What Skills Should You Develop Alongside Your Degree in the Age of AI?

Artificial intelligence is changing how people research information, analyze data, write, solve problems, and complete tasks across industries. As these tools become more common in the workplace, earning a degree remains an important way to develop subject knowledge—but knowing how to apply that knowledge is equally important.

So, what skills should you develop alongside your degree in the age of AI?

Students can prepare for an evolving workplace by combining their academic expertise with AI literacy, critical thinking, communication, creativity, digital skills, and a commitment to lifelong learning. These abilities can help them evaluate AI-generated information, work effectively with technology, and contribute judgment and ideas that go beyond simply producing an output.

For students pursuing higher education, the opportunity is to develop these skills while learning—not wait until graduation to start preparing for the workplace.

Why Are Skills Beyond Your Degree Becoming More Important?

A degree helps you build knowledge in a particular field. Complementary skills help you apply that knowledge, respond to new challenges, and work effectively with other people and technology.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, and technological literacy as the fastest-growing skills through 2030. It also highlights the growing importance of creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and agility, curiosity and lifelong learning, and analytical thinking. The report draws on the perspectives of more than 1,000 employers representing over 14 million workers across 55 economies.

This does not mean every student needs to become a programmer or AI specialist. The skills most useful to you will depend on your field, career goals, and the tasks you expect to perform.

A business graduate may need to interpret AI-assisted market analysis and make strategic decisions. A computer science graduate may need to evaluate code generated by AI tools. Someone entering health-related work may need to assess information carefully and communicate it responsibly.

In each case, subject knowledge provides the foundation. The ability to question, interpret, communicate, and apply that knowledge makes it more useful.

AI Literacy: Learn How to Use AI Responsibly

AI literacy is the ability to understand what AI tools can do, recognize their limitations, and use them appropriately. It does not require advanced technical expertise.

For college students, AI literacy includes knowing how to frame useful prompts, assess generated responses, recognize potential errors and bias, protect sensitive information, and understand when human judgment is necessary.

AI tools can help with tasks such as brainstorming, summarizing material, generating practice questions, and exploring different approaches to a problem. However, their outputs can contain inaccuracies, outdated information, fabricated references, or unsupported conclusions.

Learning to use AI effectively therefore involves more than knowing which tools are available. It means understanding when to use them, how to check their outputs, and when not to rely on them.

The International Labour Organization’s August 2026 report, Changing Landscape of Skills in the Age of AI, identifies the ability to understand and use AI tools safely and ethically as an increasingly important foundational skill.

How can you develop AI literacy while earning your degree?

• Use permitted AI tools to explore a topic, then verify important claims against credible sources.
• Compare AI-generated explanations with course materials and authoritative references.
• Practice identifying missing context, unsupported claims, and potential bias in generated responses.
• Learn the privacy and data-handling implications of the tools you use.
• Follow your university’s academic integrity and AI-use policies.

The objective is not to let AI do your learning for you. It is to understand how the technology can support your work while you remain responsible for the reasoning, accuracy, and final result.

Critical Thinking and Analytical Reasoning

When AI tools can produce answers quickly, knowing how to evaluate those answers becomes especially valuable.

Critical thinking involves examining assumptions, weighing evidence, identifying gaps in an argument, and reaching conclusions based on sound reasoning. Analytical thinking involves breaking complex problems into smaller parts, identifying patterns, and interpreting information.

These skills matter because a convincing answer is not necessarily a correct one. AI-generated content may sound authoritative even when its reasoning is flawed or its evidence is weak.

For example, a business student might use an AI tool to summarize customer feedback. Critical thinking is needed to determine whether the summary reflects the original comments, overlooks minority viewpoints, or draws conclusions that the data cannot support.

Similarly, a computer science student must understand what a piece of code is intended to do and evaluate whether it works correctly, even when an AI tool helped generate it.

How can you strengthen critical thinking during college?

• Ask what evidence supports a claim and whether the source is reliable.
• Compare multiple explanations before concluding.
• Identify assumptions and consider alternative interpretations.
• Explain why you chose a particular solution rather than simply presenting the answer.
• Review your own work for errors, inconsistencies, and unsupported conclusions.

