A few Fridays ago, I was feeling very smug. I just sent out another Tech Memo edition to my subscribers telling them to stop worrying that AI is going to eat up tech jobs because Anthropic, the leading AI company driving this story, employs so many engineers.
That’s very clever! Until I received an email from reader Kiran Maya Sheikh. She holds a degree in computer science from the University of California, Irvine. It was a great school and she graduated with a great GPA. Still, she struggles to land that all-important first full-time software engineering job.
“‘Don’t worry’ is bad advice,” she wrote. “AI is disrupting this job market. Employers are prioritizing hiring experienced workers, but not new graduates.”
This week I interviewed Kiran for Tech Memo. This was an eye-opening look at the realities of the new AI economy. Here are highlights from the chat, edited for clarity and length.
Alistair: When you first chose computer science as your degree, what made you sign up for it?
Kiran: I took my first coding class after enrolling at UC Irvine in 2020, and I really enjoyed it. At this point, the prospect that people would go into this major to get great jobs was very rewarding and I loved it.
What did you think a career in computer science would give you financially, socially, and emotionally?
At the time, everyone’s dream was definitely, “I’m going to work for Google or a FAANG company and make a six-figure salary.” My motivation was to get a steady job and have enough money to support my family. This is what everyone wants. I had hoped that computer science would position me to grow as a software engineer first and foremost, and then allow me to become more involved in the strategic and management side. The main thing I understood was that I wanted financial stability and perhaps financial independence as well.
Fast forward to late 2022 and ChatGPT was launched. Did you see it as a tool or a threat at the time?
I hated it at first. Then a friend of mine started using ChatGPT and said, “Oh, you can use it like Google. You can just send a text message and get an answer.” Honestly, my first thought was, “That’s a bit lazy. I can learn more by doing the work myself.” But over time, people started using it and started using it in their classes. Suddenly, I was at the front of the class. I completed the assignments well and my understanding deepened.
Was there a moment when you thought, or do you believe, that generative AI could reduce the need for junior engineers?
We all know about the current job market. It’s not that hot, and many companies cite AI as part of the reason for layoffs, but they may have been planning to cut those jobs anyway. However, at the time I was a student using ChatGPT, and to be honest, I had no idea it would become so popular. I expected that AI would be integrated into software engineer jobs and that companies would start integrating it, but I didn’t know that AI could potentially take over the job I was looking for.
I don’t think I paid much attention to the job market situation at the time, and I didn’t think far ahead. My concern at the time was getting my first entry-level position. And I thought it would be easy. Once you have a degree, you can find companies that are hiring. In retrospect, I was wrong for not looking into the current job market and perhaps what some people are predicting about AI.
I didn’t see it coming either. Few did. Anyway, describe the moment you realized the job market had changed.
This was after June 2025 as I had already graduated. When I started facing the reality of having to find my first job, it became clear to me that something was wrong. Many of my classmates haven’t heard much about their opportunities. Everyone is submitting so many resumes that the race is on to use AI to enhance them and send them out as quickly as possible. And it seemed much more intense than I was prepared for.
Many of my classmates, and even students I know who are still in school, aren’t even doing internships right now. It doesn’t look good. It’s a very tough battle right now. So many people are quitting, getting laid off, changing direction, and some are new graduates. Everyone is bracing themselves, and now it’s a disaster.
Do you feel like you’re competing with AI, a fired senior engineer, both, or something else?
My battle is definitely with AI and all the competition with entry-level graduates. Especially since AI is known to take over more junior roles. Therefore, it is important to be more relevant and offer something that AI cannot. As I scroll through LinkedIn and my job portal, I see more offers for mid-level positions, but not as many offers for entry-level positions. So it’s like you’re fighting against AI and other graduates for roles that don’t exist yet.
What has your job search done so far for your confidence?
I try to be optimistic. I’m lucky that I’m in a better situation than most. I live with my family at home, so I don’t have to worry much about expenses. Still, I think I would have been pretty depressed if I hadn’t done anything about my situation. You’ll feel like you’re somehow trapped.
But I’ve worked hard to build my network, find people I know, learn from others, and find communities to join. It really boosted my confidence. Because you found an expert who is trying to help. They are aware of the job market and know how difficult it is to land your first job. The only saving grace in this difficult situation is definitely the community I have found and the people I know who are helping me get through this.
Have you ever doubted your decision to study computer science?
Yes, I was wondering. But I remember liking computer science and liking what I learned. I really enjoyed the classes and programming. And instead of looking into new specializations, I think I would just prefer to specialize and find new information to stay ahead of the news. And like I said, offer something that AI can’t do.
Do you feel like you were trained for a version of the tech industry that no longer exists?
I’m a little salty about this, if that’s the right word. When I was in school, the main focus of my degree was learning the fundamentals of software engineering. Learn programming languages and learn how to set up development and deployment. But now there are a lot more tools out there, and I think that’s what’s always happening in the software engineering and technology industry. There’s always new technology coming out and a lot of learning to catch up on.
However, I felt like I graduated a little too early, especially when it came to AI. Because in the future, AI will likely become even more integrated into learning. There were many professors who were friendly towards AI. I remember a really cool professor who shared a website where you could create your own LLM. It’s really helpful, but it wasn’t part of the curriculum. Now it does, but I can’t see that changing.
What I’m doing to supplement that is volunteering and doing more work around new technology to keep it fresh and relevant and to use all these new AI tools and see how we can leverage that.
If you were to ask a high school senior today if they should major in computer science, what would you say?
It depends on what they are interested in about computer science. If they’re really interested and like learning about the technology and want to code, I would say they should still do it, but I would recommend how you position yourself after college.
You need to start networking much earlier than you do now, and know how to talk to people, how to apply, and how to write a resume. And all this is much more important when entering the university, especially to take part in an internship if possible.
So, while I highly recommend studying computer science, you should be realistic about the opportunities available and keep up to date with the news and job market.
What would you say to a potential employer?
Where possible, you should continue to focus on recruiting entry-level talent. I know that’s difficult given the current market, the economy, and what’s going on in the world right now. However, entry-level talent remains important, as we need to develop this generation of professionals to ensure a reliable workforce for the future. AI is still uncertain at this point. People are still understanding how it will affect them, and just imposing it on companies won’t help.
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