CGB Report #001
BY: Andrea G. Shenkman
9/1/2025
Is it possible to end a career rut
in the age of AI?

Career Growth Basics confidently states: Y ES. It is possible to end a career rut in the age of AI.

In fact, Career Growth Basics states it’s possible to not only end a career rut but also to thrive and succeed in today’s AI workplace.

Who is Career Growth Basics?

I’m Andrea G. Shenkman, the author of Career Growth Basics and The CGB System. This report presents conclusions drawn from an investigation of the possibilities of ending a career rut in the age of AI.

What is The CGB System?

The CGB System places the power of career choice in the hands of the user. It does this by keeping the focus on:

strengthening the abilities of the individual.
showing how to use personal abilities to create a path out of a career rut.

What’s the reason for looking at how to use CGB and AI now?

There are several reasons for looking at The CGB System and how to use it in the age of AI at this present time.

The first reason is that life is continually changing.

The last week of July 2025, I began editing new courses for The CGB System. I noticed that my work was being interrupted because of Ai. Additional steps were needed to find my usual reference sources. What generally involved one to two clicks suddenly involved four to five clicks. I got annoyed at this interruption in my workflow.

To continue this story, I want to present a FULL DISCLOSURE about AI use in the creation of Career Growth Basics.

Full Disclosure and CGB’s Background Story

I know my way around a computer. Although I’m not a fan of the technical aspects of a computer, I wanted to be “hands-on” in creating my website. Therefore, I knew I needed to build my technical computer skills.

So, I did what comes naturally to me when I need information. I did some research to find out how to gain the computer skills needed to build my online business. The information I found helped me create a plan for building my website.

The first step in the plan was to join a community to help me grow my computer skills.

I’m an educator and counselor/coach. I started my career in marketing and sales. A lifelong interest in human behavior led me to attend college as an adult resulting in earning a master’s in marriage and family therapy. My psychotherapy practice opened the doors to college teaching. After twenty years, I retired from my marriage and family therapy practice to focus on teaching and career coaching.

Career Growth Basics is the result of my professional and personal experiences motivated by two philosophies.

1. “Equal pay for equal work.” This idea I got from my Mother, Laura G. Gurniak, who spent her adult life working to create a community where salaries were based on abilities and performance.

2. “Everyone is entitled to the dignity of earning a decent paycheck.” This idea was given to me by my husband, Melvin E. Shenkman, who spent his adult life in HR assisting people find work. He believed that a company that practices the idea of “equal pay for equal work” supports a workplace culture that promotes respect and dignity for both employee and employer.

Career Growth Basics is based on these two philosophies along with my personal motto:

LIVE IN THE POSSIBILITIES.

The aim of The CGB System is to help individuals open career growth possibilities and increase the power of career choice.

The CGB System is rooted in the principle to honor the needs of the individual by helping the individual:

-discover how to use the abilities they have to get equal pay for equal work.

-discover how to use the abilities they have to create a path to a workplace of dignified respect.

How does this apply to ending a career rut in the age of AI?

As I said, I know my way around a computer and I have good writing skills. At the start of building my website, I realized that putting together my writing skills and computer skills and advancing my computer technical skills was going to take time. So, I needed to prioritize the tasks involved in this project. A comprehensive investigation of AI was placed at the bottom of my research list.

HERE IS THE FULL DISCLOSURE

From the start of creating Career Growth Basics, I’ve adhered to my decision to make my website a product of my creativity. It is the product of my human intelligence. It is based upon my expertise developed from my personal and professional experiences.

I use AI to check my spelling. When there is a discrepancy, I check my dictionary. There is one picture on the CGB website created by AI. I used it because I feel it appropriate in the spot where it is placed. Otherwise, all images on my website are my creation.

What are the main reasons for an AI investigation at this point in time?

Two things happened that prompted this investigation now.

1.The change in Google search results had already impacted the way in which I did research for a “Where are the jobs today?” section of my website.

2.When AI interrupted my workflow, it alerted me to how quickly AI was getting established in the search engines. I decided it was important to find out:

What’s happening with AI.
How is AI impacting the job search.

So, I began my AI research update at the start of August 2025.

