Exploring careers with AI: Sutter Union High School students test new educational app

Jan. 18—A classroom full of students on their smartphones. Normally a sight like this would make educators reel, but at Sutter Union High School teachers have partnered alongside prominent app developers to harness AI technology for the purpose of career exploration.

"A lot of people may be afraid of AI, but we are ethically embracing it to empower you," said Charm Hopkins, Sutter Union's CTE advisor, while addressing students on Wednesday.

"This is a big moment in human history," added Zain Ali, a guest presenter associated with the app's design. "You guys are entering the working world where all this is going to be impacted by this new technology. Understanding how it can be leveraged for use is going to be huge and will help set you apart."

Ali, a Sutter Union alum, forged a special bond with Hopkins during his freshman year of high school. Hopkins recalled that when Ali first came into her classroom he could type 98 words per minute and she challenged herself to find a way to channel his special talent. Little did she know then that her star pupil would go on to become one of the first group of iPhone app builders in America. His resume spans a wide range of unique initiatives including professional gamer for "Call of Duty: Black Ops." He is perhaps best known however for his contributions to Instacart, as both a product designer and creative director.

"Basically, we've designed these AI chatbots so that students can talk to and learn more about different types of jobs and lifestyles," explained Ali. "This helps them build a frame of reference for different types of salaries and all the different nuances that go into the world of work."

One of Ali's current positions is as the design director for a national nonprofit known as Hope Street Group. The mission at Hope Street is to expand economic opportunity and prosperity for all Americans, with a particular focus being applied to high school teenagers.

Studies have shown that career misalignment leads to higher unemployment later in life and lower wages throughout one's career. Career misalignment can be defined as when a student doesn't have or know of ways to obtain the required education or experiences for their desired occupation. Poorer students have been reported to be up to three times more likely to be career misaligned than their affluent peers. With a desire to help close this gap and better align students with their job of choice, organizers at Hope Street have launched several programs including the new HopeST app.

"I joined this organization because I felt like its mission really aligned with my values," said David Ma, Hope Street's current CEO and former head of product for Jobs on Facebook. "One of the things I learned there is that everybody was looking for a different career as adults, especially those in the lower income brackets. So I wanted to find a way to help fix that."

Ali was joined at Sutter Union this past week by two of his Hope Street partners, Ma, and Norris Chebl, an AI software engineer. The students they helped mentor were among the first in the country to serve as the official product testers of HopeST. After scanning a QR code and downloading the app, students were prompted to select their favorite hobbies and topics of interest. From there they could select from suggested careers or type in a job they'd like to research.

The app uses this information to help generate several custom bots for students to engage with. For example, someone interested in welding might choose to start a conversation with Aria, a 27-year-old metal fabricator living in Los Angeles, or Tyler, a 32-year-old pipefitter from Texas.

From their tested conversation, students were able to gather generalized information on various jobs and careers with valuable insights such as expected salaries, work/life balance, alternative pathways, and even scholarship opportunities.

Generated questions were provided to help students navigate the conversation, but they were also free to type in their own inquiries. Other app features included a career advisor and a resume builder, all powered through conversational AI technology.

"Having an app like this would've been awesome when I was in high school," said Chebl. "When I first heard about Chat GPT when it came out last year I got pretty scared. ... So I immediately immersed myself in AI and started creating TikTok content and building software. Learning how to speak this language is extremely valuable. It's coming at us by a storm and it's going to grow exponentially."

Ali and his team will be using the data and feedback collected during their time at Sutter Union to make any needed adjustments or updates to their app and program. In the meantime, those interested can download HopeST off the app store for free and give it a try for themselves.

"It's ready now, but probably in the next couple months we're going to feel a lot more confident to go and really push it nationwide, and I'm assuming schools will probably start using it next year," added Ali.

To learn more about the Hope Street Group, visit hopestreetgroup.org or email outreach@hopestreetgroup.org.