'A black hole': New graduates discover a dismal job market

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall state of the job market

  • Many commenters say the downturn is real and severe, especially for juniors and new grads across fields, not just tech; hundreds of applications with no interviews is common.
  • Others downplay the article’s framing, noting “toughest since 2015” doesn’t sound historically dramatic and that every era has some struggling grads.
  • Several mid/senior devs report finding jobs relatively quickly, especially via referrals, suggesting pain is concentrated at the entry level.

Entry‑level tech, AI, and offshoring

  • Junior software and AI roles are described as brutally competitive; a few highly publicized comp packages obscure the reality for most grads.
  • AI tools are widely seen as eroding demand for junior devs while increasing demand for experienced engineers who can “harness” them.
  • Some argue AI assistants can help juniors learn; others say they encourage copy‑paste behavior and reduce real skill-building.
  • Offshoring and imported labor (H1B and similar) are cited as additional downward pressure, though some dispute it’s the main cause.

Generations, housing, and expectations

  • One camp blames “unrealistic expectations” shaped by social media: house, family, and luxury car by 26 is called fantasy today.
  • Another camp responds that similar stability (house, family, single income) really was achievable for earlier generations on median wages.
  • Long threads debate housing: wages vs. house prices (US, Australia, Germany), investors outbidding first‑time buyers, zoning, and falling labor share of income.
  • There’s disagreement on whether boomers’ experience was a historical anomaly or whether current hardship is exaggerated nostalgia in reverse.

Dignity of work and “undignified” jobs

  • Multiple comments stress that janitorial, cleaning, and manual roles can be dignified if they pay a living wage and have decent conditions.
  • Others argue many degree‑holders simply won’t take such jobs, even at higher pay, and that society structurally depends on someone doing unpleasant work.

Advice and coping strategies

  • Suggestions for new CS grads: broaden geography, target federal contractors or smaller firms, build visible projects (especially with AI), lean hard on networking and referrals, consider contracting.
  • One view is starkly pessimistic: unless a new grad is elite on several dimensions, they should consider leaving tech. Others strongly disagree and emphasize persistence and flexibility.