This high school dropout now earns a six-figure salary at OpenAI, and he shares the strategy Gen Z can use to land jobs in Silicon Valley as well

(SeaPRwire) –   Gabriel Petersson’s early years resembled those of many Gen Z kids: trading Pokemon cards and creating Minecraft worlds, with thoughts of college and careers far off on the horizon.

But during high school, while living in a small Swedish town of roughly 5,000 residents, Petersson became less fascinated with merely playing games and more intrigued by their inner workings. That curiosity rapidly evolved into a profound fascination with startups, software, and artificial intelligence—which he viewed as the upcoming major technological revolution.

Instead of pursuing the conventional route of completing high school, earning a computer science degree, and ascending the corporate tech hierarchy, Petersson chose a different path entirely. In his senior year, at age 17, he left high school to launch Depict.ai, an e-commerce data startup, with collaborators who would later secure positions at firms such as Lovable and Lego.

Half a decade later, that gamble has yielded results. At 22, Petersson has secured a six-figure income at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, working as a researcher (officially on the now-phasing-out Sora team). He has also become an unexpected advocate for a straightforward concept: the credential gap can be bridged, provided you’re willing to demonstrate your capabilities.

How a twenty-year-old secured a Silicon Valley position—without any degree

Securing a position at one of Silicon Valley’s most sought-after firms without a degree—much less a high school diploma—demands an unconventional job-hunting approach. For Petersson, the key was demonstrating his ability to perform the job before anyone even requested his resume.

Following his tenure at Depict, he became part of Y Combinator-supported AI startup Dataland and moved to New York in 2021. By all accounts, his career was progressing smoothly. Then he took a trip to San Francisco.

“I still recall that first week,” Petersson recalled. “I simply couldn’t sleep… you could walk into any spot, and people were discussing programming. They were talking about startups. They were conversing about all these topics I love discussing…I was absolutely amazed.”

The journey completely reshaped his aspirations. However, the clear obstacle remained: how could someone without a high school diploma compete against applicants from Ivy League universities and prestigious engineering schools? His solution was to cease competing based on credentials and start competing based on evidence instead.

Instead of merely sending applications through conventional pathways, Petersson crafted a direct outreach strategy. The formula was straightforward: provide a brief introduction, convey authentic excitement about the company, and—most importantly—present them with something created specifically for them.

“You might say something like, ‘I was so enthusiastic about your company that I’ve been working on a side project to build an actual website for what you’re doing,” he explained. “This approach allows me to demonstrate my skills without competing directly with others.”

This tactic helped him secure a position at Dataland, and he applied it again at Midjourney, a Silicon Valley-based AI research laboratory. During that period, he continued to face rejection through conventional applications, including an initial turndown from OpenAI.

So he intensified his efforts by dedicating an entire week to 16-hour days constructing a tailored website for Midjourney, then delivering a video demonstration that walked through the code. The hard work paid dividends, and Midjourney brought him on board as a software engineer in 2023.

“When I create a video demo of a product I’ve built, I demonstrate my comprehension and show that I have strong social skills. They can see that this person appears sensible,” Petersson added. “I check far more boxes than I ever could through any indirect measure.”

The Midjourney position opened up the next opportunity. A friend introduced him to OpenAI’s research team—the very company that had turned him down a year before. This time, he was prepared. He secured the role in December 2024. It taught him, he said, about the importance of reapplying for opportunities once you’ve expanded your capabilities.

Gen Z can secure their ideal position—provided they adopt the proper mindset, Petersson believes

For Petersson, Midjourney and OpenAI represent more than mere employment—they’ve validated a message he now spreads widely to young people maneuvering through a job market increasingly fixated on credentials: prestigious careers aren’t limited to a privileged minority. Even employees at the world’s most influential corporations, he contends, aren’t as inaccessible as they appear.

“Anyone can contend for these positions if you simply place yourself in appropriate situations with the right elements,” Petersson stated.

Numerous young professionals hinder their own progress, he added, by remaining in positions for excessive durations. Having been employed at nearly six different companies before reaching age 23, Petersson believes early-stage careers should prioritize learning speed over stability.

At a time when many young individuals are joining the labor market questioning whether AI will merely eliminate the positions they seek, Petersson is confident that abundant opportunities exist for those ready to adopt the technology instead of dreading it.

And after experiencing the tech sector firsthand, he noted that even leading experts “don’t have all the answers.”