Latest news with #ManasiMishra
Daily Mail
18 minutes ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The prestige tech job being decimated by AI as graduate, 21, expecting six figure starting salary says she could only get interview at Chipotle
Aspiring computer scientists are sinking in a job market overtaken by AI, as a recent graduate who expected to make six figures could only land an interview at Chipotle. Manasi Mishra, 21, was under the impression that if she worked hard in school and mastered coding, she'd have a prestigious tech job with a cushy salary lined up straight from college. 'The rhetoric was, if you just learned to code, work hard and get a computer science degree, you can get six figures for your starting salary,' the San Roman, California native told The New York Times. But the bright-eyed young coder - who created her first website when she was in elementary school - was in for a rude awakening. She spent a year scrambling for jobs and internships and still found herself graduating from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, without a single tech offer. In a May TikTok outlining her increasingly uncommon dilemma, Mishra declared: 'I just graduated with a computer science degree and the only company that's called me back for an interview is Chipotle.' To her dismay, she did not secure the job. 'Of course, the year I graduate is the year the tech industry goes downhill,' she elaborated in the 'get ready with me' video. Mishra is just one of the discouraged young adults finding themselves with a virtually meaningless computer science degree because of AI's growing prominence in the tech industry. People aged 22 to 27 who graduated from college with aspirations of scoring a tech job are facing some of the nation's highest unemployment rates. According to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate among those who majored in computer science is 6.1 percent. The rate is even more alarming for computer engineering majors at a staggering 7.5 percent. Last year alone, more than 170,000 people majored in tech-related fields. This number is more than double what it was 10 years prior, according to the Computing Research Association, which collected data from more than 200 US universities. For comparison, the unemployment rate for the same age group of people who graduated with art history and biology degrees is just three percent. These troubling statistics are the result of the disastrous combination of AI programming tools and sweeping layoffs from industry leaders such as Amazon, Microsoft and Meta. AI bots can write thousands of lines of code in a matter of minutes - making humans with coding and software engineering skills obsolete in the eyes of employers. 'I'm very concerned,' Jeff Forbes, former program director for computer science education and workforce development at the National Science Foundation, confessed to The New York Times. 'Computer science students who graduated three or four years ago would have been fighting off offers from top firms. 'And now that same student would be struggling to get a job from anyone.' Young people have been encouraged by executives and even US presidents to pursue coding, claiming it would help them stand out and land high-paying positions. 'Learning these skills isn't just important for your future, it's important for our country's future' then-president Barack Obama said in a 2013 partnership with 'If we want America to stay on the cutting edge, we need young Americans, like you, to master the tools and technology that will change the way we do just about everything.' This call to action was reflective of the general sentiment of the industry at the time - before the rapid expansion of AI. In 2012, top Microsoft executive Brad Smith said most starting salaries hovered around $100,000, paired with a $15,000 sign-on bonus and about $50,000 in stock grants. These financial incentives, coupled with a feeling of importance surrounding the field, created a sense of industry stability that may soon disappear entirely. Discouraged graduates reported to The New York Times that over the last few years, they have applied to hundreds - some thousands - of jobs and have been hit with nothing but rejection. Mishra ultimately decided that software engineering or consulting was not in the cards for her. But through her hobby-turned side gig as a beauty influencer - garnering more than 15,000 followers on TikTok - she decided she was better suited for the marketing side of the tech industry. On a whim, she applied for a tech sales position and last month she was offered the job. 'Last week, I was hunching over my bathroom toilet, nauseous over the anxiety I had from being unemployed in this horrible economy,' Mishra said in a TikTok about the successful interview, which she shared on Monday. 'And this week, I'm walking into my first onsite God!' The New York Times reported that she will start her new job this month.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
US computer science degrees from top universities are leaving graduates jobless: Why is top coding education no longer enough?
