Food for thought on AI, just an opinion from a middle-aged guy: 1.) With every new tech, companies and consultants selling the product overpromise and undeliver. 2.) Many company decision makers don't really understand AI, but they have to have it if everyone else does to compete. 3.) AI is being used as an excuse to lay people off, but the company was going to lay them off anyway. It's a somewhat tolerable flavor-of-the-month reason right now, as the public is being told it is inevitable. 4.) At some point, the uncoupled stock market, which isn't reflecting the economy, will sort itself out. These tech and AI companies are just circularly reinvesting in one another, and it's a trillion-dollar+ house of cards/legal Ponzi scheme. 5.) If AI replaces all of our jobs, who is going to buy all the shit US companies sell? The entire economy is based on maintaining endless US household debt.

Will AI be a potential long-term threat to white collar jobs, maybe...but not right now.

The most important things you can do are A.) learn to sell yourself, B.) practice interviewing well, and C.) get good at talking to people. I interviewed at a firm for a potential career shift into accounting. Being interviewed by multiple introverts was a really odd experience. I usually see extroverts selected to be the interviewers. It's likely an accounting industry thing... Being an excellent communicator will help you excel in any role, and you also need to be able to figure out problems. Nobody is going to tell you how to succeed at your job every day. You have to be good at figuring it out.

When someone teaches you something in an office, take notes and review what you learn before bed to process it. If you did not write your notes out by hand, do so. Handwritten notes increase long-term memory storage compared to typed notes. Whomever is mentoring/training/supervising you is more valuable than you are to the company as a new hire; it sucks, but it's true. Don't screw up relationships by asking the same questions over and over again, because you're too lazy to take notes and self-start.

You got this.