If you’re starting your career this year, you’ve probably been hearing anxiety-inducing warnings about the job market. Not long ago, the path felt straightforward: graduate, apply to entry-level roles and start climbing the ladder. That path is shifting — but there are still real opportunities for new grads willing to rethink the traditional playbook.
“Just because everything is changing doesn’t mean you still shouldn’t have a strategic view of your career,” says career expert Marianne Ruggiero. “If you have direction [in your career], then you can be very flexible and opportunistic along the way.”
To help you head off in the right direction, we’ve identified where those starting their careers are finding opportunity, based on data from millions of LinkedIn member profiles.
The data only tells part of the story, though. We also spoke to new grads across different roles and industries, as well as those who’ve taken less traditional routes — from building a “portfolio career” made up of multiple roles to using a restaurant job as a bridge into marketing. Their experiences reflect what it actually looks like to start a career today and serve as a reminder that your first job is unlikely to be your forever role.
Before we dive in, it helps to understand the landscape you’re about to step into.
The reality of the entry-level job market
A few forces are colliding at the same time to create a complex hiring environment for new grads.
Companies are navigating economic uncertainty and rising costs, which is pushing many to tighten their belts and slow hiring. Between December and February 2026, the average seasonal adjusted hiring rate of U.S. entry-level workers decreased by 6% compared to the same period in 2025, according to LinkedIn data. That drop is rough, but it’s actually showing some resilience in this market, where we’re seeing a sharper 10% decline in hiring across middle management roles.
At the same time, older professionals are retiring later as the cost of living rises, meaning fewer roles are opening up for new grads. Then there’s AI. Many of the tasks that used to fall to entry-level employees — research, drafting, analysis, coordination — can now be accelerated by new tools. Some companies are even restructuring now to invest more heavily in AI tech and talent, which can mean smaller junior cohorts and fewer traditional “first job” roles.
“I think a lot of what companies are doing right now is an overreaction to the markets,” says Christian Vasquez, who specializes in helping organizations structure their teams. “Companies doing layoffs are saying, ‘This is because we’re investing in AI.’ Their stock prices go up because of the messaging. They’re going to see those needs that they cut off too soon back in their company. You still need people.”
While all of this is happening, colleges are still catching up. Many students are graduating without having spent much time learning how AI actually fits into day-to-day work — even as employers seek out those exact skills.
“Colleges are moving into an era of, we’ll let the faculty decide, which leads to a very uneven experience for students because some faculty are really into AI and other faculty are not,” says Jeff Selingo, a higher education strategist. “Employers are the same; they don’t really know how to act around early careers.”
Taken together, new grads are entering a uniquely challenging environment: fewer traditional entry points, slower turnover and a workplace that’s evolving faster than the systems preparing people for it.
The jobs opening doors for new grads
The current job market may be unlike anything new grads have faced before, but that also means there are some unique pathways being created.
LinkedIn data shows that many of the fastest-growing job titles for career starters are tied directly to how companies operate today — from revenue-generating positions like business development representative to technical roles supporting the rise of AI.
Meet Senna Titcomb, a 24-year-old AI engineer at Outbound AI, a healthcare startup. She graduated in 2023 as hiring slowed across much of the tech industry, taking a part-time analytics role while continuing to build her technical skills and search for a full-time opportunity.
How she landed her role: Senna made a strategic move early on, relocating from Oregon — where she grew up and went to school — to Seattle to be closer to a larger tech hub. There, she focused on meeting people in the industry — connections that eventually led her to Outbound AI, where she now works alongside teammates with decades of experience.
What the job is like: Senna works on developing human conversational agents that interact with insurance companies, exploring how communication translates into technology. She says the role is exciting because it brings together her background in psychology and computer science. In a fast-moving environment, her learning curve has accelerated quickly. She’s already deploying systems into production — experience she says could take years to gain at a larger company.
The industries hiring the next generation
Beyond individual roles, LinkedIn data shows industries like tech and financial services are evolving alongside AI adoption, while construction and real estate are growing amid housing demand and infrastructure investment.
Meet Waliya Ahmed, a 25-year-old real estate investment analyst at Ariel Property Advisors. She first saw how her finance background could apply to real estate during a six-month immersive program at Northeastern University, where she gained exposure to how deals come together.
