S10E218: Breaking into the job market in the age of AI, with Nick Chizuka

Top of his MBA class at the University of Bath, technically sharp, and still firing out 20 to 30 applications a day with little to show for it. Nick Chizuka joins Dale and Val for an honest conversation about what it takes to land a role in project controls and consulting right now, and why the rise of AI has made the graduate market tougher than it was even a year ago. It is a candid look at the gap between what universities teach and what employers actually want, the false choice between technical and soft skills, and where the real jobs of the next decade might come from. In this episode: - Why a top MBA no longer guarantees a job, and what changed - Technical skills vs soft skills, and why you need both - The graduates' verdict on data, analytics and machine learning - Robotics and physical AI as the next frontier - The energy and infrastructure bottleneck nobody talks about - Using the big firms as a springboard, not a destination - Grit, discipline, and hiring for attitude over CV - Nick's hard-won advice: don't get discouraged, get help, and network relentlessly A reminder that people are not their behaviours. Set the environment for success and the right person will fly. This episode is sponsored by nPlan. **nPlan AI Day, Summer 2026: Construction Superintelligence**Thursday 25 June 2026, from 3:00pmKachette, 347 Old St, London EC1V 9LP, and online nPlan's twice-yearly showcase returns with its biggest product moment of the year, including the launch of the nPlan Decision Intelligence Platform. The fireside brings together Peter Hancock, Project Director at National Grid on the Didcot substation, and Dima Pogorelsky, Managing Director and Partner at BCG, for a candid take on delivering the infrastructure behind the AI era. February sold out with standing room only, so book early. Register: https://www.nplan.io/events/nplan-summer-ai-day-2026-construction-superintelligence Listen, subscribe and follow Project Chatter wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this one, pay it forward and share the link. Stay safe, be disruptive, and have fun doing it.