Advice for the Class of 2026: Get ready for uncertainty
Columbia Business School
It's a cliche by now to say we live in unprecedented, uncertain, erratic times. We are. The path is indeed highly uncertain. The end result, meanwhile, may not be.
Take climate: It's clear that all paths essentially lead to an unprecedented—there's that word again—disruption to the current, fossil-fueled economy. The end result: a fully electrified transport sector—yes, EVs are only a question of when, not if—and the building sector and even industry aren't far behind. The path to get there is highly uncertain and could happen in any number of ways.
The career advice, here and elsewhere? Keep that end state in mind—working against it won't, can't, be the basis for a career that spans the next 3, 4, or 5 decades—while also getting ready for any number of uncertainties along the way.
Quoted in: "Advice for the Class of 2026" by Jonathan Sperling, Columbia Business School (8 May 2026).
