Artificial intelligence is moving faster than many expected, and the changes it brings to the workplace could be the most dramatic in history. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes the shift will open doors to careers that sound more like science fiction than reality—especially for the graduates of 2035.
Speaking to video journalist Cleo Abram, Altman said that by 2035, some graduates may step straight from the lecture hall onto a spacecraft . “That graduating college student, if they still go to college at all, could very well be leaving on a mission to explore the solar system,” he said.
These jobs, he explained, will be completely new, exciting, super well-paid, super interesting, and will make today’s work seem dull in comparison. He even joked that future workers might feel “bad” for earlier generations who had to settle for “boring, old work.”
While it may sound futuristic, the space industry is already expanding. NASA aims to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. SpaceX, Blue Origin , and other private firms work on lunar bases, asteroid mining, and deep space exploration. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects faster-than-average growth in aerospace engineering, with median annual pay already topping $130,000.
AI’s role in this expansion is clear: it can design spacecraft faster, predict mission risks more accurately, and even control autonomous robots on other planets. This means the next wave of space careers could be as much about coding and AI systems as rocket science.
Older workers battle steep challenges
Altman’s vision is bright for younger generations but more uncertain for older professionals. He pointed out that while a 22-year-old can easily adapt to new AI-powered tools, a 62-year-old might struggle to retrain or reenter a transformed job market.
Altman said that 22-year-olds today are the luckiest generation in history, as they are entering a world where AI can serve as a personal expert, collaborator, and accelerator for almost any task. He noted, however, that for those approaching retirement, the shift may feel more like a disruption than an opportunity.
Other technology leaders agree that AI will change the rhythm of work itself. Bill Gates has suggested that AI could make a three-day workweek possible, freeing people from routine tasks. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI already gives his employees “superhuman” abilities, letting them work at levels that once required entire teams.
Experts warn that the risk is that older workers could be left behind in a rapidly changing labor market without proper policies and retraining programs.
Young founders go big solo
Altman said AI’s real power lies in replacing jobs and creating new ones. He stated that GPT-5 and similar models could allow individuals to run companies that once required hundreds of employees, adding that it might now be possible for a single person to start a company that could grow to be worth more than a billion dollars.
He sees a future where entrepreneurs can design their product with AI, market it using AI, service customers with AI, and, most importantly, coordinate large-scale manufacturing without hiring armies of staff. For him, all you need is a fabulous idea and the weapons to use AI tools correctly.
Mark Cuban said AI could produce the world’s first trillionaire, possibly a single entrepreneur working remotely. He added that nothing seen so far matches what the technology will eventually be able to do.
Nevertheless, it is a pressure-filled opportunity. In an AI-driven economy where everyone can make money from data, you must be innovative and change-ready rather than certified. For the Class of 2035, this may involve skills that serve a career in space travel, combined with AI mastery and entrepreneurship, all at once.
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