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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Goodbye, $165,000 tech jobs, student coders seek work at Chipotle
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Since the early 2010s, a parade of billionaires, tech executives and even US presidents has urged young people to learn coding, arguing that the tech skills would help bolster students' job prospects as well as the economy. Tech companies promised computer science graduates high salaries and all manner of perks."Typically their starting salary is more than $100,000," plus $15,000 hiring bonuses and stock grants worth $50,000, Brad Smith, a top Microsoft executive, said in 2012 as he kicked off a company campaign to get more high schools to teach financial incentives, plus the chance to work on popular apps, quickly fed a boom in computer science education, the study of computer programming and processes like algorithms. Last year, the number of undergraduates majoring in the field topped 170,000 in the United States -- more than double the number in 2014, according to the Computing Research Association, a now, the spread of AI programming tools , which can quickly generate thousands of lines of computer code -- combined with layoffs at companies like Amazon, Intel, Meta and Microsoft -- is dimming prospects in a field that tech leaders promoted for years. The turnabout is derailing the employment dreams of many new computing grads and sending them scrambling for other college graduates ages 22 to 27, computer science and computer engineering majors are facing some of the highest unemployment rates, 6.1% and 7.5% respectively, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That is more than double the unemployment rate among recent biology and art history graduates, which is just 3%.In response to questions from The New York Times, more than 150 college students and recent graduates -- from state schools as well as private universities -- shared their experiences. Some said they had applied to hundreds, and in several cases thousands, of tech jobs at companies, nonprofits and government computing education boosters are now pivoting to AI. President Donald Trump, who in 2017 directed federal funding toward computer science in schools, recently unveiled a national AI action plan that includes channeling more students into AI a major computing education sponsor, recently said it would provide $4 billion in technology and funding for AI training for students and workers. Last month, Smith said the company was also assessing how AI was changing computer science education.
Economic Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Goodbye, $165,000 tech jobs, student coders seek work at Chipotle
Since the early 2010s, a parade of billionaires, tech executives and even US presidents has urged young people to learn coding, arguing that the tech skills would help bolster students' job prospects as well as the economy. Tech companies promised computer science graduates high salaries and all manner of perks. "Typically their starting salary is more than $100,000," plus $15,000 hiring bonuses and stock grants worth $50,000, Brad Smith, a top Microsoft executive, said in 2012 as he kicked off a company campaign to get more high schools to teach computing. The financial incentives, plus the chance to work on popular apps, quickly fed a boom in computer science education, the study of computer programming and processes like algorithms. Last year, the number of undergraduates majoring in the field topped 170,000 in the United States -- more than double the number in 2014, according to the Computing Research Association, a nonprofit. But now, the spread of AI programming tools, which can quickly generate thousands of lines of computer code -- combined with layoffs at companies like Amazon, Intel, Meta and Microsoft -- is dimming prospects in a field that tech leaders promoted for years. The turnabout is derailing the employment dreams of many new computing grads and sending them scrambling for other work. Among college graduates ages 22 to 27, computer science and computer engineering majors are facing some of the highest unemployment rates, 6.1% and 7.5% respectively, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That is more than double the unemployment rate among recent biology and art history graduates, which is just 3%. In response to questions from The New York Times, more than 150 college students and recent graduates -- from state schools as well as private universities -- shared their experiences. Some said they had applied to hundreds, and in several cases thousands, of tech jobs at companies, nonprofits and government agencies. Prominent computing education boosters are now pivoting to AI. President Donald Trump, who in 2017 directed federal funding toward computer science in schools, recently unveiled a national AI action plan that includes channeling more students into AI jobs. Microsoft, a major computing education sponsor, recently said it would provide $4 billion in technology and funding for AI training for students and workers. Last month, Smith said the company was also assessing how AI was changing computer science education.
