The system changed. Here is the map

What changed since your day

Four things that work differently now. Most of the anxiety parents carry into this conversation comes from one of them.

What the number on their card means

Every one of the 1,840career cards on Careermash carries one big number. It is the share of that job's day to day tasks that AI is already used for, measured from published AI usage research (Anthropic and OpenAI, 2026) blended with our own UK review of moats, robotics and scientific developments. Measured August 2026.

It is a measurement of now, not a prediction about your child. A high number does not mean the job is disappearing: it means more of the routine work is already being done with AI, so the part a person is paid for is moving. A low number is not a promise either. The useful thing to do with the number is talk about which parts of the work your child would still want to do.

Two other things sit on every card. The door is how hard the career is to enter, graded A to E. The moatis what structurally protects the work: hands on work software cannot do, a legally required human, or people wanting a real person. Where we have not classified a career's moat, the card says so instead of guessing. Cards also carry a twenty year column, which comes from a published forecast and is labelled as a forecast, never as fact.

6 real cards, lowest to highest exposure today

Same measurement, very different jobs. Each one opens the parent version of that card: the same numbers, explained for the kitchen table, and printable so your child can hand it over on paper.

Context beats any single number: the careers that hold up best, the whole picture by profession, and the open data behind all of it, including the permanent change log. The point is not to chase the safest career. It is to walk in with eyes open.

Questions worth asking

Parents are the number one careers advice channel, which is a lot of weight for a Tuesday evening. These are the questions that open a conversation instead of closing one.

For the school conversation, email the head of sixth form or head of careers before the evening. Prepared answers are better answers, and you are partnering rather than interrogating.

Jargon, in plain English

Every term your child might come home with, and the three this site adds. Where a figure changes year to year, this says who publishes it rather than guessing at it.

• UCASThe service that handles undergraduate applications to UK universities. One application, up to five choices.
• Tariff pointsThe UCAS points system that converts different qualifications onto one scale, so an offer can be stated in points rather than in specific grades. UCAS publishes the conversion for every qualification.
• Level 3The qualification level shared by A levels, T Levels, BTEC extended diplomas and advanced apprenticeships. Different routes, same level.
• T LevelA two year technical qualification for 16 to 19 year olds: one subject, classroom study, and an industry placement of at least 45 days. Graded overall, and it carries tariff points.
• BTECA vocational qualification assessed largely through coursework. A Level 3 extended diploma is a full sixth form programme and is widely accepted by universities.
• EPQAn independent research project taken alongside other Level 3 study. It carries tariff points and universities value it because it shows independent work.
• Degree apprenticeshipA Level 6 or Level 7 apprenticeship that ends in a full degree. The employer pays the course fees, your child is paid a wage throughout, and applications run on the employer timetable.
• Conditional offerA university place offered on condition of stated grades or points. Most offers are conditional.
• Firm and insuranceThe first choice your child commits to, and the backup they hold in case they miss it. The insurance choice usually asks for lower grades.
• Contextual offerA lower entry requirement offered to applicants from certain schools, postcodes or backgrounds, including care leavers. Many universities use them.
• ClearingThe process from July onward that matches applicants without a place to courses with places left. Ordinary and well used, not a last resort.
• Foundation yearAn extra first year for students who do not meet standard entry requirements or are switching subject area. The degree takes a year longer.
• Placement yearA year of paid work built into a degree, common in engineering, business and computing. Also called a sandwich year.
• Plan 5The student loan repayment plan for students who started from September 2023. Repayments are 9% of earnings above a threshold that GOV.UK publishes, taken through payroll, and the balance is written off 40 years after repayments begin.
• EHCPAn Education, Health and Care Plan: the legal document setting out the support a young person with special educational needs or a disability must receive.
• Gatsby BenchmarksThe eight national benchmarks a school careers programme is measured against. A fair thing to ask about at parents evening.
• AI exposureThe number on every Careermash card: the share of that job’s day to day tasks AI is already used for, from observed real world usage by occupation.
• The doorHow hard a career is to enter, graded A (achievable) to E (extremely hard), from the published forecast the cards cite.
• MoatWhat structurally protects the work: hands on work software cannot do, a legally required human, or people wanting a real person. Some careers have none, and the card says so.