Ellen Geller Kamaras

Have you noticed that you can’t pick up a newspaper without seeing headlines about AI, Artificial Intelligence, or a new AI company?

Since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022, we are living in the world of AI.  While AI can bring many favorable outcomes, such as those described below, it also raises legitimate and serious concerns.  Key fears are malicious use for cyberattacks and misinformation, job displacement, inaccuracy of data, deepfakes, and societal bias present in training data.  Deepfakes are when AI creates, manipulates, or alters images, audio, and video to appear authentic, when they are, as the name implies, deeply fake.

The job displacement issue is particularly relevant to parents of teenagers who worry about how AI will affect their children’s future jobs and livelihood. 

Let’s talk about some of the best careers for high school graduates to pursue, particularly in today’s AI era.

Context

Before we delve into specific jobs, here is some background.

When you google a topic or start a zoom meeting, AI is right there to facilitate your search and even offers to take notes for you during your zoom session.

Those are two AI benefits, and there are many more.  Key positive impacts of AI include enhanced healthcare, financial services, cybersecurity, and productivity, a boost to economic growth, advanced transportation, excellent customer service, scientific discovery, climate change mitigation, reduced human error in critical tasks, and improved agriculture.

Let’s define AI and then move to the careers in demand.

AI is an area of computer science that is committed to creating machines that can think like humans. AI uses the unique abilities of the human brain to understand, react, and interpret, and then integrates them into computers. Vast amounts of data are used in conjunction with algorithms to essentially “train” AI to be able to learn and grow of its own accord, without the need for programming and code updates.

Research indicates that the jobs that are most at risk to be replaced by AI are basic customer service jobs, simple bookkeeping, data entry, and repetitive office tasks.

The good news is that there are careers that are highly resistant to AI automation.

Human-Centered Jobs

If you choose a career that combines human interaction plus problem-solving plus adaptability, it is highly unlikely that AI will replace you.  Human-centered professions are very AI-resistant because they rely heavily on human connection, emotional intelligence, trust building, empathy, comfort, crisis intervention, and communication with family. 

Many jobs include tasks that can be automated.  However, humans are not being replaced by AI because these careers also need physical dexterity in unpredictable settings, creative intuition, and ethical and moral judgment in addition to the qualities listed above.

First, let’s address the career categories that are both in demand and are resistant to AI, and then delve into those that do not require a college degree.

Even in careers that are resistant to automation, basic AI literacy will become increasingly valuable. Students who learn how to use AI tools responsibly and effectively may have an advantage in nearly every profession.

Professions in Demand That Are AI Resistant

AI does facilitate human-centered jobs and steps in to support these professionals in many ways.  The first five careers listed below require a minimum of a four-year college degree, if not post-graduate work. 

1. Nurses and healthcare workers
2. Medical specialists and surgeons
3. Psychotherapists, social workers and counselors
4. Early childhood educators and specialized teachers
5. Authors, creative directors, and high-level content strategists
6. Crisis responders:  firefighters, paramedics, disaster relief workers
7. Artisans, restorers, and high-end craft professionals
8. Leaders: managers, founders, and change agents
9. Community builders, mediators, and organizers

10. Skilled trades: electricians, plumbers, mechanics and carpenters. 

In-Demand Jobs That Do Not Require Four-Year College Degrees

For high school graduates who want to go straight to work and do not want to pursue a four-year college degree, the soundest choices are jobs that involve hands-on work, human interaction, technical skill, and problem-solving in real environments.

The solid options and career paths are skilled trades, health care jobs, tech careers, personal service careers, and jobs that involve transportation and logistics.

Skilled trades do not require a college degree and are also AI resistant.  AI and robots struggle in unpredictable physical environments like homes and buildings. An electrician generally trains through apprenticeships and has a skill that is difficult to automate. Other jobs in this category include plumbers, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) technicians, and welders.

These professions involve hands-on work, human interaction, licensing or physical presence, and are therefore harder to replace with AI. 

Healthcare Careers

There are several healthcare careers that one can pursue without a four-year degree.  These jobs often require three months to two years of training. They are – certified nursing assistant, dental hygienist, medical assistant, pharmacy technician, emergency services provider, physical therapy assistant (PTA), and veterinary technician (VT). 

It generally takes two years to become a dental hygienist.  Dental assistant certification can usually be earned under one year. Training to be a medical assistant is a shorter path with fast training programs available.  Some accelerated programs that can be completed in a year are available for PTA training.  VT training can be self-paced and completed online in eight to twelve months. 

