A prominent computer science professor at one of the world’s most prestigious universities says his graduates are struggling to find work — a far cry from just four years ago when they had their pick of high-paying jobs and “had the run of the place.”
Hany Farid, a world-renowned expert in digital forensics and image analysis, told Nova’s “Particles of Thought” podcast that computer science is no longer the future-proof career that it once was.
Farid was discussing the reasons that podcast host Hakeem Oluseyi’s son, a college senior who is studying computer science, is struggling to find work.
“For people like your son, by the way, who four years ago were promised, Go study computer science, it’s going to be a great career. It is future-proof — that changed in four years,” Farid said.
“That is astonishing.”
Farid said several factors can explain the phenomenon — and it’s not limited to artificial intelligence.
“Something is happening in the industry,” he said.
“I think it’s a confluence of many things. I think AI is part of it. I think there’s a thinning of the ranks that’s happening, that’s part of it, but something is brewing.”
According to Farid, Berkeley students who completed a four-year computer science program had as many as five internship offers throughout their matriculation.
“They would graduate with exceedingly high salaries, multiple offers,” Farid said.
“They had the run of the place. That is not happening today. They’re happy to get one job offer.”
Farid said his advice to students has changed over the years.
“What I used to tell people is you want a broad education,” Farid said.
“You should know about physics, and language, and history, and philosophy, but then you have to go deep, deep — like deep, deep into one thing, become really, really good at one thing.”
According to Farid, he now tells graduating students “to be good at a lot of different things because we don’t know what the future holds.”
Farid said AI will have to be utilized across many professions in order for people to stay in the workforce.
“I don’t think AI is going to put lawyers out of business, but I think lawyers who use AI will put those who don’t use AI out of business,” he said.
“And I think you can say that about every profession.”
In the first six months of this year, nearly 78,000 tech jobs in the US were lost to AI automation — with entry-level coding and analyst roles hit hardest as companies automate routine tasks.
The use of AI in tech has become widespread, according to a Google study, which found that 90% of tech workers now use it for coding, though opinions differ on whether it improves results.
Despite the significant job displacement, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects software developer employment will grow nearly 18% through 2033, well above the national average.
Globally, up to 30% of US jobs and 300 million roles worldwide could be automated by 2030.
Employers increasingly demand AI expertise, with job postings referencing AI skills more than doubling year-over-year.
