5 answers
Ethan
Student
Chandler, Arizona
1
Question
Updated
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How is the job market expanding to change for computer scientists and tech majors?
After graduating from college with a bachelor’s degree what kinds of challenges will I expect to face? How is the market predicted to change? Will there be more or less job opportunities? How is my future going to look beyond college if I succeed in my pursuit for a bachelor’s in computer science?
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5 answers
Sandeep Khandelwal
Software Engineer
50
Answers
San Ramon, California
Updated
Sandeep’s Answer
The job market for Computer Science and tech majors is currently experiencing a significant reorganization, which is the core challenge you'll face upon graduation. However, the long-term outlook for total tech jobs is predicted to see massive growth, driven by fields like Data Science, Cybersecurity, and AI/Machine Learning
AI is now capable of handling many of the simpler, repeatable coding and support tasks, meaning employers are raising the bar. They are looking past general knowledge and demanding demonstrated, specialized skills and real-world experience, often requiring a strong portfolio or an internship to even secure an interview.
The overall number of tech opportunities will be greater, but they will be concentrated in areas that involve high-level system architecture, integrating AI into business processes, and protecting systems from threats.
Would you like to discuss specific in-demand certifications or projects that would make you a highly specialized candidate in a field like Cybersecurity or Machine Learning?
AI is now capable of handling many of the simpler, repeatable coding and support tasks, meaning employers are raising the bar. They are looking past general knowledge and demanding demonstrated, specialized skills and real-world experience, often requiring a strong portfolio or an internship to even secure an interview.
The overall number of tech opportunities will be greater, but they will be concentrated in areas that involve high-level system architecture, integrating AI into business processes, and protecting systems from threats.
Sandeep recommends the following next steps:
Thank you.
Ethan
Chassica Braynen-Thomas, MBA, ITIL
Lead Tech Business Management & Entrepreneur
9
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Chassica’s Answer
Computer science is not dead. There WILL be a market for computer-based careers for the foreseeable future. Yes, the landscape will change—but that’s the nature of the tech industry. It has always been fast-changing and evolving, and this is nothing new.
To answer your specific question: technologies like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are specialty areas within the computer field that will continue to grow. They will need people who are skilled in problem-solving, design, maintenance, and overseeing the operations of these systems.
Additionally, experts say the AI field will augment rather than eliminate tech jobs (source: MIT Sloan). That means you may need to better define the role you want to play within the tech field. Focus on more advanced, highly skilled, specialized roles in AI, security, and system design; roles such as AI engineer, data scientist, cybersecurity analyst, or cloud architect - just to name a few.
In summary,
if you put in the work, are willing to ADAPT and COMMIT to CONTINUOUS learning, you’ll do great!
You got this!
To answer your specific question: technologies like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are specialty areas within the computer field that will continue to grow. They will need people who are skilled in problem-solving, design, maintenance, and overseeing the operations of these systems.
Additionally, experts say the AI field will augment rather than eliminate tech jobs (source: MIT Sloan). That means you may need to better define the role you want to play within the tech field. Focus on more advanced, highly skilled, specialized roles in AI, security, and system design; roles such as AI engineer, data scientist, cybersecurity analyst, or cloud architect - just to name a few.
In summary,
if you put in the work, are willing to ADAPT and COMMIT to CONTINUOUS learning, you’ll do great!
You got this!
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Ethan
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Electrical Engineer, Software Developer, and Career Mentor
517
Answers
Ethiopia
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for computer scientists is thriving and full of exciting opportunities. There is strong demand for roles such as software developers, AI engineers, data scientists, and cybersecurity specialists. While some routine tasks may be automated, there is still ample room to grow and succeed.
To stay competitive, focus on mastering core computer science skills such as programming, data structures, algorithms, debugging, and problem-solving. Build personal projects and showcase them on GitHub to create a strong online presence and portfolio. Pursue internships or volunteer work, and develop a standout resume and LinkedIn profile. Developing soft skills like communication, teamwork, attention to detail, adaptability, and time management will further support career growth in the tech industry.
Engage with online communities such as Reddit’s r/computerscience, Discord’s CS Career & Research Hub, LinkedIn groups, and platforms like IEEE Computer Society, ACM, Stack Exchange, and GitHub. These resources provide opportunities to learn, stay updated, and enhance your portfolio. By combining technical expertise, practical experience, a strong online presence, and soft skills, you can thrive in the tech field and build a rewarding, fulfilling career.