The TIA School of Allied Health and CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) Training in NYC offers programs for nursing assistants.  Training for nursing and medical assistants is available at NY Medical Career Training Center, and NY Career Institute provides medical assistant programs as well.

EMT certification is offered in many community colleges in NYC and NJ.

Tech Careers

Tech careers that do not require college degrees include IT support/network technicians, web developers, and cybersecurity technicians.  IT support and cybersecurity technicians can enroll in certification programs, whereas web development can be learned independently.  Depending on your current technical knowledge, IT support and cybersecurity tech training can range between three to 12 months. Training frequently starts with CompTIA Security + certification, CompTIA A+, Network+, and Google IT Support. Programs are available at Fullstack Academy, App Academy NYC, and Technical Institute of America.

Personal Service Careers

Personal service careers are very AI-resistant. These include professions as a hairstylist, color specialist, esthetician (skin care and beauty services) and personal trainer. Required training for hair and skin care are set by each state and average between nine to 18 months.

Programs for certified personal trainers can range from between three to six months.

Hands-On and Transportation Careers

Apex Technical School offers electrician and HVAC training. Electrician, plumbing, automotive (electric vehicle repair is growing quickly) and welding courses are available at Berk Trade & Business School.

In New Jersey, Lincoln Technical Institute, Eastwick College, and Fortis Institute have respected options for many of the above careers.

Transportation careers require a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and include truck driving, bus driving, and delivery/logistics.  Self-driving is still limited.

An important note:  Not getting a college degree does not translate to “no education.”   Many successful individuals are those that take certifications, go to trade school, do apprenticeships, or do paid training programs.

Next Steps

Before you decide on a career, talk to someone who works in that field and see if you can volunteer or shadow that person.

Take advantage of the resources available in our own communities to explore these careers.  We have wonderful organizations such as Sephardic Bikur Holim and Propel Network. Your own high school guidance counselor can also help you to  explore your potential and your strengths and can guide you towards a career that is the right match for you.  Two of our high schools have valuable career path programs to support our children: the Shifra Hanon Pathfinders Department at Flatbush Yeshiva and Harry I. Franco Leadership Academy at Hillel.  The Pathfinders mentoring program focuses on four main goals with every student: self-exploration, career exploration, professional skills, and extracurricular involvement.  The Leadership Academy Director is Shifra Hanon who created and launched the Pathfinders program.

In Pirkei Avot, Ethics of Our Fathers, we are told to appoint a teacher or mentor for ourselves.  Mentors can offer perspective, guidance, and lessons learned from their own experience.  They can also assist in setting goals and expanding one’s network. We have talented people in our own backyards who are willing to mentor students.  What are you waiting for?

Jack Gindi

I didn’t grow up with the education many people have today. I left high school early, and even now at times I read something and don’t fully understand the words or what someone is trying to say. For most of my life, I had to work through that on my own.

Today, I use AI to help me. If I don’t understand something, I ask AI to explain it in simpler terms. I’ll go back and forth until I understand what’s being said. That has been incredibly helpful.

Answer vs. Understanding

I’ve also learned something important: understanding what something means is not the same as knowing what to think about it. AI can help me understand, but it cannot decide for me.

That realization has stayed with me, especially when I think about the world our children are growing up in.

We are raising kids in a system that, in many ways, no longer exists. Most of us were taught to memorize, get the right answers, follow the rules, and perform well on tests.

However, getting an answer is no longer the challenge today. A child can ask a question and receive a response in seconds. They can generate an essay, solve problems, or summarize information almost instantly. But getting an answer is not the same as understanding. And it is not the same as good judgment.

Thinking Is Critical

What I’ve seen is that people who continue to grow are not the ones who rely only on what they are given. They know how to think about things. They question what they are given, test it, and stay with it long enough to understand it. AI does not remove the need for human ability. In many ways, it exposes it.

The real gap forming today is not about intelligence. It is the difference between people who develop maturity and judgment and those who simply gather information without knowing what to do with it.

Over time, that difference will matter more than anything else. The world ahead will not reward people who can repeat information. It will reward people who can understand context, solve problems, and adapt to change.

Real Observation

I was recently introduced to a camp here in Colorado where children are brought into the wilderness. They climb rocks, build fires, and spend time outdoors without screens. For many of them, it is a life-changing experience. That might sound simple, but for some children today, it is the first time they are fully present in the real world.

That matters more than ever. If a child does not develop a relationship with real observation – what they can see, feel, and experience – how will they know what is true in a world where so much is artificial?

