Why Building Online Businesses is Gen Z’s Best Career Move

In an era where AI threatens traditional career paths and housing prices continue to skyrocket, Gen Z faces unprecedented challenges in planning their futures. Jack Smart took an unconventional path at 17, skipping university to build online businesses under mentorship from industry experts. Ten years later, at 27, his journey offers a compelling blueprint for today’s young adults navigating rapid technological disruption and economic uncertainty.

Jack’s story illuminates how acquiring practical business skills and learning to leverage AI tools can create a lifestyle-focused career path with lower financial risk than traditional options. If you’re wondering about future-proofing your career or helping guide a young person through these uncertain times, Jack’s real-world experience provides invaluable insights worth exploring.

Why a 17-Year-Old Chose Online Business Over University

Jack’s entrepreneurial journey began at a pivotal moment many young people face – deciding whether to pursue higher education or take an alternative path. His early exposure to business concepts through Robert Kiyosaki’s books had already kindled an interest, but the turning point came when he attended a business showcase event with his parents.

“I was always interested in business, had a passion for it and read Robert Kiyosaki books since I was 12 or 13,” Jack explains. “But I didn’t see how I was going to do that… until I came along to a business showcase event where they talked about buying, renovating and selling online assets, online websites.”

For Jack, the decision to bypass university came down to one critical factor: getting the most current, practical knowledge directly from successful practitioners. “It was a big decision to look at the benefits that university had or doing what I could do… that was more of like an industry mentorship. I wanted to make sure that I’m getting the most up to date information from people who’ve done it, who’ve been successful in the space and who can connect me with a whole network of other people who are passionate about this field.”

The Revolutionary Impact of AI on Modern Careers

While Jack has spent a decade building a thriving online business outside traditional education, he acknowledges that the last six months have seen an unprecedented acceleration in AI capabilities that’s transforming the online business landscape. This transformation mirrors previous technological revolutions in its potential impact on careers and industries.

“I wasn’t there for the dot com boom, but from hearing from people who’ve been in the dot com boom and now in the AI era, it sounds like it’s the same wave of opportunity passing through this space,” Jack observes. “It is going to disrupt this industry and a lot of industries as much as the internet did. It’s just revolutionizing a whole bunch of stuff and making a whole heap of things a hell of a lot easier.”

The practical applications are already proving remarkable. Tasks that previously required teams of people and weeks of work can now be accomplished by a single individual with the right AI tools in a matter of hours or even minutes. As Jack explains: “We can take whole troves of data, we can sit down, we can have interviews, we can take interviews that other people have done and just use that original information to create awesome written content… and then prepare that in a whole variety of formats so that we can post that to social media, we can prepare press releases… we’re leveraging our time that we’re putting in at the front end across a whole variety of channels and just getting way more time freedom.”

The Gen Z Career Dilemma: University Education vs Practical Skills

For Gen Z, the educational landscape presents a challenging paradox. Traditional university education continues to be promoted as the standard path to success, yet it comes with significant drawbacks: high costs (averaging around $50,000 for a degree in Australia), years of commitment, and increasingly, the risk of learning information that becomes outdated before graduation.

Jack acknowledges that certain careers still require formal certification, but emphasizes that his real-world experience provided benefits a classroom couldn’t match: “I think there are still certain careers where you do need that certification, that degree to even be given a look in. But from my experience, the skill development and personal development that I got by being exposed to the work that I wanted to do rather than being locked in a classroom and not being able to see what was going on in the wider world… I don’t think that theory and study can match being in the market, being out there, putting your learnings into action and trying to make something of it.”

One of the most significant advantages Jack gained was developing interpersonal skills through direct client interactions. Building websites for local businesses forced him to overcome his natural hesitation about communicating with clients: “I’m a very different person to how I used to be when I started this journey. The idea of getting onto a podcast or even picking up the phone to call a business about how their online marketing is going used to scare the hell out of me. But these days, it’s just part of the journey… you put in the reps and you feel confident doing it.”

Why Universities Can’t Keep Pace With AI Advancements

A particularly concerning challenge for traditional education is the accelerating pace of technological change. The interview highlights how even business training programs struggle to keep their AI curriculum current given the rapid advancements occurring almost weekly.

