Top 10 Six-Figure Jobs That Didn't Exist 5 Years Ago (And Won't Exist in 5 More)
The AI era has birthed high-paying careers at lightning speed—and just as quickly, some are fading into obsolescence. Here are ten six-figure roles that emerged recently and the factors shortening their lifespans.
Warning: If you're in one of these roles, it's time to evolve. The AI revolution waits for no one, and today's six-figure job could be tomorrow's obsolete skill set.
1. Prompt Engineer
Born
~2021-2022, as LLMs like ChatGPT went mainstream
Peak Pay
Up to $335K for early adopters
Why it's fading: AI now optimizes its own prompts. Advanced models understand intent without elaborate prompt engineering.
Sunset: 2026
2. AI Trainer / Data Labeler
Born
~2022 with ML model training demands
Peak Pay
Six-figure gigs in specialized projects
Why it's fading: Automated synthetic data generation and active learning reduce manual labeling needs by 90%.
Sunset: 2027
3. Generative AI Campaign Strategist
Born
~2023-2024, leveraging AI in marketing
Peak Pay
$120K+ in digital-first companies
Why it's fading: AI tools will soon auto-design and execute complete marketing campaigns end-to-end.
Sunset: 2028
4. AI Ethicist / Responsible AI Practitioner
Born
~2020-2022 amid ethical AI concerns
Peak Pay
Six-figure roles in enterprise
Why it's fading: Ethics being embedded natively into model design and automated compliance checking.
Sunset: 2029, evolves into engineering oversight
5. Conversational Designer / Chatbot Architect
Born
~2021-2023 during conversational AI rise
Peak Pay
$100K+ in fintech, health, e-commerce
Why it's fading: LLMs can configure and optimize conversational flows autonomously.
Sunset: 2027
6. AI-Powered Software Broker (AI-Native Engineer)
Born
~2023, blending AI and dev workflows
Peak Pay
$150K+ in complex systems
Why it's fading: AI agents and refactoring tools eliminate need for human “bridge” roles.
Sunset: 2030, redefines into agent architect
7. Computer Vision Specialist
Born
~2020-2022, rising with CV models
Peak Pay
$115K+ across industries
Why it's fading: Pretrained models and APIs make specialized CV knowledge unnecessary.
Sunset: 2030, merges into general ML engineer
8. Machine Learning Ops Engineer
Born
~2020+, for production ML systems
Peak Pay
$120K+
Why it's fading: AutoML and AI-native platforms will self-manage ML pipelines.
Sunset: 2031, evolves into AI-service curator
9. AI Research Scientist (Applied)
Born
~2018+, as AI scaled
Peak Pay
$140K+ in industry labs
Why it's fading: Shift to small, sharable model tuning vs in-house heavy R&D.
Sunset: 2032, transitions into model auditor
10. AI Content Creator
Born
~2022, driving LLM-generated media
Peak Pay
$100K+ in brand/content teams
Why it's fading: AI will auto-generate branded content with minimal human oversight.
Sunset: 2029, pivots to creative direction
Lifecycle Summary
| Role | Born | Peak | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt Engineer | 2021 | 2023 | 2026 |
| AI Trainer | 2022 | 2024 | 2027 |
| Campaign Strategist | 2023 | 2024 | 2028 |
| AI Ethicist | 2020 | 2022 | 2029 |
| Chatbot Architect | 2021 | 2023 | 2027 |
| AI-Native Engineer | 2023 | 2025 | 2030 |
| Vision Specialist | 2020 | 2022 | 2030 |
| MLOps Engineer | 2020 | 2023 | 2031 |
| AI Researcher | 2018 | 2022 | 2032 |
| AI Content Creator | 2022 | 2024 | 2029 |
Why These Roles Are Temporary
1. Frontier-first
Roles appear to bridge human-AI gaps, but as AI capabilities mature, the gaps close.
2. Tool evolution
AI embeds capabilities natively—for example, auto-prompting, synthetic data generation, or interpretability modules.
3. Skill commoditization
Specialized AI skills will become baseline expectations for all tech roles.
Career Transition Blueprint
- Become a Platform Integrator
Shift from specialist to AI system designer—oversee cross-functional AI deployment.
- Elevate to Strategic Architect
Move into domains requiring macro thinking: policy, governance, safety.
- Embrace Meta-Skills
Pursue roles with human advantage: ethics oversight, stakeholder management, model stewardship.
- Layer with Domain Expertise
Combine AI with deep industry knowledge—for instance, in healthcare, law, climate tech.
- Commit to Reskilling
Keep abreast of AI advances through bootcamps, micro-credentials, and hands-on experimentation.
Advice for Employers & Workers
- Regularly map role relevance against AI roadmap
- Foster multi-disciplinary teams—AI talents + domain experts
- Sponsor ongoing education (internal + external)
- Communicate transparently about role evolution and end-of-life timelines
Is Your Job on the Extinction List?
Get a personalized career transition strategy and discover future-proof opportunities that leverage your current skills.
Future-Proof Your Career →Final Thoughts
The AI age accelerates job creation, but also extinction. Six-figure roles may rise overnight—and vanish just as fast. Success lies in agility: evolve from niche operator to AI strategist, from prompt wrangler to ethical architect.
Embrace the churn, and use it to your career advantage. The future belongs to those who can adapt, integrate, and lead in the AI-powered economy.
About 10xCareer.ai
10xCareer.ai helps professionals navigate the rapidly evolving job market and build future-proof careers. Our AI-powered assessments identify your transferable skills and create personalized transition strategies for the jobs of tomorrow.