The Promise of a Golden Ticket: Coding Skills and Big Tech Salaries AI, Layoffs, and Job Market Contraction Thousands of Applications, Few Interviews, No Offers AI's Role in Automating Entry-Level Jobs You Might Also Like: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang would not have studied computer science today if he were a student today. He urges mastering the real world for the next AI wave Reassessing What Tech Companies Value Today Back to Fundamentals — elonmusk (@elonmusk) The Cost of Education — svembu (@svembu) The long-standing belief that earning a computer science degree from a top American university guarantees a high-paying job is facing growing challenges. Despite booming enrollments and soaring expectations, many recent graduates are struggling to find employment in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. According to a report from The New York Times, a combination of shifting industry demands and the rise of artificial intelligence is leaving new computer science graduates unemployed and over a decade, students like Manasi Mishra were inspired by industry leaders who touted computer science as the ultimate pathway to success. Growing up near Silicon Valley, Manasi absorbed the message loud and clear: 'If you just learned to code, work hard and get a computer science degree, you can get six figures for your starting salary,' she recalls. This promise pushed her to start coding websites as a child, take advanced computing courses in high school, and finally major in computer science at Purdue giants reinforced these expectations. In 2012, Brad Smith, then a top Microsoft executive, highlighted that computer science graduates typically earned starting salaries above $100,000, with generous bonuses and stock grants. This promise fueled an education boom. According to the Computing Research Association, the number of undergraduate computer science majors in the US more than doubled from 2014 to over 170,000 last the job market has shifted drastically. The introduction of AI programming tools capable of generating and debugging code has reduced the need for junior software engineers. Simultaneously, major tech companies such as Amazon, Intel, Meta, and Microsoft have executed significant Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that unemployment rates for recent college graduates in computer science and computer engineering stand at 6.1 percent and 7.5 percent respectively. These figures far exceed unemployment among recent graduates in fields like biology or art history, where the rate is around 3 graduates face a grueling job search. Students from a range of institutions, including Maryland, Texas, Cornell, and Stanford, reported applying to hundreds or even thousands of jobs. Yet, months of effort often ended with no interviews or job search process has become emotionally taxing, with some graduates describing it as 'bleak,' 'disheartening,' or 'soul-crushing.' Several candidates said they felt 'gaslit' by the industry's earlier promises of easy success.A key factor behind the bleak job prospects is AI's increasing role in software development. Entry-level coding jobs, which traditionally served as a stepping stone for new graduates, are now most vulnerable to automation. Tools like CodeRabbit promise to debug code faster than human engineers, causing firms to rethink their hiring also face an AI 'doom loop' during applications. Many use AI tools to tailor résumés and autofill applications quickly, while employers employ AI-driven systems to automatically filter and reject candidates, removing human judgment from the hiring this changing landscape, experts urge students to rethink their approach. Sameer Samat, Google's Android chief, highlights that a computer science degree alone no longer guarantees success. 'If all you want to do is learn Java or Python, you don't need a degree,' he said. Instead, passion, deep expertise, and problem-solving skills are what set candidates advises aspiring engineers to focus on becoming top experts in a niche they care about, whether that be system design, AI, or user experience. This specialized knowledge increasingly drives hiring decisions at major tech leaders like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggest that the future of technology will demand a deeper understanding of physical sciences rather than just software coding. Huang describes a shift toward 'Reasoning AI' and 'Physical AI,' where machines will need to comprehend real-world physics such as forces, friction, and perspective aligns with voices like Telegram's Pavel Durov and Elon Musk, who emphasize the importance of mathematics and physics as foundational tools for future to the uncertainty is the financial burden many students face. Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu recently cautioned against taking on large education loans for foreign degrees, especially as job opportunities become scarce. He advocates for employer-funded training programs and broader acceptance of alternative credentials, arguing this approach could prevent students from being trapped in era when a computer science degree from a reputed US university was a sure ticket to success is coming to an end. With AI reshaping the industry and job markets contracting, graduates must adapt by developing specialized skills, embracing lifelong learning, and being open to alternative career pathways. For students and educators alike, the focus must shift from coding syntax to deep problem-solving and understanding the interplay between technology and the physical world.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
