Will AI Take Over Computer Science Jobs?
August 27, 2025
For the past decade or so, computer science has been touted as the 鈥済olden ticket鈥� of college degrees. In such a hot and ever-growing field, many students were wooed into CSE programs by the guarantee of a high-paying job right out of school. But in 2025, outlooks have pivoted. General economic and political uncertainty has paved the way for inflation, slowed hiring, and an estimated downturn of entry-level job openings across industries. The increased presence of AI tools across sectors is said to be, at the very least, a contributing factor to these hiring shifts. Experts have suggested that jobs with the highest will feel the impact first and most strongly. This includes, critically, and perhaps ironically, many of the computer science sub-fields that helped develop AI into the massive industry it is today.
Will AI Take Over Computer Science Jobs?
Many news outlets鈥攁nd worried students鈥攈ave been sounding the alarm over the rising unemployment rate for recent Computer Science graduates. A from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (based on U.S. census data from 2023) found Computer Engineering majors to have the third highest rate of unemployment (7.5%) and Computer Science majors to have the seventh highest rate (6.1%) out of a list of over seventy common majors. Considering recent developments, those 2023 numbers may very well be higher now.
While the unemployment figures are certainly on the rise, and higher than many CSE hopefuls have been led to believe, the data does beg a closer look. The New York Fed report also compiled the 鈥渦nderemployment rate鈥� for each major, which they define as being employed in a job below your skill/degree level. According to this metric, Computer Engineering and Computer Science graduates have far lower rates of underemployment than the other top ten majors with the highest unemployment rates. This may mean that, unlike their peers in other disciplines, CSE graduates are more readily finding jobs in their field, even if it takes longer.
The tech industry, with its constant shifts, innovations, and influxes of capital, regularly goes through a cycle of boom and bust. The volatile moment we are in right now appears to be something of a , in terms of the expansion of AI, and some have indicated that the unemployment rate is one sign of an impending burst or deflation.
Theories about AI and Computer Science Jobs
There are several theories being thrown around as an explanation for the Computer Science jobs outlook:
Post-pandemic shrink:
While there was a surge of hiring in the tech industry during the pandemic, that surge is definitively over. Starting in 2023, there have been large rounds of layoffs, which . But while hiring has bounced back for mid- and senior-level roles, compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Rising interest rates:
The newest and most exciting ideas in the tech industry often get their start through venture capital, and aided by the ZIRP (or ) period between 2008 and 2022, tech companies and startups especially were flush with 鈥渇ree money.鈥� Now that the interest rates have gone up again, companies are tightening their belts (and in some cases slashing their workforces) in response.
Off-shoring of jobs:
Some companies, , are investing more in overseas workforces because they can often hire and retain skilled entry-level workers while paying them less than workers in the US. Whether this particular phenomenon is actually having a significant effect on the current unemployment rate in the US is .
AI’s replacement of junior developers:
This is the theory that has gained the most because it is the most attention-grabbing. Proponents of this theory say that companies are now restructuring to eliminate junior developers and other entry-level positions, because AI can do that level of work instead.
While all of these explanations might be contributing their part to a difficult market, the one that holds the most sway for those in the know is also the simplest: supply and demand. When Computer Science was first lifted up as the 鈥済olden ticket鈥� major, there were more job openings than there were skilled people to fill them, which created that 鈥済uaranteed high-paying job鈥� story. Over the last ten to fifteen years, the number of CSE graduates seeking entry-level jobs has ballooned enormously, while the number of available positions has mostly stayed steady or, as is the case now, begun to shrink. Unemployment rates are up because the field is oversaturated. Combined with the other stresses on the job market, the squeeze looks especially grim.
But is it really as doom-and-gloom as all that? What does this landscape mean for recent graduates, current CSE students, and prospective students planning their college application lists now? Should burgeoning compsci nerds give up on their dreams of joining the next generation of tech innovations and development? We certainly don鈥檛 think so.
The tech industry needs passionate and skilled engineers and developers, perhaps now more than ever. In the midst of the deep shifts happening with continued AI integration, many companies are redefining what junior roles might look like, and that process might take some time. But companies cannot permanently eliminate a junior pipeline, otherwise they won鈥檛 have the invested and skilled talent to replace their current senior levels.
What Can Current Computer Science Students Do?
So what can current and prospective CSE students do to best prepare themselves for the changing job market?
- Build up your fundamentals: this includes not only technical skills, but critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills as well鈥攚hich will all be of the utmost importance when working on a team.
- Get comfortable using AI tools, but develop and trust your own judgment more: if you can evaluate AI outputs for accuracy and function, and revise them as needed, you鈥檙e in a much better position than someone who only knows how to prompt an LLM.
- Develop your network: nurture relationships with peers, professors, and mentors in the field. This may sometimes involve making asks that feel nerve-wracking, but it also involves being genuine and generous with your time and energy in return.
- Take advantage of opportunities: if your university offers connections to (or requires) internships, special courses, or certifications, don鈥檛 pass them up. Internships can still be one of the most reliable paths into the field, because they allow you to make direct professional connections.
- Don鈥檛 discount other industries: if you鈥檙e getting ready to graduate and are starting to look for jobs, consider relevant positions outside of the tech industry itself. As more industries ramp up their digitalization and AI integration, there will be new demand for skilled engineers and developers to spearhead that work.
Will AI Take Over Computer Science Jobs? – Additional Resources
Looking for more resources? Learn more about some of the best colleges and universities for Computer Science and its sister fields below:
