Remember during the 2020 campaign when Joe Biden told a crowd of coal miners to learn to code? Not only was that insulting and condescending to the audience, but it turned out to be more famously bad advice from President Autopen.
Even during his administration back in 2023, then-Atlantic senior editor Kelli María Korducki complained about her major in English, writing: “The ability to recite Chaucer in the original Middle English was unlikely to land me a job that would pay off my student loans and help me save for retirement, they suggested when I was a college freshman still figuring out my future. I stuck with English, but when my B.A. eventually spat me out into the thick of the Great Recession, I worried that they’d been right.” She wondered if she should have pursued a career in a field where entry-level graduates at Google were making an average of $184,000 a year.
With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), though, those who thought computer science would be their ticket to riches are finding out that entry-level jobs in the field are more and more difficult to come by. Take the example of Manasa Mishra, a featured graduate in a recent New York Times story. Mishra graduated from Purdue University with a degree in computer science and a job offer — from the local Chipotle restaurant. Another featured graduate, Zach Taylor, has a degree from Oregon State and (by his count) 5,762 tech job applications out — but no position. Even the local McDonald’s wouldn’t hire him, citing a lack of experience.
So who’s to blame?
National Review’s John Puri claims the easy money of the early 2020s created a false sense that the computer science boom would last forever. “Money was so plentiful in the Valley that tech firms could hire at record levels and pay ungodly amounts,” stated Puri. “With interest rates set at zero and the Fed injecting trillions of dollars into the financial system, money was essentially free. The tech industry was the greatest beneficiary. Alas, once the period of free money ended, it became the greatest loser.” And so did those unfortunate enough to graduate with a degree in that field once the ship had sailed.
Another analysis from the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN) concluded, “While a Computer Science degree remains a valuable asset, it is no longer a guaranteed ticket to a secure and fulfilling career. The tech industry is evolving rapidly, and the skills and knowledge required to succeed are constantly changing.”
What is needed, then, is the ability to change and adapt. As the CLRN analysis continues, “To thrive in this dynamic environment, aspiring and practicing computer scientists must embrace continuous learning, specialize in in-demand areas, develop strong practical skills, and adapt to the changing role of automation and AI. By adopting a proactive and adaptable mindset, they can transform the perceived lack of security into an opportunity for growth, innovation, and long-term career success. The ‘safe major’ may be a myth, but a strategic and adaptable computer scientist is anything but vulnerable.”
In other words, it’s the same shifting job market your parents and (to some extent) grandparents faced. Working 40 years on the assembly line at the local factory is so 1970s.
But that’s not to say good-paying jobs aren’t out there. Just last week, my colleague Brian Mark Weber pointed out that unemployment rates between men who are college graduates and those who didn’t attend college are now about even. “Their friends who left high school and learned a trade are working jobs vital to the communities in which they live while earning a regular paycheck,” he noted. “And that check is often larger than what their college friends will earn if and when they graduate with a degree. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor noted this week, ‘On average, recent graduates of Registered Apprenticeships make roughly $11,000 more than recent college graduates.’”
What’s not to like about that statement? Mike Rowe also recently gushed about the prospects for tradespeople as well.
Seems to me it’s better to take employment advice from someone who’s done dirty jobs for us rather than doing a dirty job to us.