A CS degree from a top US college and solid coding skills, yet the only interview call is from a fast-food chain after a 4-month wait
An AI-Era Job Market Crunch Debt and Dreams: A Risky Combination — svembu (@svembu) Experts Warn Against Blindly Chasing Coding Careers Manasi Mishra graduated from the prestigious Purdue University with a computer science degree in May, a milestone she expected would open many doors in the tech industry. Growing up in California, she had nurtured a deep interest in computers from a young age. She learned coding early, built her own website while still in elementary school, and took advanced computing courses in high school. With this solid foundation and a respected degree, she was confident that finding a job in software engineering would be a natural next despite her hard work and qualifications, the reality has been disappointing. Since graduation, she has been actively seeking employment but has only received one substantial interview offer—and that was from Chipotle, a fast-food franchise. Mishra shared her frustration with The New York Times , explaining that the common belief that simply learning to code and obtaining a computer science degree guarantees a well-paying job no longer holds experience highlights a growing challenge faced by many recent graduates in the field, as job opportunities in software engineering become scarcer, especially with the rapid advances in artificial intelligence reshaping the industry struggle reflects a broader shift in the tech hiring landscape. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, unemployment rates among recent graduates in computer science and computer engineering stand at 6.1% and 7.5% respectively — among the highest for any giants like Microsoft and Amazon have cut thousands of jobs while embracing AI-powered coding tools that can automate large parts of a developer's work. This has left many entry-level programmers competing for fewer openings, often without the industry's once-reliable safety net of abundant junior founder Sridhar Vembu has also sounded the alarm on the risks students face in today's uncertain job market. In a recent post on X, he described a case of a student who borrowed ₹70 lakh ($80,000) at 12% annual interest to study at a lesser-known US university — only to find IT job opportunities scarce.'I urge students and parents to be cautious in borrowing heavily to pursue degrees abroad,' Vembu wrote, warning that both in India and overseas, saddling young graduates with high-interest loans can leave them trapped without stable employment. He urged companies to invest in training and skill development instead of relying solely on formal Indian Minister of State for Electronics, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, recently advised students to rethink their approach. Quoting Elon Musk and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, he said in the AI era, physics, mathematics, and conceptual thinking will matter more than routine coding skills. 'As AI tools become more capable of writing and debugging code, the value of basic programming skills is decreasing,' he wrote, urging students to focus on problem-solving and scientific Manasi, the contrast is stark: top-class education, strong skills, and passion for coding — yet only a fast-food interview after months of searching. Her story is becoming increasingly common in a tech industry reshaped by automation, AI, and the past, a degree from a leading US university was seen as a ticket to a well-paying, secure role. Now, it is a reminder that even the best credentials may not guarantee a career in a sector where the rules are rapidly being rewritten.
Economic Times
5 hours ago
- Science
- Economic Times
US computer science degrees from top universities are leaving graduates jobless: Why is top coding education no longer enough?
Synopsis The once-reliable path to high-paying tech jobs via a computer science degree is facing challenges. AI advancements and industry layoffs contribute to rising unemployment among recent graduates. Experts advise focusing on specialized skills and a deeper understanding of physical sciences, as the demand shifts from basic coding to problem-solving and innovation. iStock A computer science degree no longer guarantees a high-paying job in America. The rise of Artificial Intelligence and tech layoffs contribute to this shift. Many graduates struggle to find employment despite booming enrollments. Experts advise focusing on specialized skills and problem-solving. (Image: iStock) The long-standing belief that earning a computer science degree from a top American university guarantees