If they look outside and it is raining, but a system tells them it is sunny, and they trust the system more than their own experience, then something essential has been lost. That is not a failure of technology. It is a failure of preparation.

Adults Need to Change

This is where we, as parents and grandparents, have to be honest. We cannot simply raise children the way we were raised and assume it will prepare them for what is coming. If we want our children to be ready, many of us will have to change first.

We will have to think differently about what education really is. We will have to value judgment over speed, discernment over convenience, and depth over constant stimulation.

And we have to model it.

Using AI correctly does not mean depending on it. It means using it as a tool. I use AI to help me understand what someone is saying. Then I stop and think. I ask myself if I agree, if it makes sense in my life, and what I believe about it.

That step, forming your own judgment, is the part no system can do for us.

Stay Connected to What Is Real

The children who will thrive will not be the ones who rely on AI the most. They will be the ones who know how to use it without losing themselves in it. They will stay connected to their thinking, their experiences, their relationships, and the world around them. They will use AI as a tool, not as a replacement.

Because while the future may change quickly, the ability to think, question, and understand what truly matters has never changed. AI can help you understand what someone is saying. It cannot tell you what to believe about it.

Joey Baghdadi, Bowl Night Commissioner

Every Tuesday night, something special is happening at Fun Fest – and it’s not just the sound of pins crashing.

It’s BOWL NIGHT!

What started as a simple idea quickly turned into one of the most energetic, competitive, and genuinely enjoyable weekly meetups in the community. Thirty-six players strong (and growing), ranging from 13 to 60+, lace up their bowling shoes each week not just to play – but to compete, connect, and create something bigger than the game itself.

This Spring 2026 season was a perfect snapshot of what makes BOWL NIGHT so unique. Twelve 3-man teams battling it out over a 10-week regular season (three games a night). And yes – each roll matters. With the top eight teams advancing to the postseason, the energy definitely reaches that “every frame counts” level.

But what truly levels the playing field – and keeps everyone engaged – is our 85 percent handicap system. It’s the great equalizer. The guy grinding out an 82 average can go head-to-head with someone throwing 180s, and win. That dynamic creates something rare: real competition across generations and skill levels. No one is out of it. Everyone has a shot.

Magical Moments

And that’s where the magic happens – because BOWL NIGHT isn’t just about scores – it’s about people.

It’s fathers and sons sharing a lane (something I personally look forward to every week, bowling alongside my two sons). It’s old friends reconnecting, new friendships forming, and a mix of personalities that keeps the banter lively and the vibe loose. There’s laughter after gutter balls, celebrations after strikes, and just enough friendly trash talk to keep things interesting.

Don’t forget the Three Weekly Winners – those who bowl a game highest above their average – who can choose from a trio of great prizes, too!

A Community of Players

Off the lanes, the league has taken on a life of its own.

Our WhatsApp group chat is buzzing daily – recaps, reactions, lineup debates, and the occasional “power rankings” that somehow spark more controversy than they should. Our Instagram page, Instagram (@BowlNightSY), captures the action each week with photos and videos that bring the night to life. And for those who like to track the numbers, we send out detailed weekly stats – standings, averages, schedules – keeping everyone locked in and accountable.

There’s structure. There’s consistency. But most importantly, there’s excitement.

For me, this has been especially meaningful. Years ago, I ran a league called the SBL for over a decade – a run filled with great memories and even better people. When that chapter ended in the early 2010s, I always hoped we’d find a way to bring something like it back.

In Fall 2025, we did just that. And the response? Incredible.

BOWL NIGHT came roaring back with energy, enthusiasm, and a community that was clearly ready for it. What we’ve built in just a short time feels like the foundation of something long-lasting – something that people genuinely look forward to each week.

Looking Ahead                                            

And now, we’re ready to grow.

As we look ahead to our Fall 2026 season (starting this September), the goal is simple: expand from 12 teams to 16+. The interest is already there. The buzz is building. And the lanes are waiting.

Whether you’re a seasoned bowler or someone who hasn’t picked up a ball in years, there’s a place for you here. You don’t need a perfect game – you just need the desire to show up, compete, and be part of something fun.

Because at its core, BOWL NIGHT isn’t just about bowling. It’s about community.

It’s about showing up on a Tuesday night after a long day and knowing you’re stepping into something positive. It’s about the shared moments, the inside jokes, the small victories, and the big strikes. It’s about building something together – one frame at a time.

So if you’re reading this and thinking, “I could see myself out there,” you’re probably right.

We’d love to have you!

To join or for additional info – please reach out via: BowlNightSY@yahoo.com.

