From Stability to Reinvention: Mid-Career Professionals Navigating AI Shock in Education and IT Services
From Stability to Reinvention: Mid-Career Professionals Navigating AI Shock in Education and IT Services Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming professional work across industries, particularly in knowledge-intensive sectors such as higher education and information technology services. Mid-career professionals, typically aged between 30 and 50 years, face a unique challenge because they possess accumulated expertise and organisational responsibility while simultaneously encountering increasing pressure to adapt to AI-enabled workflows. This study investigates how AI reshapes task structures, career identity, and employability in the education and IT sectors. Using a comparative case-cum-research design, the paper analyses institutional responses, professional anxieties, adaptation strategies, and emerging career pathways among mid-career employees. The study combines qualitative interviews, survey-based perceptions, and comparative thematic analysis. ...