John was at the top of his class. He had the job offer from a top west coast tech firm. The pay was good and his life was set to take off. Then last month, the firm called to tell him that the offer was being pulled.

Now John is at home thinking about what to do next. Where are the jobs? What should he do?

Yes, for John and maybe for you, the world has changed, and you are going to need to change with it.

Are you a World Racer who just came home? Or maybe a college student wondering about next year? The world for you is going to be so different in the year ahead. The good news is that there has never been a better time to be alive!

To get there, first recognize the paradox facing you: The opportunity that used to be there for you is gone. Yet it has been replaced with new opportunities. They are there for those who are able to see them. Here are 7 things I believe we will see. To get ahead of the curve, start thinking about them now!

1. Jobs will be scarce

Unemployment rates are already skyrocketing and jobs will be most scarce for young people. In the last month, 22 million people filed for unemployment benefits. The hospitality industry will go through a wave of bankruptcies and the jobs that used to be plentiful will be gone. 

2. A premium on immunity

If you are able to prove that you have had the virus and are now immune, you will be more employable. People who are “safe” will be able to board planes and go to events. Young people face a much lower chance of getting sick. Given these realities, it is likely that they will begin to subject themselves to the virus to build immunity. *Note: I am NOT advocating this.*

3. A two-tiered system

The haves and the have-nots. Those who have immunity will have an advantage over those who don’t. Older people who are more at risk will struggle until a vaccine is available. They will need help. 

4. Opportunities to serve

In a society that suddenly has so many needs, once quarantine ends, there will be many opportunities to serve. Many who are shut-ins will need help. They are lonely and can’t do things that they used to. Many others will be without a job and will need help. Young people with a heart to serve others will see needs all around them.

5. College will be different

The era of student debt is now over. Higher education was already struggling with this issue and now the virus has changed it forever. Demand for traditional college will drop. I heard an estimate today that 30% of them will be out of business within a year or two. Zoom classes have reduced costs and classrooms will change. New models like Global U will offer opportunities that avoid debt and offer adventure and hands-on experience.

6. Taking a Gap Year will be normal

The world has become a complicated place. A generation that struggled with optionality will now struggle to understand its place in the world. Rather than the default of college, many young people who have graduated from college will opt for a Gap Year that helps them to make sense of the world and their place in it.

7. Courage will rise

Whereas Baby Boomers have been risk-avoiders who are prone to fear, this new, more dangerous world invites courage. Young people will respond by going out into the world with the hope that it needs. Young followers of Jesus will have the chance to put their faith to the test. They will create a nation that is better than their parents’ generation could have imagined.

It’s a brave new world. The brave will remake it as they try new things.