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‘Skills nobody can take’: Meet a 20-year-old with a 4.5 GPA who skipped college for technical school to land an ‘AI-proof’ career

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22.09.2026

‘Skills nobody can take’: Meet a 20-year-old with a 4.5 GPA who skipped college for technical school to land an ‘AI-proof’ career

AI is barreling into white-collar industries, and more people than ever are trying to AI-proof their careers. Gen Z college graduates are increasingly landing in retail and food service as AI absorbs many of the entry-level roles that once served as their on-ramp.

Alejandro Rodriguez, a 20-year-old certified Porsche apprentice technician, wants Gen Z to know that college isn’t the only path to a respected, fulfilling career—especially one that’s less vulnerable to AI.

Rodriguez, a recent graduate of Universal Technical Institute, told Fortune that despite excelling in school, taking college classes, and earning a 4.5 GPA in high school after a lifetime in the gifted and talented program, he decided to follow his passion for cars. That drive didn’t take him to college, but to a technical institute.

Given his academic record, school administrators weren’t thrilled when he began floating technical school as a post-graduation plan........

© Fortune