A Chiang Mai University survey of Northern Thailand Gen Z reveals IT-AI careers now rank #1 (replacing medicine at #3), with 55%+ of youth valuing hands-on work over university education. Youth identify foreign language skills (targeting 3 languages: Thai, Chinese, English) as the top future competency. Key finding: universities critically underteach personal financial literacy (60.7% gap) and real-world job experience (33.6% gap). Labor market data shows wholesale/retail hiring down -49%, real estate down -41.7%, but manufacturing stable (+6.2%). Actionable for EdTech SMEs and skill-training providers targeting Gen Z in underserved areas.