The question I wanted to answer was:

Is it possible to end a career rut in the age of AI?

Specifically, I wanted to determine if:

-my focus needed to change.

-the best way to use my expertise to help individuals end a career rut in the age pf AI.

To stay on track, I used these outlines.

My focus remains on being an educator and career coach working to advance my writing skills and my technical/computer skills to grow my website to help people to:

1. Strengthen the abilities they have.

2. Discover how to use the abilities they have to find solutions to end a career rut.

3. Make informed decisions to expand job/career possibilities.

4. Determine how to use the power of career choice to end a career rut and create a path to workplace success in the age of AI.

My expertise in human behavior includes communication skills and research skills and thinking skills and problem-solving 2 decision-making skills.

The AI RESEARCH

I chose three research resources to monitor to find out what America is saying about AI and how America is using Ai. The three research resources I used were the following newsfeeds that I monitored every morning for two weeks:

1. Google

2. Chrome

3. MSN.

Summary OF Research Discoveries

1.A wide range of Business Consulting firms support the use of AI. At least two ads a day appeared on my newsfeeds during the first two weeks of August 2025. They all offered an AI solution to improve business performance.

2.People are using AI in many different ways.

Prince William Co. Schools (Virginia) is getting ready to teach students how to work with AI during the upcoming school year.

Google Reports has a report on how people are using AI.

The New York Times published an article about the 21 ways people are using AI at work.

3.Articles that discuss the loss of jobs include:

THE CONVERSATION -AI is Coming for White Collar Jobs

FORTUNE – Layoffs Shrink the Job Market

CBS NEWS – AI Leading to Job Losses

THE HILL - What AI Means for the Future of the Job Market

4.Articles that discuss whether AI is sustainable.

The Atlantic – AI is a Mass Delusion Event

Futurism – Sam Altman admits AI bubble.

OpenAI Chairman - Comments about the negatives of using AI

MIT – Reports that AI is overwhelmingly not working at companies using it.

Carnegie Mellon Reports chatbots are overconfident and unaware of mistakes

CNN reports these recent shifts in AI:

-META is downsizing its AI unit.

-CHATGPT is a bust

Newsweek – reports on the high cost of data centers and who’s footing the bill.

NPR – reports on the sustainability of AI due to power needs of data centers and environmental impacts of these centers.

The last part of this research took a look at “Where are the jobs?.” This is a section on my website. I type the question into Google search and report on the results. Through May 2025 the response had included at least two pages of 75 to 100 job listings per page.

Since June 2025, the report is one page and averages 50 to 75 jobs. The steps involved in finding these listings are more involved and the AI responses are an overview.

The Results of this Research

The results are inconsistent and confusing.

However, I took the time to consult with some of my colleagues and associates in the business world. This was an informal inquiry to gather personal opinions. The replies I received were optimistic about today’s American job market. All responses included a comment about how AI is changing the way businesses conduct business. But, every person commented that jobs are available.

These two things are clear to me as a result of this research.

1.The introduction of AI is changing the world of business. Therefore, the jobs are changing.

2.The introduction of AI is changing the mechanics of the job search.

Conclusion

The founding purpose of The CGB System is not only relevant in today’s age of AI but also a strong asset to include in the job search process.

Founding Purpose of The CGB System

-help individuals strengthen the abilities they possess to find solutions to end a job/career rut.

The CGB System recognizes the additional challenges faced in the job search in the age of AI. Therefore, it announces this addition to the purpose statement.

Expanded Purpose of The CGB System

-help individuals strengthen the abilities they possess to find solutions to end a job/career and build a path to workplace success in the age of AI.

Career Growth Basics is the system to use to grow skills that put you in charge of creating your path to end a career rut. The CGB System is a guide that can show you how to

1.build personal strengths and abilities to use as a major asset in the process of looking to end a career rut in today’s age of AI.

2.live in the possibilities and not only survive but also thrive in the age of AI.

Use curiosity to find solutions you need to create:

Your career. Your Success. Your Way.

Andrea

Educator/Career Coach

www.careergrowthbasics.com

"If Plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters — 204 if you're in Japan."

— Claire Cook