The 2026 undergraduate admissions process is already underway in some university centers. HR specialists warn that a higher education diploma no longer guarantees employment in 2026, and generic faculties (Business Administration, Sociology) become valuable only if supplemented with technical skills (AI, data analysis). Fields such as IT, marketing or HR are already oversaturated. In an interview for Adevărul, Ioana Petrea, HR Specialist & Career Strategist, recommends choosing specializations that involve studying in the fields of advanced technology, engineering/energy and health, but emphasizes that professional orientation must begin with the assessment of skills, not with the choice of a trend.
Although for most high school graduates the submission of files will take place in July, the admission schedule differs not only between universities, but even between the faculties of the same institution, depending on the specialization and the candidate selection method. For this reason, it is very important for each candidate to check the specific information published by the faculty they wish to enroll in, in order to respect all the stages and deadlines set for the 2026 admission.
While registrations for the summer 2026 session are in full swing, HR specialists are drawing attention to fundamental changes in the labor market, influenced by the development of artificial intelligence and the transformation of employer requirements.
Ioana Petrea, HR Specialist & Career Strategist, answered Adevărul’s questions about the strategy that future students should adopt to build a stable and well-paid career in the current context and in the perspective of 2030.
“A simple diploma is no longer a guarantee of employment”
Asked if generic faculties still represent a safe investment for 18-19-year-olds, Ioana Petrea emphasized that the diploma itself is no longer enough to secure a job. She explained that faculties such as Business Administration, International Relations or Sociology are not, in themselves, without a future, but that their value depends on the additional skills that the student builds.
“I think we must have the courage to say something that, for many parents, is uncomfortable: a simple college degree is no longer a guarantee of employment. Faculties such as Business Administration, International Relations or Sociology are not, in themselves, faculties “without a future”. The problem arises when a young person enters such a faculty without knowing what concrete competence he wants to build and in which professional direction he wants to go. In 2026, the labor market no longer buys diplomas so easily. It buys skills, specialization and the ability to produce results.”explained Ioana Petrea.
The labor market expert drew attention to the fact that the choice of a faculty should be preceded by a clear understanding of one’s own professional profile.
“If you finish Business Administration, but at the same time understand AI, automation, data analysis or business development, your profile can be very valuable. If you finish college and the only thing you can put on the table is the diploma, entering the job market will be difficult”she also specified.
The trap of trends in the choice of faculty
Regarding the pitfalls of the labor market and the specializations where oversaturation is already observed, Ioana Petrea emphasized the danger of choosing a career exclusively based on the trends of the moment:
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“The biggest pitfall is choosing a career according to the trend. We’ve seen whole generations turn to a field because ‘that’s where the money is good’. The problem is that, by the time a young person finishes college, the market they’ve trained for can look completely different. We see a lot of pressure in the area of junior roles in IT, generalist marketing, social media, communications, generalist HR and in certain administrative or business roles without a clear technical or functional specialization.
There are many candidates who say: «I want marketing», «I want HR», «I want business» or «I want IT». These are no longer sufficient as career directions. The real question is: what do you actually know how to do and what problem can you solve for an employer? AI will hit the hardest precisely in repetitive and easy-to-standardize tasks.”
Asked if it still makes sense to admit to Computing or Automation in 2026, Ioana Petrea answered in the affirmative, but with some nuances:
“Yes. But not for the same reasons it made sense ten years ago. I don’t think IT is dying. I think what’s dying is the idea that it’s enough to learn a little code and you’ll automatically get a very high salary. AI can write code, but someone has to understand the problem, the architecture, the risks, the security and the impact of the solution. The future does not belong to humans competing with AI on repetitive tasks. The future belongs to those who know how to coordinate it, to verify and use it to solve complex problems”.
The specialist emphasized that hybrid professions, which combine knowledge from several fields, will become increasingly valuable:
“At the same time, I strongly believe in hybrid professions. Medicine plus technology. Psychology plus data and AI. Engineering plus automation. Law plus technology. Business plus data analysis. The most valuable professionals of the coming years will not necessarily be those who know the most about AI, but those who know a field very well and know how to use AI in that field.”
Three areas with potential for 2030, depending on which to choose your faculty
Finally, when asked which three areas she would direct her child to for an above-average salary in 2030, Ioana Petrea emphasized that the choice should be preceded by an assessment of skills and professional profile, but she mentioned three areas with high potential:
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“I wouldn’t start by telling my child three faculties. I would start by evaluating his skills and professional profile. Because you can send a child to a very well-paid field and get a mediocre and unhappy professional adult. But, if we are strictly discussing the market potential in Romania until 2030, I would look carefully at three areas.
The first is advanced technology: AI, automation, cybersecurity and data. I don’t mean generic programming, but technical skills that are hard to replace and the ability to build, integrate and control complex systems. The second is the area of engineering, energy and infrastructure. Romania will need specialists in energy, industrial automation, infrastructure, installations and technical projects. The third is the area of health and human-centered specialized services. Medicine, certain health specializations, applied psychology and professions where human relationship, professional judgment and responsibility cannot be fully transferred to an algorithm”.
Ioana Petrea concluded that, in the future, high salaries will not only come from choosing a good field, but from specialization.
“The era of the ‘good at everything’ professional is starting to set. The market will pay very well for people who solve a difficult and rare problem. That’s why I think one of the best things a parent can do for a teenager is not to choose their college, but to invest in a professional career guidance process. Choosing a college takes a few minutes. The consequences of that choice can last 20 years.” she concluded.
