The problem is that entry-level creative jobs are much more than grunt work. Working within established formulas and routines is how young artists develop their skills. Hunter S. Thompson began his writing career as a copy boy for Time magazine; Joan Didion was a research assistant at Vogue; the director David Lean edited newsreels; the musician Lou Reed wrote knockoff pop tunes for department stores; the filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, and Francis Ford Coppola shot cheap B movies for Roger Corman. Beyond the money, which is usually modest, low-level creative jobs offer practice time and pathways for mentorship that side gigs such as waiting tables and tending bar do not.
I wonder about this too. How many lessons have I learned the hard way, programming by only the manuals provided by the software company, or early mailing lists. How so much of my experience in spotting “good” code from AI is from writing lots and lots of bad code myself…
I dont’ know the answer, but experience has to come from somewhere…
Quote Citation: Nick Geisler, “AI Is Killing Artists’ First Jobs - The Atlantic”, DECEMBER 30, 2025, 6 AM ET, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/12/ai-entry-level-creative-jobs/685297/