To stay competitive, focus on mastering core computer science skills such as programming, data structures, algorithms, debugging, and problem-solving. Build personal projects and showcase them on GitHub to create a strong online presence and portfolio. Pursue internships or volunteer work, and develop a standout resume and LinkedIn profile. Developing soft skills like communication, teamwork, attention to detail, adaptability, and time management will further support career growth in the tech industry.
Engage with online communities such as Reddit’s r/computerscience, Discord’s CS Career & Research Hub, LinkedIn groups, and platforms like IEEE Computer Society, ACM, Stack Exchange, and GitHub. These resources provide opportunities to learn, stay updated, and enhance your portfolio. By combining technical expertise, practical experience, a strong online presence, and soft skills, you can thrive in the tech field and build a rewarding, fulfilling career.
Olga Lu
Software Engineer
10
Answers
Bellevue, Washington
Updated
Olga’s Answer
Many great answers have already been shared, and I'd like to add my personal experiences and thoughts. I've noticed that new graduates are finding it tough to land entry-level jobs. This isn't just because of AI, but also due to economic factors. The economy has slowed down after some earlier growth, leading to layoffs of experienced engineers. These engineers often have financial commitments, like home loans, so they're willing to accept lower positions, which makes it harder for new grads. This situation isn't solely due to AI; it's a mix of different factors affecting the job market.
From my career experience, even though we use a lot of AI, human engineers are still valued and in demand. Those with experience and a good understanding of AI are especially sought after.
Given that, I do think if you are already in Computer Science, there's nothing to panic. Instead, enjoy your learning, and please do get some hands-on experience by attending AI related workshops, just to understand it better.
Also, basic coding can be taken care by AI, then as a human, you need to understand and lead the AI agents. Learn more about system design should help on that.
From my career experience, even though we use a lot of AI, human engineers are still valued and in demand. Those with experience and a good understanding of AI are especially sought after.
Olga recommends the following next steps:
Thank you.
Ethan
Hagen Finley
Technical Sales DELL Alliances
58
Answers
Fort Collins, CO
Updated
Hagen’s Answer
As others have shared, there will be lots of opportunities in the tech field, but those opportunities are likely to be different than when I entered the market in the late 90s. The truth is, it's really difficult right now to know what today and tomorrow look like. AI has ushered in dramatic wave of change in virtually all the career paths people have chosen and we really don't know how that's going to play out yet. However, just like the iPhone that had a huge impact on the world and world markets, people remain people and their wants and needs also remain so there will still be goods and services to deliver. But that's not much help really.
I'm 70 working at Dell in tech and what I can tell you is what I am doing to adjust. As wonderful as AI can be, it also can be a pain in the caboose. I just had to yell at Claude "OK I have to say STOP. Your answers are way too long and they are all bombastic CAPS and bullet points - I don't want ANY of that" - literally I just typed that in the last hour. What that means is AI doesn't do what YOU need it to out of the box and it's hardly perfect. However, to understand it's strengths and weaknesses you have to work with it. To work with it you need a project you care about - it's too hard to dig in without a reason to dig in. The good news is you implicitly have lots on AI projects on your horizon - like learning to work with AI ;-).
AI works best when you take a symbiotic approach - sounds pretty SciFi ish but when you get to know AI better, you find out a few things. a) it doesn't care about anything - I mean it's trained to be helpful but it lacks motivation and curiosity so b) it only does stuff when you ask it to. That's where you come in. You do care about stuff - like getting a job, having a good life and you need to get things done (learn, write code or papers) so you give it its motivation and curiosity. When you do, it is REALLY well read and smart - so you couldn't have picked a better partner to help you with what you care about and need to accomplish.
As I said, that doesn't me it automatically knows how to help you and you have to get better at extracting its best work by understanding how it thinks and to some degree what often goes wrong. As in my example, for AI and for the companies that sell AI, the market is for a kind of smart search - answer this question, summarize that email etc.. But what I need is for it to help me reason through difficult questions I have. Some of those are technical and Dell has some great AI tools I can use to explore what Dell sells and customers want. But you can ask harder questions. What should I study, why that and not something else? What skills are likely to be in greatest demand in 5 years? How do I learn those skills? Can you teach me?