a high-paying job is facing growing challenges. Despite booming enrollments and soaring expectations, many recent graduates are struggling to find employment in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. According to a report from The New York Times, a combination of shifting industry demands and the rise of artificial intelligence is leaving new computer science graduates unemployed and frustrated. For over a decade, students like Manasi Mishra were inspired by industry leaders who touted computer science as the ultimate pathway to success. Growing up near Silicon Valley, Manasi absorbed the message loud and clear: 'If you just learned to code, work hard and get a computer science degree, you can get six figures for your starting salary,' she recalls. This promise pushed her to start coding websites as a child, take advanced computing courses in high school, and finally major in computer science at Purdue University. Technology giants reinforced these expectations. In 2012, Brad Smith, then a top Microsoft executive, highlighted that computer science graduates typically earned starting salaries above $100,000, with generous bonuses and stock grants. This promise fueled an education boom. According to the Computing Research Association, the number of undergraduate computer science majors in the US more than doubled from 2014 to over 170,000 last year. However, the job market has shifted drastically. The introduction of AI programming tools capable of generating and debugging code has reduced the need for junior software engineers. Simultaneously, major tech companies such as Amazon, Intel, Meta, and Microsoft have executed significant layoffs. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that unemployment rates for recent college graduates in computer science and computer engineering stand at 6.1 percent and 7.5 percent respectively. These figures far exceed unemployment among recent graduates in fields like biology or art history, where the rate is around 3 percent. Many graduates face a grueling job search. Students from a range of institutions, including Maryland, Texas, Cornell, and Stanford, reported applying to hundreds or even thousands of jobs. Yet, months of effort often ended with no interviews or offers. The job search process has become emotionally taxing, with some graduates describing it as 'bleak,' 'disheartening,' or 'soul-crushing.' Several candidates said they felt 'gaslit' by the industry's earlier promises of easy success. A key factor behind the bleak job prospects is AI's increasing role in software development. Entry-level coding jobs, which traditionally served as a stepping stone for new graduates, are now most vulnerable to automation. Tools like CodeRabbit promise to debug code faster than human engineers, causing firms to rethink their hiring strategies. Graduates also face an AI 'doom loop' during applications. Many use AI tools to tailor résumés and autofill applications quickly, while employers employ AI-driven systems to automatically filter and reject candidates, removing human judgment from the hiring process. In this changing landscape, experts urge students to rethink their approach. Sameer Samat, Google's Android chief, highlights that a computer science degree alone no longer guarantees success. 'If all you want to do is learn Java or Python, you don't need a degree,' he said. Instead, passion, deep expertise, and problem-solving skills are what set candidates apart. Samat advises aspiring engineers to focus on becoming top experts in a niche they care about, whether that be system design, AI, or user experience. This specialized knowledge increasingly drives hiring decisions at major tech firms. Industry leaders like Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggest that the future of technology will demand a deeper understanding of physical sciences rather than just software coding. Huang describes a shift toward 'Reasoning AI' and 'Physical AI,' where machines will need to comprehend real-world physics such as forces, friction, and inertia. This perspective aligns with voices like Telegram's Pavel Durov and Elon Musk, who emphasize the importance of mathematics and physics as foundational tools for future innovation. Adding to the uncertainty is the financial burden many students face. Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu recently cautioned against taking on large education loans for foreign degrees, especially as job opportunities become scarce. He advocates for employer-funded training programs and broader acceptance of alternative credentials, arguing this approach could prevent students from being trapped in debt. The era when a computer science degree from a reputed US university was a sure ticket to success is coming to an end. With AI reshaping the industry and job markets contracting, graduates must adapt by developing specialized skills, embracing lifelong learning, and being open to alternative career pathways. For students and educators alike, the focus must shift from coding syntax to deep problem-solving and understanding the interplay between technology and the physical world.