How she landed her role: Despite graduating into a tight job market in 2023, Waliya stayed focused, taking a temporary role while continuing her search. The flexibility allowed her to prioritize networking and applications, while drawing on experience she built in college —including launching a campus real estate club — to stand out. Her search eventually led her to Ariel Property Advisors.
What the job is like: Waliya spends her days analyzing potential deals across New York City, building financial models and evaluating properties across asset classes. She also contributes to market reports and research alongside senior leadership. What she enjoys most is how tangible the work feels. Unlike more traditional finance roles, real estate lets her see the physical projects behind the numbers.
The cities where opportunity is growing
For some new grads, location is shaping their career path as much as role or industry.
LinkedIn data shows early-career professionals continuing to land in places like San Francisco and Seattle, where opportunities in AI and tech remain concentrated. At the same time, cities like Austin and Salt Lake City are among the fastest-growing destinations for career starters, pointing to a new wave of tech ecosystems taking shape.
Meet Ariana Afshari, a 25-year-old who moved to San Francisco after growing up and going to school in Arizona. After graduating in 2022 with a neurobiology degree, she joined Teach For America and spent her early post-grad years teaching eighth grade science in the Bay Area, building skills she knew would translate to her future career as a doctor.
What the city is like: Ariana chose to stay in the Bay Area after completing Teach For America to pursue medical school at Stanford — in part because of the community she’s built there. Through her volunteer work, she’s found a strong sense of connection and purpose outside of school. While she acknowledges the high cost of living, Ariana says the long-term opportunities — from her education to the network she’s building in the San Francisco area — make it a worthwhile investment in her future.
Rethinking the path into the workforce
From Senna to Waliya to Ariana, one thing is clear: your first job after college might not look exactly how you imagined. All three chose temporary roles as part of a larger strategy to get them to where they are today. This approach is working for many others, too.
“We’re seeing a lot of new grads turning to more alternative types of employment, whether they do gig work or work in retail or a restaurant,” says career strategist Hanna Goefft. “There’s more scrappiness in Gen Z and more visibility online of people taking different paths.”
More than half of Gen Z job seekers globally say they’ve shifted their focus from traditional full-time roles to freelance or contract work — more than any other generation, according to a LinkedIn survey.
At the same time, more new grads are opting to build something of their own. A separate LinkedIn survey found that 68% of Gen Zers in the U.S. are considering starting a business. That follows last year’s surge in U.S. members adding “founder” to their profiles, alongside a sharp rise in creator roles globally.
Together, these trends point to a broader rethinking of what an early career can look like — one that’s less defined by a single full-time job and more shaped by flexibility, ownership and multiple paths to building experience.
Behind the trends are real people:
- Isaac Tortorella, 24, who used a restaurant job as a stepping stone to his marketing career.
- Morgan Mackenzie, 25, who left the corporate path to build her own company.
- Alexis Barber, 27, who realized she doesn’t fit one job and is instead building a “portfolio career.”
▶️ Watch all three of their stories on LinkedIn: Isaac | Morgan | Alexis
What it takes to break in right now
After talking to so many recent grads, it’s hard to ignore that the traditional career playbook doesn’t fully apply anymore. So, what does work?
- Start with skills, not job titles: Focus on what you’re uniquely good at and look for ways to apply those skills across roles and industries.
- Learn by doing — even before you’re hired: Experience is something you can build in real time, whether it’s a side project, freelance work or a part-time job.
- Don’t overlook “in-between” roles: These jobs can help you build transferable skills, earn income and create momentum while you work toward your next step.
- Turn your experiences into a clear story: It’s not just what you’ve done but how you connect the dots and show what you’ve learned.
- Show how you’re applying AI in practice: Employers want to see how you’ve applied AI to solve problems, improve your work or build something tangible.
- Build relationships as you go: Conversations and connections often open doors that applications alone can’t.
👉 Want a step-by-step guide to applying this approach to your job search? Check out LinkedIn Learning course, and learning path designed to build the skills you need to thrive in today’s workplace.
While there’s no one way to start your career anymore, there are more ways than ever to move forward. No matter which path you choose, it’s about taking those first few steps, learning what you do and don’t like along the way and building from there. Good luck!
Link to original article published in LinkedIn News on April 15, 2026