AI works best when you interrogate it. You recommend X - why not Y? You say skill Z will be in demand but I think skill A makes more sense. Do you have any research to support your ideas? And so on. You can't just sit back and expect AI to teach you - you have to get AI to teach you and that is WORK - and it entails you understanding how you learn and making the most of this amazing tool - available 24/7 to discuss whatever you want.
Therefore, my advice is learn to augment your thinking with AI's vast resources and computational power. To do that you have to 1. Think 2. Understand how you think and reason through challenges. 3. Recognize you have challenges and learn to frame them in a way with which AI knows how to assist. Those aren't easy, but hat's what makes you an expert.
As I said these are unique times with a lot of change and uncertainty but I can tell you one thing for sure. You need to become an AI expert (no matter what career you choose). I don't mean you need to become a data scientist and know all the math. You need to be an expert in using AI. That expertise doesn't come easy it takes effort and time experimenting. If you're an AI expert, then the changes to tech won't really matter because you'll have figured out how to adapt to those changes and you'll have AI to help you pivot your skills to address those changes.
Ask yourself what you care about most. Then ask AI how to put that care into action. What's caring about X look like as a career? If you don't care about technology passionately enough to want to solve problems with tech, then you may need to think about what else you might want to do.
Read. There's no substitute. Ask AI to read with you - e.g. summarize a research paper then ask what is this about - does this paper align with problems I care about?
Learn how you learn - visual, auditory, kinetic- and ask AI to accelerate that learning - "I learn visually - help me learn this material."
Learn what AI can and can't do. It's an amazing tool but it's easy to assume it can do anything - it can't
I'm 70 working at Dell in tech and what I can tell you is what I am doing to adjust. As wonderful as AI can be, it also can be a pain in the caboose. I just had to yell at Claude "OK I have to say STOP. Your answers are way too long and they are all bombastic CAPS and bullet points - I don't want ANY of that" - literally I just typed that in the last hour. What that means is AI doesn't do what YOU need it to out of the box and it's hardly perfect. However, to understand it's strengths and weaknesses you have to work with it. To work with it you need a project you care about - it's too hard to dig in without a reason to dig in. The good news is you implicitly have lots on AI projects on your horizon - like learning to work with AI ;-).
AI works best when you take a symbiotic approach - sounds pretty SciFi ish but when you get to know AI better, you find out a few things. a) it doesn't care about anything - I mean it's trained to be helpful but it lacks motivation and curiosity so b) it only does stuff when you ask it to. That's where you come in. You do care about stuff - like getting a job, having a good life and you need to get things done (learn, write code or papers) so you give it its motivation and curiosity. When you do, it is REALLY well read and smart - so you couldn't have picked a better partner to help you with what you care about and need to accomplish.
As I said, that doesn't me it automatically knows how to help you and you have to get better at extracting its best work by understanding how it thinks and to some degree what often goes wrong. As in my example, for AI and for the companies that sell AI, the market is for a kind of smart search - answer this question, summarize that email etc.. But what I need is for it to help me reason through difficult questions I have. Some of those are technical and Dell has some great AI tools I can use to explore what Dell sells and customers want. But you can ask harder questions. What should I study, why that and not something else? What skills are likely to be in greatest demand in 5 years? How do I learn those skills? Can you teach me?
AI works best when you interrogate it. You recommend X - why not Y? You say skill Z will be in demand but I think skill A makes more sense. Do you have any research to support your ideas? And so on. You can't just sit back and expect AI to teach you - you have to get AI to teach you and that is WORK - and it entails you understanding how you learn and making the most of this amazing tool - available 24/7 to discuss whatever you want.
Therefore, my advice is learn to augment your thinking with AI's vast resources and computational power. To do that you have to 1. Think 2. Understand how you think and reason through challenges. 3. Recognize you have challenges and learn to frame them in a way with which AI knows how to assist. Those aren't easy, but hat's what makes you an expert.
As I said these are unique times with a lot of change and uncertainty but I can tell you one thing for sure. You need to become an AI expert (no matter what career you choose). I don't mean you need to become a data scientist and know all the math. You need to be an expert in using AI. That expertise doesn't come easy it takes effort and time experimenting. If you're an AI expert, then the changes to tech won't really matter because you'll have figured out how to adapt to those changes and you'll have AI to help you pivot your skills to address those changes.
Hagen recommends the following next steps:
Thank you.
Ethan