Machla Abramovitz

On entering Yossi Biton’s art gallery at 22 Agron St. in Jerusalem’s historic Mamilla neighborhood, southwest of the Old City, one is struck by an explosion of light and color. Large and small canvases display rich and muted colors, textures, and shapes. Each canvas, with its unique rhythm, seems to leap from the frame, capturing the distinctive vision of world-renowned artist Yossi Bitton.

The gallery is freshly renovated. One can almost smell the creamy-white hues on the walls as the sun-drenched Jerusalem light dances across them. The boutique is small and intimate. Its modern décor enhances the varied styles of this gifted artist’s works. Each piece conveys the yearnings of the Jewish spirit in its own way.

Inspired Images

Drawing inspiration from Jerusalem’s streets and landscape, Biblical history, and Jewish symbols, Yossi’s paintings are highly decorative:  Vibrant reds, blues, and yellows emanate from the Western Wall’s stones and the ancient hills of Migdal David, while in others, pale, refined tones of white, off-white, grey, and gold capture their enduring beauty. The images remain recognizable yet move beyond realism. Instead, they “hover between figuration and abstraction, conveying a sense of place that exists on the periphery of dreams,” to quote collive.com.

It is this ephemeral quality that lifts the paintings beyond mere decoration and into a mystical, otherworldly realm. These multi-layered images represent both outward physicality and inner essence. Dancing Chassidim symbolize devotion and yearning for connectivity with Gd. The Hills of Zion, set against a vast illuminated sky, bind the ancient landscape to Gd’s eternal promises to His chosen people. The Splitting of the Sea, one of Judaism’s most iconic images, depicts the rebirth of a small, vulnerable people under Gd’s thunderous protection as they move toward a glorious future.

Soul Connection

“When I sit before the canvas to paint a great tzaddik or a holy scene, it is not just art; it is a soul-connection,” Yossi explains.

This soul connection between the artist and subject draws the viewer directly into the paintings themselves. One admirer said that he sees vital aspects of himself mirrored within [Yossi’s paintings]. Beyond that, the paintings also reflect our collective Jewish consciousness.

The other worldliness embodied in these towering images also echoes the artist’s expanding consciousness and quest for meaning and purpose – a quest years in the making that continues to broaden in scope and depth, while always remaining true to the self.

And like his art, Yossi’s quest is never complete but remains a work in progress.

Yossi’s Background

Born and raised in Tzfat in a creative secular family, creative expression was an integral part of Yossi Bitton’s inner development.  His family, including parents, one brother, and four sisters, all play instruments or sing.

However, Yossi, now 70, was similarly drawn to the flourishing artists colony in Tzfat. As a teenager, he visited there frequently. Award-winning artists and poets, such as Chaim and Aliza Nahor, taught him the technical skills needed to create art and shared their experiential philosophy: artists must communicate feelings that move a painting beyond the literal and into the poetic. Bitton learned to paint there and has never attended any accredited art or design school since.

Although he tried his hand at drawing and painting, often scribbling on scraps of paper and napkins, at that stage in his life, music captured his interest. Mastering the bass guitar, Yossi later played in a band, brought musical movies to the north of Israel, and became involved in musical productions. His popularity grew, and his life progressed well, but the inner needs of his bourgeoning spirit were not satisfied. Surely, he thought, there was more to life than this.

“For five years, he chased the next gig, the next band, new productions. But it wasn’t enough.\His soul craved something deeper,” recalls his wife, Tamar Neomi.

The Pull Towards a Religious Life

After Yossi’s sister became a chozeret be’teshuvah, he, too, felt drawn to the religious life. With the support of Chabad rabbis, Yossi met other baalei teshuvah and rebbeim. He and Tamar moved to Jerusalem, where Yossi studied at Yeshiva Ohr Somayach. Even though Yossi’s siblings had become Lubavitch, Yossi and Tamar did not become Lubavitchers, although they respected the Rebbe greatly. “It was important to me that we be simple Jews,” Tamar says. “My husband is Sephardi. We keep the halachot of Hacham Ovadia Yosef.”

Yossi and Tamar wholeheartedly embraced religious life despite its challenges. They left Tzfat for the Geulah neighborhood in Jerusalem, the heart of Hareidi Judaism. “We wanted to live that kind of life,” Tamar says.

The couple went on to raise three daughters and a son and now live in Mekor Baruch, near Geulah, where Yossi creates most of his art.

Internal Struggles

Nevertheless, from the start, tensions developed between Yossi’s creative drive and his evolving spirituality.

