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

She graduate 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 step.

However, 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 true.

Her 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 landscape.

An AI-Era Job Market Crunch

Her 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 major.

Industry 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 roles.

Debt and Dreams: A Risky Combination

Zoho 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 degrees.

Experts Warn Against Blindly Chasing Coding Careers

Former 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 fundamentals.

For the the Purdue University graduate the constrast 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 cost-cutting.