These habits can improve your academic work while preparing you to make informed decisions in professional settings.

Communication: Explain Ideas Clearly and Effectively

AI tools can help people draft text, summarize information, and prepare presentations. However, professionals still need to understand their audience, communicate with clarity, ask useful questions, and respond appropriately to feedback.

Strong communication includes writing, speaking, listening, explaining complex ideas, and adapting a message to different audiences.

Consider a graduate who uses AI to analyze a large dataset. The analysis may be technically sound, but it has limited value if the graduate cannot explain what the findings mean, why they matter, and what decisions they support.

Communication also plays a role in teamwork. Colleagues need to understand expectations, resolve misunderstandings, share feedback, and agree on next steps.

How can you develop communication skills alongside your degree?

• Practice explaining complex concepts in plain language.
• Participate in class discussions and collaborative projects.
• Write reports and presentations for different audiences.
• Learn to give constructive feedback and respond to criticism.
• Use AI-assisted writing tools only in ways permitted by your institution, and review their output for accuracy, tone, and clarity.

Your goal should be to become a better communicator, not simply a faster producer of text.

Creativity and Problem-Solving

AI can generate suggestions, draft content, and offer possible solutions. Human creativity remains important when deciding which problems are worth solving, understanding what people need, combining ideas in new ways, and developing solutions suited to a particular context.

Creativity is not limited to artistic work. It can involve improving a business process, designing a more accessible learning resource, developing a software feature, or finding a practical way to address a community challenge.

Problem-solving requires a related set of skills: defining the problem, gathering relevant information, considering alternatives, testing possible solutions, and learning from the results.

Students can develop these abilities through coursework, independent projects, research, and collaboration.

For example, a student studying business might propose a more effective customer-support process. A computer science student could develop an application to address a practical need. A student interested in education could design a learning resource for a specific audience.

AI tools may support brainstorming or help students explore alternatives, but the student must still assess whether a proposed solution is useful, feasible, and appropriate.

How can you practice creativity and problem-solving?

Choose projects that require you to make decisions rather than follow instructions alone. Document the problem you were trying to solve, the options you considered, the reasons behind your choices, and what you learned from the outcome.

This process also creates useful examples of your skills that you can discuss in interviews or include in a professional portfolio.

Digital and Data Literacy

Digital literacy involves using technology confidently, understanding how digital systems work at a practical level, and recognizing relevant security and privacy risks. Data literacy adds the ability to interpret, evaluate, and communicate information derived from data.

These skills are useful well beyond technical careers.

A business professional may need to interpret performance dashboards. An educator may use digital learning platforms and evaluate student progress. Someone working in a health-related role may need to understand research findings or communicate health information accurately.

As AI tools become more integrated into digital workflows, students also benefit from understanding where information comes from, how it is processed, and what limitations might affect its interpretation.

You do not need to master every new platform. Focus first on the digital tools and data skills relevant to your chosen field, then build from that foundation.

Ways to develop digital and data literacy include:

• Learning to use spreadsheets, presentation software, and collaboration platforms effectively.
• Practicing basic data interpretation and visualization.
• Understanding common cybersecurity risks, including phishing and unsafe data sharing.
• Checking the source, context, and limitations of data before concluding.
• Exploring field-specific tools through coursework and independent projects.

The aim is to become comfortable learning and using appropriate technology rather than depending on a single tool or platform.

Adaptability and a Commitment to Lifelong Learning

Technology and workplace practices change over time. A tool that is useful today may be replaced or significantly updated, and the skills required for a role may evolve as organizations adopt new systems.

Adaptability is the ability to respond constructively to change. Lifelong learning means continuing to develop your knowledge and capabilities beyond formal education.

The World Economic Forum also identifies resilience, flexibility, agility, curiosity, and lifelong learning among the skills expected to become increasingly important through 2030.

For students, this does not mean chasing every new AI application or enrolling in every available course. It means developing the confidence and habits needed to learn when a new skill becomes relevant.

You can start by identifying one area for improvement each term. It might be a technical skill, a communication habit, or a better understanding of an industry trend. Set a realistic learning goal, practice consistently, and evaluate your progress.