Jack points to the institutional constraints that make it nearly impossible for universities to provide cutting-edge AI education: “Things are changing so quickly… how long would it take to put what we’ve learned in the last few months and get that approved by the governing bodies to actually feed that back into our community? We don’t have time to get approved to teach people how to do that sort of thing.”

This observation raises serious questions about the value proposition of expensive, multi-year technical degrees in fields undergoing rapid AI-driven transformation. For disciplines like law, medicine, and entry-level white-collar positions, AI is already automating tasks that were traditionally assigned to interns and new graduates – precisely the stepping stones many young professionals have relied upon.

Online Assets: The Gen Z Alternative to Property Investment

Beyond career concerns, Gen Z faces daunting challenges in the traditional wealth-building pathway of property ownership. With housing prices in major Australian cities requiring massive mortgages that can feel unattainable for young adults, Jack has embraced digital assets as his alternative investment strategy.

“I know a lot of people these days who just feel like they don’t have a chance… starting side hustles, getting second jobs, working their butts off to even be able to consider it. And a lot of people are just renting until an opportunity comes up. And who knows when that’s going to be,” Jack observes about his generation’s housing prospects.

Instead, Jack views online businesses as more accessible, flexible investments with faster returns than traditional real estate: “With the skills that I’ve got, I can look at buying online businesses that are way more leveraged… It’s a whole different asset class. It’s a much easier buying point. These days, there’s awesome deals out there. We can buy these online assets that are making… We might buy them for 20 to 30 times their monthly profit now. So they’re assets that pay themselves off in two to three years if we don’t make any improvements.”

This approach also offers lifestyle benefits that particularly appeal to younger generations – the ability to work from anywhere with just a laptop, without being tied to a specific location by mortgage obligations.

The Crucial Role of Community in Entrepreneurial Success

Throughout the interview, Jack repeatedly highlights one factor that made his entrepreneurial journey sustainable: belonging to a supportive community of like-minded individuals. This stands in stark contrast to the often solitary experience of trying to build a business alone.

“All the knowledge is already out there. There’s so much that you can learn about this space, any space, really, to get the skills you need to be able to deliver a really good service to create something awesome,” Jack acknowledges. “But what I think helps a lot on top of that is the accountability and support of having a network of like-minded people. That has been the number one difference for me along the way, is having a support group that I can go to when I’m feeling stuck or have a question and be able to get real world advice from people who’ve done it.”

This insight suggests that aspiring entrepreneurs should consider not just what skills they need to develop, but also what communities they should join to provide support, accountability, and practical guidance throughout their journey.

Practical Next Steps for Gen Z Career Planning

For Gen Z individuals weighing career options in this rapidly changing landscape, Jack’s journey offers several actionable insights:

1. Develop multiple complementary skills – especially combining traditional expertise with AI capabilities. As Jack notes, “If you can also learn AI skills to leverage what you’re learning there and then bring that package to an employer, suddenly you’re worth three, four or five people at your level because of the leverage that you can get on your skills by knowing how to use AI.”

2. Start using AI tools immediately – regardless of your field. Beginning with simple tasks like drafting documents will build familiarity with capabilities that will soon be essential in virtually every profession.

3. Consider side hustles alongside traditional paths – even if you pursue university education, developing an online business provides valuable skills and potential alternative income streams.

4. Focus on developing “AI-proof” interpersonal skills – abilities like effective communication, sales, relationship building, and problem-solving with clients are likely to remain valuable even as AI automates more technical tasks.

5. Join communities of like-minded individuals – finding mentorship and peer support dramatically increases the likelihood of success in entrepreneurial ventures.

The Future Belongs to Adaptable Digital Entrepreneurs

Jack Smart’s ten-year journey from a 17-year-old novice to a successful online entrepreneur illustrates a viable alternative path for Gen Z facing unprecedented challenges. By embracing practical skills, developing online businesses, and joining supportive communities, young adults can create careers that offer both financial opportunity and lifestyle flexibility.

As AI continues to transform the economic landscape, those who combine technical capabilities with strong interpersonal skills and entrepreneurial mindsets will be best positioned to thrive. While traditional paths remain valuable for certain careers, Jack’s experience demonstrates that building online businesses represents not just a viable alternative, but potentially a superior option for many young adults navigating today’s rapidly changing world.

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