Boston University’s Questrom School of Business launched a new, intensive “Future of Work” MBA course, taught over two immersive weekends by Michel Anteby, Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar and Professor of Management and Organizations. Consisting of close to 40 part-time and full-time MBA students, the course tackles some of the most pressing questions facing today’s workforce. How will shifting demographic change, models of work and cultural expectations reshape what it means to work? How will AI transform careers? What lies beyond generative AI? And how can businesses build more inclusive, equitable workplaces as society and technology rapidly evolve?
At a moment when every industry is being reimagined, this course asks students not just to study the future of work, but to help shape it. Leveraging the expertise of Professor Michel Anteby, a scholar of work and occupations, also the co-director of BU’s Precarity & Inequality Lab the class offers something that few business schools provide: an interdisciplinary, social, and cultural lens on the worlds of work.
A Course Built Around Collective Inquiry
Rather than delivering a traditional lecture series, the course was designed as a guided, collaborative exploration. Students engaged deeply with both theory and practice, analyzing the evolution of work while also reflecting on their own careers and aspirations.
Students worked in teams to predict the future of a specific line of work, examining how demographic trends, automation, platformization, and shifting cultural norms may shape entire professions in the next 20–30 years. In addition, each student conducted an individual inquiry into the trajectory of their own professional path as their final assignment.
Student teams explored settings ranging from farming in Arizona to real estate brokerage in Massachusetts. Their projections reflect not just market data and technological trends, but the lived experiences and value systems of workers themselves.
“My biggest takeaway from this course wasn’t just analyzing my own field, but understanding the broader evolution of work,” says Abhi Reddy, an MBA + MSDT candidate in the class. “Identifying the shared values and transferable skills across different professions gave me a fresh perspective on the future of Product Marketing (my line of work). I was particularly surprised by the inclusive environment created over these few weekends. It allowed me to truly step into different perspectives and gave me the space to deeply reflect on how I should prepare for the future of my career.”
These projects mirror the complexity of a real workforce landscape in flux: climate-driven migration, visa-dependent labor, AI augmentation, digital platforms, and rising social expectations for purpose-driven employment.
What Makes BU’s Approach Different
While many universities approach the “future of work” topic through a labor economics or technology-first lens, BU’s course goes further. Students examine not only automation and AI, but also the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions shaping how work evolves.
It is a distinctly interdisciplinary approach, one that aligns with BU’s Convergence themes, particularly those focused on inclusion and inequality. By inviting students to grapple with lived experiences, not just workplace data, the course asks broader questions:
- How do we design workplaces that serve people, not just productivity metrics?
- What does inclusion look like across occupations, industries, and identities?
- How can organizations build cultures that reflect societal values?
- What responsibilities do leaders have as work becomes more technologically mediated, and potentially more unequal?
This holistic framing also encourages students to think critically about older and emerging organizational models, such as B Corps (i.e., organizations certified for their social impact), cooperatives, nonprofits, and more, and how each one shapes the experience of workers. Guest speakers add another dimension to the learning, bringing firsthand perspectives from leaders reshaping their fields. For instance, Peter Nobile, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Bergmeyer (an architecture firm), joined the class to discuss the future of purpose-driven work and how he hoped to make the world a better place.
When asked how alternative organizational models influence the future of work, particularly for companies seeking to attract and retain mission-aligned talent, Nobile explained:
“I think the most important public-facing aspect of becoming a B Corp – which I think is currently the most advanced purpose-driven alternative organizational model in the world – is that we radiate authentic hope and optimism for the future of work that is tied to clear, measurable, and creative strategies for improvement. In other words, as a company we can be both aspirational and honest, and we want people who feel aligned with our social and environmental mission to join us and stay for the long term.” Besides “corporate advancement, recognition and increased compensation…what a purpose-driven declaration such as B Corp adds… is a deeply meaningful reason to jump out of bed in the morning and get to work.”
Nobile’s perspective highlights how purpose-driven models are reshaping not just organizational structures, but the motivations and values that define today’s workforce.
BU alumni, Mark Beaumont, CEO of Opportunities for Inclusion who works extensively on building inclusive and neurodiverse workforces also added valuable perspectives. Mark’s class discussion focused on inclusive labor. When asked about the pride and joy he found in his advocacy, he explained the impact of being part of the workforce on anyone with a disability or, for that manner, with any chronic medical condition, as well as on their caregivers. He detailed how good it can feel to be independent by earning a paycheck and making decisions on how to spend one’s money. He also reminded the class that many parents or caregivers were told their child will never work, insisting on how amazing it is to prove this prediction wrong and demonstrate what these people can do.
These insights reinforce one of the course’s central messages: the future of work is about people as much as it is about technology. Inclusion, worker voice, and the human experience of work are woven throughout the curriculum, not treated as side topics. This explains, in part, why other guest speakers ranged from a labor organizer for the Doctors Council (“union of doctors, for doctors, run by doctors”) to a Senior Vice-President at Fidelity in charge of workplace flexibility initiatives.
A Distinct Learning Experience: Purposeful, Reflective, and Practical
By the end of the course, students gained a sophisticated understanding of how work has evolved and where it is headed, along with the ability to analyze and forecast the future of specific occupations. They developed a deeper awareness of their own career paths and sense of purpose, as well as the tools to design workplaces that address organizational, societal, and human needs.
The class structure intentionally mirrored the future of work itself: collaborative, interdisciplinary, inquiry-driven, and focused on meaning as much as efficiency.
“The future of work is too complex to call for straight answers. Certainly, operating more efficiently is a constant priority for leaders but not the only one. I therefore always envisioned this class as a ‘teach-in’ where we learn, as best we can, from each other’s experiences and collectively educate ourselves about this layered future. Despite having designed the class myself, my personal views on many topics evolve over the course of these intensive days. Such shifts are a testimony to students’ active role in shaping our discussions and the thoughtfulness of their engagement with class contents and guest speakers’ insights,” says Abteby.
Preparing Leaders for a Landscape in Motion
The world of work is changing, sometimes quietly, sometimes dramatically. Technology is only part of the story. Cultural expectations, demographic dynamics, policy shifts, and questions of inclusion are equally reshaping how careers are built and how organizations operate.
Professor Anteby explores the multiple level and units of analysis affected by the evolving world of work. He emphasizes that work begins with mastering fundamental core tasks. AI is expected to augment rather than replace many of these tasks, requiring professionals to develop new skills in managing AI, “vibe-coding,” and overseeing GenAI agents. (One student, by the way, had already created her own non-human social agents to oversee part of her team’s outputs). Success depends on expanding core task portfolios while maintaining teamwork that leverages human and non-human member’ respective skill sets and abilities. Students were encouraged to start at the task level, identifying the tasks they enjoy, are good at, are needed by society, and can earn them an income before considering the trajectory of future jobs.
The course concluded by showing that the future of work operates at multiple levels. Beyond mastering core tasks, radical changes will arise from evolving societal models, as inequalities, demographic shifts, and new expectations reshape how work is organized and valued. Organizations and professions have historically adapted to change, often by reinventing themselves, and individuals are encouraged to focus on leading as purposely and collaboratively those around them to thrive in this evolving landscape.
BU’s “Future of Work” course equips the next generation of leaders to navigate, and influence, this evolving landscape with deeper context and greater purpose. As BU continues advancing scholarship and class offerings around convergence topics, this course serves as a compelling example of how the university prepares students not only for the jobs of tomorrow but also for the responsibility of shaping them.
