Rubio's story is a stark reflection of the job crisis facing millions of tech students. What was once a "golden ticket" has now become a fierce and uncertain battleground.

A computer science degree is no longer a "golden ticket."

For many years, a computer science degree was seen as a surefire path to a stable, high-paying job. However, those golden days are over. A May report from Oxford Economics shows that employment for recent computer science and mathematics graduates has declined by 8% since 2022. Software development job postings on Indeed have also plummeted by 71% between February 2022 and August 2025.

Julio Rodriguez, a graduate from last year, said he had to submit more than 150 applications before receiving a job offer as a data engineer earlier this summer. "After getting a job, you're worried about the layoffs that many companies are doing," he shared.

Nick Vinokour, another student, lost his dream job at Scale AI after the startup restructured. He believes that AI programming tools like Microsoft Copilot and Anysphere's Cursor are like a "big wave about to change the role of a entry-level engineer."

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Students feel they are competing with AI to gain a foothold in the job market. Photo: CNN

A sad reality was reflected on TikTok, where a user named Lili posted a video discouraging computer science students from studying it due to job instability. Dozens of comments below the video showed similar concerns. According to the New York Fed, the unemployment rate for recent computer science graduates (6.1%) is currently higher than that of art history (3%) and English (4.9%).

AI: The biggest worry for young people.

While AI is ushering in a new era for the technology industry, it is also becoming a major concern for those entering the job market. Companies are using AI to automate parts of their programming processes, thereby reducing the need for human resources, especially in entry-level positions.

Even tech giants aren't immune to this trend. Microsoft recently reached a valuation of $4 trillion, but just weeks later laid off 9,000 employees. CEO Satya Nadella stated that up to 30% of Microsoft's source code is written by AI.

Danny Stalmakov, a programmer in Germany, said he has submitted hundreds of applications and been told there are too many applicants for each position. He also noticed that AI now handles 80% of his work. "While productivity has increased dramatically, this is also worrying – companies that used to need five programmers now might only need three," he said. "The impact of AI makes me really uncertain about the future of the software development industry."

Rubio, who started the story, also expressed his fears: "It feels like I'm competing with AI just to find a way to get a foothold in the industry."

Education is changing with the wave of AI.

To cope with a changing job market, educators are also adapting. The University of Washington is launching a new course on "AI-assisted software development." This course will teach students about modern software engineering methods and the role of AI as an assisting tool. However, core courses will still prohibit the use of AI so that students learn foundational knowledge without becoming overly reliant on the technology.

Programming schools aren't staying out of the game. Daniele Grassi, CEO of General Assembly, says the school is now attracting both senior executives and HR and sales professionals who want to develop their AI skills. As a result, General Assembly has begun designing programs to help employees at all levels within the company acquire AI skills.

Technology experts assert that they still need young people with computer science degrees. Deepak Singh, Vice President of Amazon Web Services, argues that critical thinking skills are becoming more important because AI is doing simple tasks, allowing humans more time for creativity.

However, this may not be comforting for recent graduates. Kyle Holm, Vice President at the consulting firm Sequoia, writes that "the AI ​​boom is not following the patterns of previous technology cycles."

David Barajas, a software engineer with over a decade of experience, believes that AI will change jobs, not eliminate them, as long as future engineers know how to embrace it. "AI won't replace you as an engineer," Barajas says. "An engineer who knows how to use AI will replace you."

(According to CNN)

President Trump: The US is far ahead of China in AI. At a dinner on September 4th attended by dozens of technology leaders, President Donald Trump declared that the US is leading China in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/gui-150-ho-so-moi-duoc-1-cai-gat-dau-cuoc-khung-hoang-viec-lam-cua-sinh-vien-it-2439676.html