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
Coding students whose jobs were taken by AI forced to find work at Chipotle
When Manasi Mishra began studying computer science, she envisioned a future writing code for major tech companies, not rolling burritos. But the recent Purdue University graduate has been unable to land a job in her chosen field as tech companies increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to perform entry-level tasks. 'I just graduated with a computer science degree, and the only company that has called me for an interview is Chipotle,' the frustrated Mishra said in a TikTok video earlier this summer, which has been viewed nearly 150,000 times. Advertisement 5 Manasi Mishra, a recent Purdue University grad, has been unable to find work in tech. TikTok/khuhlina Mishra's experience underscores a jarring shift in the job market for new coders. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the unemployment rate for recent computer science graduates is 6.1%, and 7.5% for computer engineering majors — both above the 5.3% average for all recent graduates and roughly double the 3% rate for majors like biology and art history. 'I'm very concerned,' Jeff Forbes, a former program director for computer science education and workforce development at the National Science Foundation, told the New York Times. Advertisement 'Computer science students who graduated three or four years ago would have been fighting off offers from top firms — and now that same student would be struggling to get a job from anyone.' For more than a decade, tech leaders, billionaires and even US presidents encouraged young people to 'learn to code,' promising that programming skills would all but guarantee a six-figure starting salary and job security. While there have been a handful of winners in the AI economy, with some commanding enormous paychecks as valuations of AI firms skyrocket. the majority of those companies employ relatively few people. Advertisement 5 Mishra said that she recently had to settle for a job at Chipotle. TikTok/khuhlina Dario Amodei, chief executive of AI developer Anthropic, has warned that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next one to five years. The arrival of AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot, CodeRabbit and others has accelerated the decline for entry-level programming roles, which are among the easiest for companies to automate. Economists and industry executives say the hiring slowdown is also tied to post-pandemic overstaffing, aggressive cost-cutting, high interest rates and widespread hiring freezes. Advertisement While experts debate how much of the current downturn is directly caused by AI versus the business cycle, there's little disagreement that junior coding positions are under intense pressure. The result is a labor market that looks very different from a few years ago. Zach Taylor, a 2023 graduate of Oregon State University, told the Times he's applied for nearly 5,800 tech jobs, leading to just 13 interviews and zero offers. 5 Mishra shares her frustration over the shrinking number of entry-level programming roles for new graduates. TikTok/khuhlina Even the company where he interned couldn't take him on full-time. After trying to land a role at McDonald's and being rejected 'for lack of experience,' he moved back home to Sherwood, Ore., and began collecting unemployment. 'It is difficult to find the motivation to keep applying,' he told the Times. Advertisement 5 Wages for Chipotle workers pale in comparison to entry-level software engineering roles, according to the latest data. Getty Images For many job seekers, the application process has become a gauntlet: online coding assessments, live technical tests and multiple interviews, only to be turned down or ignored. Some describe the experience as 'bleak' or 'soul-crushing.' Others say they feel 'gaslit' by an industry that once told them software skills were a golden ticket. In San Francisco, billboards advertise AI coding tools that promise to write or debug code faster than humans. Advertisement CodeRabbit, while not as widely used as Copilot, is praised for features like real-time collaboration and context-aware code reviews. These tools, coupled with a glut of applicants, mean companies can produce more software with fewer junior engineers. Audrey Roller, who recently graduated with a degree in data science from Worcester, Mass.-based Clark University, told the Times she writes her own applications without AI tools in hopes of standing out from the automated crowd. But when one company sent a rejection email just three minutes after she applied, she suspected an algorithm had made the decision. 'Some companies are using AI to screen candidates and removing the human aspect,' she told the Times. Advertisement The downturn has also gutted a parallel pipeline into tech: coding bootcamps. For over a decade, these intensive programs offered a route into high-paying engineering jobs for people without traditional computer science degrees. Now, many are seeing their job placement rates collapse, Reuters reported. 5 A group of students writes computer code in class, preparing for jobs that have become far harder to land in the age of AI. Mediaphotos – Advertisement Jonathan Kim, who paid nearly $20,000 for a part-time program at Codesmith in 2023, has applied to more than 600 software engineering roles with no offers. He now works at his uncle's ice cream shop in Los Angeles while continuing to code on open-source projects. 'They sold a fake dream of a great job market,' he told Reuters. At Codesmith, just 37% of students in the 2023 part-time cohort landed full-time tech jobs within six months, down from 83% in late 2021, according to the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting. Placement rates at other bootcamps have similarly fallen into the 37–50% range for some cohorts. The company told Reuters that the market is 'tough' but notes that 70% of its full-time graduates found jobs within a year. Industry veterans say this environment is pushing tech companies back toward a traditional hiring model that favors graduates of elite universities such as MIT and Stanford, reversing some of the diversity gains bootcamps once supported. 'They're sending their recruiters to MIT and Stanford and wining and dining the top students,' Michael Novati, co-founder of Formation Dev, which trains experienced engineers for interviews, told Reuters. With Post wires
