David Kostin, Goldman Sachs’ longtime chief US equity strategist and partner, has shared career advice for Gen Z professionals as he prepares to retire after nearly three decades at the firm. Speaking in his final appearance on “Goldman Sachs Exchanges,” Kostin emphasized that young workers can stand out not by chasing titles, but by understanding how their daily work contributes to the broader business. “Think about one's role and how that fits into the broader business environment,” Kostin said. “If you understand where you sit and your contributions to the commercial process, then you can see how that changes over time.” His insight stems from decades of direct engagement with major institutional investors, including hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, and pension managers—experiences that shaped his ability to connect individual efforts to large-scale market outcomes. Kostin’s advice aligns with a growing consensus among experts: technical skills are essential, but long-term success comes from judgment, context, and the ability to see the bigger picture. In today’s rapidly evolving job market, where AI is reshaping white-collar work, young professionals must adapt by focusing on what machines cannot easily replicate. James Ransom, a research fellow at University College London, told Business Insider that Gen Z should stop fixating on job titles and instead focus on tasks that require human judgment, oversight, leadership, and persuasion—areas where AI still lags. The most successful young workers, he said, will be those who can manage and scale AI tools while delivering tangible, measurable results. Wharton professor Ethan Mollick, a leading voice in the AI revolution, added that the speed of AI development means many technical skills become outdated almost as soon as they’re learned. Instead, he advises young professionals to identify their unique strengths and let AI handle the rest. He calls this approach “task distribution”—the ability to assess AI output, provide precise instructions, and combine deep subject expertise with broad knowledge, including in the humanities. Quentin Nason, a 35-year veteran of finance and former managing director of investment banking, offered a more structural warning. With traditional graduate programs shrinking and entry-level roles becoming scarce, he urged young people to look beyond legacy finance hubs. “Rather than chasing yesterday’s jobs, chase tomorrow’s,” he said in October, highlighting emerging fields like automation, robotics, blockchain, and drone technology. Together, these perspectives paint a clear picture: for Gen Z, career success lies not in mimicking past paths, but in understanding the value of their role, leveraging AI as a tool, and staying ahead of the curve by focusing on what only humans can do.