AI has been dominating headlines for a while now, and for good reason - it's changing the way we work in real and significant ways. While many are excited about its potential, there's also a lot of uncertainty, particularly around what it means for employment. For someone balancing work during or after a cancer diagnosis, keeping up with a rapidly shifting tools can feel overwhelming and like one more thing to manage. The good news is that we have more control over this moment than we might think.

A recent article in Fast Company explores why so many people, regardless of education or experience, feel unprepared when it comes to AI. Here are three key takeaways:

Feeling unprepared is normal. The feeling that your experience and skills may now be less valuable is something a lot of people are dealing with. Acknowledging that feeling, rather than pushing past it, can be a helpful first step.

AI doesn't have to work against you. Used well, AI has the potential to open up opportunities for more types of workers. The key is learning to work with these tools strategically rather than avoiding them.

Don't wait to take action. Rather than waiting to see what happens, take an active role in how you engage with AI, starting with getting familiar with the tools that are already available. Many are free and easy to use.

At Cancer and Careers, we've been covering this topic for some time and want to help you build confidence with these tools. Check out our past webinars on this topic. We also invite you to join us on March 27th for our 13th Annual Midwest Conference on Work & Cancer, which includes a session on Job Search Tools: Using AI Strategically.