2026 will be the year of the Creative Technologist
October 20th, 2025
We were raised on a lie.
I'm old enough to remember when everyone was saying that you needed to learn how to code. Every teacher, parent, and counselor I came across in High School said that Software Engineering would be the career of the future, as tech startups (at the time) like Facebook and Snapchat were making millions of dollars, and were founded by young people with nothing but a laptop and the knowledge of how to code.
Today, the unemployment rate for an entry-level Software Engineer is double that of the national average (US Census Bureau). AI has rapidly democratized the skillset of knowing how to code, and as such a new skill is beginning to rise in importance.
You can't major it it.
No school teaches it.
And you'll rarely see it advertised on a job posting.
And yet I believe it's going to be the most important thing to know going into 2026.
I'm talking about the skillset of being a Creative Technologist.
Those who can combine tech and creativity will win.
A Creative Technologist, by my definition, is someone who can blend their creative ideas with the technical tools at their disposal to imagine, design, and build ideas that couldn’t exist through either discipline alone.
Soulless AI "slop" is already flooding our feeds, careers, and inboxes. The job application process has been overrun with AI bots spamming recruiters wth generated resumes and cover letters. Social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn are filled with generated posts and comments. And new apps like Sora 2 allow anyone to create just about any video they want. And most of those videos are terrible.
If anything has become clear to me over the last few weeks, it's that we can recognize when something has been created with true human intent, and when it has not. And when we can recognize slop, we reject it.
And once the novelty of making a video of SpongeBob Squarepants cooking meth wears off, we'll be left with a profoundly powerful technology, with no human compass to guide it.
And that's where the Creative Technologist comes in. These professionals will be able to walk the line between art and science, and build completely new careers for themselves in the process.
AI is not going away.
But we aren't either.
And I beleive that those among us who can use these advanced tools as an enhancement, not a replacement, to our natural creative tendencies will win.
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Welcome to First Things First, Reader. I created this newsletter as the reminder I needed to reflect on how far I've come, as well as prepare for the journey ahead.
Today I wanted to switch things up a bit, so I hope you enjoyed my thoughts above on how important the role of a Creative Technologist will be. Below are a few special moments from our family vacation in the Catskills this weekend.
I’m so glad you’re here, and I hope you have a beautiful week.
A few resources to help you on your journey
Career Wrapped: We already know you listened to a lot of Drake this year. Instead of a Spotify Wrapped, why not create a "Career Wrapped" for this year instead?
LinkedIn Search Secrets: Most people have no idea how to take full advantage of LinkedIn to find jobs or people to network with in their industry. Here's your guide.
One Pager: This promotion template got me promoted twice in two years. This will help you summarize your skills and drive your yearly review conversations at work!
I've spent the last few years creating and collecting the best resources to help you level up in your life and career. Check out my most popular ones above, or view the full list here.
