Manasi Mishra, a 21-year-old with a degree in computer science (CS) from Purdue University, shared in a TikTok video that despite her intelligence and hard work, she struggled to find a job for nearly a year. The only company that called her back for an interview during this time was Chipotle, and she did not get the job. It was only after her video went viral that Mishra finally secured a job offer last month.
Mishra’s experience reveals an alarming trend: Many recent graduates who major in CS are struggling to find employment. According to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, those with degrees in CS and computer engineering (CE) face unemployment rates of 6.1 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively — figures that are more than double the rates seen among recent graduates in fields like art history (3 percent) and ethnic studies (2.6 percent). Furthermore, CS and CE rank as the third and eighth worst majors for unemployment out of the 70-plus majors the report tracked.
These unemployed CS graduates have compelling reasons to be frustrated, especially when, for more than a decade, tech leaders and leftist politicians have told them that learning to code is the sure way to high-paying jobs and a promising future.
Since the early 2010s, major tech companies like Microsoft and Facebook have voiced concerns about a lack of skilled programmers. In response, twins Hadi and Ali Partovi, who are successful tech entrepreneurs and investors, launched Code.org in 2013 to advocate for CS education in K-12 schools. Their website features inspiring endorsements from influential figures like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, reinforcing the importance of coding skills for the next generation.
Few political figures have championed the call for young people to “learn to code” as fervently as former President Barack Obama. In 2013, he kicked off Code.org’s “Computer Science Education Week” with a video message, urging every student to embrace coding, proclaiming that “learning these skills isn’t just important for your future — it’s important for America’s future.”
The following year, major tech companies backed a $30 million campaign to promote CS education in schools. To show his support, Obama visited a New Jersey classroom and became the first president to write a line of code, inspiring a generation to pursue coding.
A few voices expressed concerns even back then. Some questioned the supposed shortage of computer programmers, noting that only about two-thirds of computer and information sciences graduates secured jobs in their field within a year. Others worried about the lack of research supporting the effectiveness of CS curricula from Code.org and the appropriateness of K-12 education focused primarily on tech companies’ needs.
Advocates who viewed “learning to code” as a panacea for career success overlooked these concerns. In 2016, Obama launched the “Computer Science for All Initiative” (CS for All), which aimed to provide “every student hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one.” This initiative included $4 billion for states and $100 million for school districts to enhance computer science education. Obama continued to advocate for the “learn to code” movement even after leaving office.
Obama’s former Vice President Joe Biden took a step further in 2019 by suggesting that coal miners learn to code in order to transition to “jobs of the future.” Biden emphasized, “Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program for God’s sake!” His remarks were criticized as “tone-deaf and unhelpful.”
Nevertheless, many young people, like Mishra, took the calls for action from Obama and technology leaders to heart. The number of college students majoring in CS-related fields more than doubled over the past decade, reaching 170,000 last year.
Some of these students likely financed their education with student loan debt. Unfortunately, many of these graduates are now struggling to find the well-paying tech jobs they were trained for due to the dramatic changes in the technology landscape, primarily driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
Because AI performs coding tasks much faster and more cost-effectively, tech companies have been laying off existing entry-level employees and have also reduced the number of new job postings for entry-level positions. By July, more than 130,000 tech workers had lost their jobs, either because their employers replaced them with AI or chose to reallocate funds toward AI-related investments. Additionally, tech-related job postings decreased by 36 percent in July, compared to early in 2020.
Urging young people to “learn to code” might be one of the most misguided pieces of career advice. “We’ve been telling kids for 15 years to code,” Mike Rowe, the former host of Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs,” said. “Yeah, well AI is coming for the coders.”
LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer, Aneesh Raman, warned that the AI-driven job cuts by tech companies are only the beginning. The financial sector will be hit next as big Wall Street firms reportedly are planning to cut back hiring as much as two-thirds because they’ve replace junior analysts and bankers with AI. Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley predicted that AI will “replace literally half of all white-collar workers in the U.S.”
The encouraging news is that not all jobs will fall victim to AI advancements. In fact, skilled trades — like welding, plumbing, and electrical work — are experiencing remarkable demand now and will continue to do so in the coming years, according to Rowe. He estimates that the automotive sector alone is seeking 80,000 collision repair technicians. Ironically, the very blue-collar jobs that many leftist elites often disdain are the ones that will not only survive but thrive in this changing landscape.
That said, we shouldn’t hastily start going all in on “learning a trade.” It is impossible to predict the future, and there is no one-size-fits-all piece of career advice.
Our economy is vibrant and continually evolving. Each individual has distinct talents and aspirations. There are countless paths to a fulfilling career. In our increasingly digitized world, more technical skills will gradually become more commoditized. What technology cannot replicate, however, are essential human attributes like adaptability, discipline, and perseverance. Those who cultivate these qualities will learn new skills, stay relevant in a fast-paced world, and secure a promising future for themselves and their families.