The long-held promise that a Computer Science degree guarantees lucrative job prospects is unraveling. As of early 2025, recent CS graduates face unemployment rates between 6.1% to 7.5%, noticeably higher than those of biology or art history majors.

Stories from the ground underscore the crisis. One Purdue graduate, once assured of six-figure offers, ended up with only a job interview at Chipotle and didn’t even land that. Another from Oregon State sent out nearly 6,000 applications and secured just 13 interviews none led to an offer.

Experts trace the tears in this narrative to oversupply of graduates, lingering tech layoffs, AI automation of coding tasks, and gatekept hiring pipelines that favor pedigree over potential. Emerging research from TechCrunch shows leading tech firms have slashed hiring of recent grads by 25%, while favoring experienced hires.

The “coding equals prosperity” myth has been upended. Today's reality demands adaptability, thoughtful specialization, and leveraging hybrid strengths like AI fluency, product insight, and domain-specific skills not generic coding alone.