Learning to seek feedback and recognize gaps in your knowledge is also important. You do not need to know everything at graduation, but you should be able to identify what you need to learn next and how to approach it.

Collaboration, Empathy, and Emotional Intelligence

Work increasingly involves coordinating with people who have different experiences, responsibilities, and perspectives. Collaboration and emotional intelligence help people navigate those differences.

These skills include listening carefully, understanding another person’s perspective, managing disagreements, sharing responsibilities, and responding thoughtfully to feedback.

AI tools can support communication and coordination, but successful teamwork also depends on trust, accountability, and the ability to understand human needs in context.

Students can develop these skills through group assignments, peer discussions, volunteer work, and professional experiences. Working with classmates from different backgrounds can also provide opportunities to practice cross-cultural communication.

When working on a team project, focus not only on completing your own tasks but also on helping the group make progress. Clarify responsibilities, communicate early when a problem arises, and acknowledge the contributions of others.

These habits can help prepare you for workplaces where people and technology work together to accomplish shared goals.

How Can You Develop These Skills While Earning Your Degree?

You do not need to master every skill before graduation. A more practical approach is to build them gradually through your coursework and activities.

Start with your career goals. Review job descriptions for roles that interest you. Identify the skills employers request most often, then compare them with what you are currently learning.

Use assignments as opportunities to practice. A research paper can develop analytical thinking and communication. A programming assignment can strengthen technical skills and problem-solving. A group project can help you practice collaboration and accountability.

Create projects that demonstrate your abilities. Coursework, independent projects, and relevant volunteer experiences can become examples of how you apply your knowledge. Where appropriate, document your process and explain the decisions you made.

Use AI as a learning aid, not a substitute for understanding. Ask questions, test your knowledge, and explore alternative explanations, while following your institution’s rules. Make sure you can explain and defend the work you submit.

Seek feedback and reflect on your progress. Identify what you did well, what needs improvement, and what you want to practice next. This helps turn individual assignments into opportunities for ongoing development.

Keep learning after graduation. Your degree provides a foundation, but professional growth often involves learning new tools, developing specialized skills, and responding to changes in your field.

How Does University of the People Help Students Prepare for an AI-Enabled Workplace?

At University of the People (UoPeople), students can pursue a degree while developing subject knowledge and skills relevant to their professional goals. The university’s fully online, asynchronous learning model allows students to organize their studies around established deadlines without attending live lectures at fixed times.

This flexible approach can help students balance education with work and other responsibilities while continuing to build their academic and professional capabilities.

UoPeople offers programs in areas including Business Administration, Computer Science, Health Science, General Studies, Information Technology, and Education. The complementary skills students develop will depend on their program, coursework, projects, and individual learning activities.

For example, students can look for opportunities to practice analytical thinking through research and problem-solving assignments, strengthen communication through written coursework and discussions, and build technical skills through relevant projects. Students interested in AI can also explore how the technology applies to their field while learning to evaluate its outputs critically and use it responsibly.

As a tuition-free, affordable, flexible, American-accredited university, UoPeople is committed to expanding access to higher education, empowering students from over 200 countries and territories. UoPeople is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Although the university does not charge tuition, students are responsible for applicable application and assessment fees.

A degree is an important foundation, but students can strengthen its value by developing complementary skills and looking for opportunities to apply what they learn. The most useful combination will depend on each student’s career direction and the demands of their chosen field.

The Bottom Line: Combine Subject Knowledge With Skills That Adapt

The age of AI does not make subject knowledge or higher education irrelevant. It makes it important to consider how academic knowledge works alongside other capabilities.

AI literacy helps you use technology responsibly. Critical thinking helps you evaluate information. Communication enables you to explain ideas and work with others. Creativity and problem-solving help you develop solutions, while digital literacy, adaptability, and lifelong learning prepare you to respond to change.

You do not need to develop every skill at once. Start with the capabilities most relevant to your intended career and build them through coursework, projects, collaboration, and continued learning.

Your degree can provide the academic foundation. The skills you develop alongside it can help you apply that knowledge thoughtfully and continue growing as technology and the workplace evolve.