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Goodbye, $212,000 tech jobs: US student coders seek work at Chipotle
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Since the early 2010s, a parade of billionaires, tech executives and even US presidents has urged young people to learn coding, arguing that the tech skills would help bolster students' job prospects as well as the economy. Tech companies promised computer science graduates high salaries and all manner of perks. 'Typically their starting salary is more than US$100,000 (S$128,500),' plus US$15,000 hiring bonuses and stock grants worth US$50,000, Mr Brad Smith, a top Microsoft executive, said in 2012 as he kicked off a company campaign to get more high schools to teach computing. The financial incentives, plus the chance to work on popular apps, quickly fed a boom in computer science education, the study of computer programming and processes like algorithms. In 2024, the number of undergraduates majoring in the field topped 170,000 in the United States – more than double the number in 2014, according to the Computing Research Association, a nonprofit. But now, the spread of AI programming tools , which can quickly generate thousands of lines of computer code – combined with layoffs at companies like Amazon, Intel, Meta and Microsoft – is dimming prospects in a field that tech leaders promoted for years. The turnabout is derailing the employment dreams of many new computing grads and sending them scrambling for other work. Among college graduates ages 22 to 27, computer science and computer engineering majors are facing some of the highest unemployment rates, 6.1 per cent and 7.5 per cent respectively, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That is more than double the unemployment rate among recent biology and art history graduates, which is just 3 per cent. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore BTO income ceiling, age floor for singles being reviewed: Chee Hong Tat World Netanyahu says Israel's new Gaza offensive will start soon Singapore 'It's so close': Crowds turn up for Red Lions, mobile column at National Day heartland celebrations Business Nvidia, AMD agree to pay 15% of China chip sale revenues to US: Sources Business Singapore can deliver and thrive in a fragmented global economy: Morgan Stanley analysts Singapore Man's claim amid divorce that his mother is true owner of 3 properties cuts no ice with judge Opinion Anwar's government: Full house but plenty of empty offices Singapore askST Jobs: How to deal with the dread of returning to work after a holiday? In response to questions from The New York Times, more than 150 college students and recent graduates - from state schools as well as private universities - shared their experiences. Some said they had applied to hundreds, and in several cases thousands, of tech jobs at companies, nonprofits and government agencies. Prominent computing education boosters are now pivoting to AI. President Donald Trump, who in 2017 directed federal funding toward computer science in schools, recently unveiled a national AI action plan that includes channeling more students into AI jobs. Microsoft, a major computing education sponsor, recently said it would provide US$4 billion in technology and funding for AI training for students and workers. In July, Mr Smith said the company was also assessing how AI was changing computer science education. NYTIMES
Boston Globe
03-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
How do you teach computer science in the AI era?
Computer science, more than any other field of study, is being challenged by generative AI. The AI technology behind chatbots such as ChatGPT, which can write essays and answer questions with humanlike fluency, is making inroads across academia. But AI is coming fastest and most forcefully to computer science, which emphasizes writing code, the language of computers. Advertisement Big tech companies and startups have introduced AI assistants that can generate code and are rapidly becoming more capable. And in January, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, predicted that AI technology would effectively match the performance of a midlevel software engineer sometime this year. Computer science programs at universities across the country are now scrambling to understand the implications of the technological transformation, grappling with what to keep teaching in the AI era. Ideas range from less emphasis on mastering programming languages to focusing on hybrid courses designed to inject computing into every profession, as educators ponder what the tech jobs of the future will look like in an AI economy. 