(NewsUSA) - Swift advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies are rapidly changing the labor market, with approximately 170 million new jobs expected over the next decade, and 50 percent of Gen Z planning to pursue entrepreneurship.

Whether you climb the corporate ladder or found your own company, succeeding in today’s market requires tech-savvy leadership, vision, business acumen, and agility. The good news: you don’t have to wait until college to gain these skills—you can start in high school.

Business schools at many universities, including New York Institute of Technology’s School of Management, offer courses, workshops, and seminars enabling high school students to jumpstart their college careers. Some opportunities even allow you to earn college credits.

No matter which college major you pursue, learning the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship will advance your academic and professional careers. Here’s what you’ll gain:

• Knowledge of emerging business technologies. Workshop series, like our School of Management’s High School Business Academy, allow students to explore real-world applications of AI, Financial Technology (FinTech), digital analytics, and other innovations across key business fields. Through hands-on projects, group challenges, and lively discussions, students uncover how next-generation technologies are reshaping industries and career possibilities.

• Financial literacy skills. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for finance skills will rise 15 percent by 2034. College-level business programs, including those at New York Tech, prepare students to evaluate costs, assess risks, analyze forensics, manage portfolios, and identify strategic investments. Students are also empowered to make smart personal finance decisions.

• Exposure to diverse career paths. Business studies introduce college-bound students to a wide range of careers in entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, accounting, management, and other fields. For example, our High School Business Academy, taught by expert faculty, includes workshops on entrepreneurship and career development, among other topics. In addition, programs like New York Tech Advance allow high schoolers to get a head start on their college education by earning credits at a steeply discounted rate.

• Competitive soft skills. As AI and automation are increasingly used for routine business tasks, the human ability to innovate, communicate, and think critically has become ever more valuable. College-level business programs instill vital communication skills (both digital and interpersonal) early on, while training students to negotiate, collaborate, and resolve conflicts in culturally diverse work environments.

New York Tech’s School of Management offers virtual and in-person learning opportunities to prepare interested high school students for the business school experience.

Learn about our AI-infused degree programs, including bachelor's degrees in business AI and analytics, forensic accounting and financial fraud investigation, and more.