Comment by rdtsc
7 days ago
CS may stop being a clear way to a high paying job. “Learn to code and then Google will surely hire you and pay you $250k right off the bat” path may be gone. It may become something like physics or math where only people really motivated or interested in fundamentals regardless of landing at a MAANG job in the end will apply.
So I why is your nephew in CS? Did he want to be there because he likes computing or was he “encouraged” by family members ;-) because it was a path to “success”, Not unlike how families encourage kids to become doctors or lawyers.
AI is not the only headwind. Companies are starting to “tighten their belts” and outsourcing work away from US and laying people off. They like to blame AI but it’s a little hard to take them seriously when they turn around and immediately open 10k jobs in India or Eastern Europe. So I guess it depends where you are. If you’re in those countries, then maybe CS career would work out pretty well.
I'm sitting right now in Central/Eastern Europe, and unfortunately, I don't see those 10k jobs. Quite the opposite, a lot of senior, really capable devs have an "open to work" badge on LinkedIn. Salaries went down, and including inflation, it's even harsher. Also, sentiment towards CS careers changed dramatically ("sprint monkeys," etc.) and they are considered as non-prospective and boring.
> Learn to code and then Google will surely hire you and pay you $250k right off the bat
Weird. In EU, 99% of graduates didn’t (don’t) have that in mind… A fresh graduate in CS typically earns less than 40-50K (even less depending on the country).
So USA is now like the EU?
No, USA is not like the EU because everything still costs American prices.
And because the employed software engineers still make way, way more than that, but the number of unemployed who make $0 is increasing (and that set may soon be full of fresh graduates).
It has been for a while I suspect.
> immediately open 10k jobs in India
As someone on the ground here and looking at this industry, from this industry, with an electronic (or whatever is the term for a powerful one) microscope, nope this ain’t happening. Not even close!
So maybe them openings are going to Eastern Europe?
Maybe he was there because he wanted to make a better life for himself and his family. Why is learning to do something because it pays well a bad thing? It’s admirable that someone would do that.
> It’s admirable that someone would would that
I guess it could be that. It sounds like you are hinting at it being like a sacrifice almost: they’d rather be doing something else but they forced themselves in to make a better life for their family. It’s like being doctor in US used to be (or still is), when someone would rather not deal with blood and guts but it’s something they’ll force themselves into for a better life.
I suppose one difference here might be if it’s their family pushing this choice or they do it intrinsically. Will they be disappointed in themselves in the end, or the person who pushed them into that path if it doesn’t work out.