'We're seeing the tip of the AI tsunami,' said Jeannette Wing, a computer science professor and executive vice president of research at Columbia University. Advertisement Heightening the sense of urgency is a tech job market that has tightened in recent years. Computer science graduates are finding that job offers, once plentiful, are often scarce. Tech companies are relying more on AI for some aspects of coding, eliminating some entry-level work. Some educators now believe the discipline could broaden to become more like a liberal arts degree, with a greater emphasis on critical thinking and communication skills. The National Science Foundation is funding a program, Level Up AI, to bring together university and community college educators and researchers to move toward a shared vision of the essentials of AI education. The 18-month project, run by the Computing Research Association, a research and education nonprofit, in partnership with New Mexico State University, is organizing conferences and roundtables and producing white papers to share resources and best practices. The NSF-backed initiative was created because of 'a sense of urgency that we need a lot more computing students -- and more people -- who know about AI in the workforce,' said Mary Lou Maher, a computer scientist and a director of the Computing Research Association. The future of computer science education, Maher said, is likely to focus less on coding and more on computational thinking and AI literacy. Computational thinking involves breaking down problems into smaller tasks, developing step-by-step solutions and using data to reach evidence-based conclusions. AI literacy is an understanding -- at varying depths for students at different levels -- of how AI works, how to use it responsibly and how it is affecting society. Nurturing informed skepticism, she said, should be a goal. Advertisement At Carnegie Mellon, as faculty members prepare for their gathering, Cortina said his view was that the coursework should include instruction in the traditional basics of computing and AI principles, followed by plenty of hands-on experience designing software using the new tools. 'We think that's where it's going,' he said. 'But do we need a more profound change in the curriculum?' Currently, individual computer science professors choose whether to allow students to use AI. Last year, Carnegie Mellon endorsed using AI for introductory courses. Initially, Cortina said, many students regarded AI as a 'magic bullet' to quickly complete homework assignments that involved writing programs. 'But they didn't understand half of what the code was,' he said, leading many to realize the value of knowing how to write and debug code themselves. 'The students are resetting.' That's true for many computer science students embracing the new AI tools, with some reservations. They say they use AI for building initial prototype programs, for checking for errors in code and as a digital tutor to answer questions. But they are reluctant to rely on it too much, fearing it dulls their computing acumen. Many students say they send out 100 to 200 applications for summer internships and first jobs. Connor Drake, who will be a senior next fall at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, counts himself lucky, having scored an interview after submitting only 30 applications. He was offered a job as a cybersecurity intern this summer for Duke Energy, a large utility company, in Charlotte. 'A computer science degree used to be a golden ticket to the promised land of jobs,' Drake, 22, said. 'That's no longer the case.' Advertisement Drake's personal AI-defense strategy is to expand his skill set. In addition to his computer science major, he has minored in political science with a specialty in security and intelligence studies -- a field where his expertise in cybersecurity could well be applied. He is president of a university cybersecurity club and has served in student government. Drake, like other computer science students, has been forced to adjust to an increasingly tough tech job market. Several factors, labor experts say, are at work. Big tech companies, in particular, have curbed their hiring for the past few years, a sharp pullback from the pandemic-era boom years. The exception is the hectic recruiting of a relatively small number of the most coveted AI experts, who are being offered lucrative pay packages. But most technology workers do not work for tech companies. Overall employment for workers in tech occupations had generally held up until recently -- down 6 percent since February, according to government statistics. Employers have sent a sharper signal with a significant pullback in tech job listings. In the past three years, there has been a 65 percent drop from companies seeking workers with two years of experience or less, according to an analysis by CompTIA, a technology research and education organization. The decline in listings for tech workers with all levels of experience is down 58 percent. 'We're mainly seeing a postpandemic unwinding of hiring and the impact of the current economic uncertainty,' said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. 'We don't really have a clear AI effect yet.' While the road ahead for computer science education may be uncertain, the market for AI-assisted software is poised for growth, experts say. AI is a productivity tool, and every new wave of computing -- the personal computer, the internet, the smartphone -- has increased the demand for software and for programmers. Advertisement This time, they say, the result may be a burst of technology democratization as chatbot-style tools are used by people in fields from medicine to marketing to create their own programs, tailored for their industry, fed by industry-specific data sets. 'The growth in software engineering jobs may decline, but the total number of people involved in programming will increase,' said Alex Aiken, a professor of computer science at Stanford University. This article originally appeared in .
