be ready" — while you think that, opportunities will go to someone else.
If you're already ready, it's too late.
Looking back on my own experience, the moment I grew so much was the moment I said I would do it even though I wasn't ready.
Only when you're cornered do you realize your strength emerges, even if you hadn't noticed it. Those accumulate and become a career.
Caracru's Value "Stay Uncomfortable" perfectly expresses this point.
Instead of avoiding discomfort, take it as a signal of growth.
Even if imperfect or immature, raise your hand first. That accumulation will shape who you will be five or ten years from now.
When you're a new graduate, even if you fail, you can make up for it.
Rather, failing a lot while you're young can be a valuable asset for a long career.
The only time you have room to fail might actually be now.
**"I've never done it, so I don't know if I can do it" is not an excuse not to raise a hand. You can think about it after deciding to do it. **
I am convinced that whether you can develop this habit at the start of your working life will greatly influence your entire career afterward.
Career stability is not something the company protects
Finally, I want to make this one thing clear.
The era of "peace of mind if you join a well-known company" is completely over.
Even Toyota, Japan's largest company, has stated that "it is difficult to maintain lifetime employment."
No matter what company you join, you **are the only one who can protect your career. **
It's not the company that stabilizes your career, but yourself.
However, if you change your mindset and can continue to grow yourself, the more AI advances, the more your productivity will increase.
You should be able to turn the changes of this era into your own weapon.
The big difference in your 30s and 40s depends on how you spend your twenties.
Immerse yourself in an environment that assumes change, and continue learning without fear of uncomfortable challenges.
I believe that only then can we achieve true "stability" that can adapt to changes in any era.
Now, let's start your working life and enjoy it to the fullest. Good luck!
Colorkrew CEO Keishi Nakamura