“His rav at Ohr Somayach told him to abandon art and focus on learning Torah and living Yiddishkeit. The rav was possibly right at the time. Religious life is all-consuming and requires continual learning, and he needed to concentrate on that,” Tamar says.

However, inner peace remained elusive.

“The first ten years, Yossi took Yiddishkeit to extremes, often worrying: Am I doing the mitzvot right? Am I doing enough? For him, being religious is a huge zechut, and also a great responsibility – to be good, deliver a message, promote goodness, and help bring down Hashem’s holiness to people.”

When Yossi began painting again, Tamar says, his perspective changed. He loves living a religious life and expressing this love through his art. Moreover, he now blends his passion for artistic expression with his love of learning Torah. Yossi attends a daf yomi and halachah shiur twice weekly.

Intervention by the Baba Sali

But this is now. Eighteen years ago, the decision to dedicate his life full-time to his art was not as obvious. It took the Holy Baba Sali’s appearance in a dream to bring about this change. The tzaddik’s presence confirmed what Yossi had always subconsciously understood: his artistic talents were unique gifts from Hashem, desperately yearning for actualization.

The story goes as follows. In Yossi’s first ten years [as and artist], he completed two drawings of the Baba Sali – one for his parents, the other as a wedding gift for a friend. The bride disliked the black-and-white drawing and wanted color, so he added some color with crayon, but the bride was still not satisfied. On a later visit to the friends’ new home, Yossi noticed the drawing of the Baba Sali was absent. The wife had left it behind.

That night, Yossi went to bed extremely upset. He had invested much of his neshama into producing the picture, which magnificently captures the enigmatic holiness of this great man. Shortly afterward, the tzaddik appeared to him in a dream, equally disturbed. He nudged Yossi to right this incalculable wrong.

Yossi immediately awoke, called his friend, and demanded that he return to his former home to find the picture and bring it to him. At 2am, his friend called with sad news. He had found the picture in their garden, crumpled into a ball, and ruined. Regardless, he brought it to Yossi as requested.

At first sight, the situation appeared hopeless. The wrinkled, cracked canvas defied ironing. Undeterred, Yossi laid it out and placed his complete set of Gemaras on the drawing.  After a week, Yossi removed the seforim. Tamar, a dressmaker who designs and creates magnificent wedding and evening gowns, gently ironed the picture. Yossi then repaired the missing strokes. Now, beautifully framed, the picture hangs in a place of honor in their home.

Return to Art

This incident proved consequential. The dishonor attached to the tzaddik deeply disturbed Yossi. Equally important, however, he came to realize how emotionally and spiritually connected he was to his artistic creations, which are soul connections between himself and G-d. Then and there, he decided that this is what Gd wanted of him: to give voice to beauty and holiness through his art, inspiring others toward spiritual elevation.

Giving up his career as a rebbe to pursue art full-time was not easy for this father of four. The challenges seemed formidable.  Could he afford to do so financially?  Did he have the inner wherewithal to weather the disappointments that were sure to come? 

Hashem, though, paved Yossi’s way. He was fortunate to find employment at Melechet Machshevet Gallery, a popular Judaica gallery located in the heart of Meah Shearim, where he painted reproductions for some years. He did not particularly enjoy the work. Still, the practice proved useful. He expanded his skills by learning new techniques.

Out on His Own – Glorifying Gd Through Art

At the same time, Yossi began producing his own works and assessing their financial viability in the United States and elsewhere. He was pleasantly surprised by the results.

Neither Yossi nor Tamar takes Yossi’s enormous success in the art world for granted. They know how hard it is to make a living in this field. “When people are willing to pay for your work, it is a beracha from Hashem. Fortunately, people love his work so much. He receives such wonderful feedback, which gives him so much strength to continue,” Tamar says.

Producing art has enriched Yossi Bitton’s life to an incredible level. His paintings are not only extensions of himself. They are also explorations of the deeper aspects of spirituality.

“There’s no talking to him when he’s painting,” Tamar says. “He’s totally absorbed in the work. Every brushstroke reflects his love and joy for the subject he is painting. When I tell him the picture is finished, he answers, ‘What do you understand? It’s not finished. It doesn’t talk to me yet.’”

Each painting has its own path to completion. Sometimes, Yossi paints all night. Other times, he paints only a few hours during the day. There are times when inspiration burns bright. Other times, it just is not there. Still, Yossi’s enthusiasm for his art has never waned. His inner artist continues to flourish. He is grateful for this gift and for the positive impact his art has on people’s lives.

“Every day I thank Gd for the merit to glorify His name through art,” Yossi says.