Work after work: Notes from an unemployed new grad watching the job market break

State of the Tech Job Market

• Many see the current new‑grad market as the worst in years: junior postings are rare, competition per role is extreme, and even strong candidates with multiple internships struggle.
• Several compare this to the dot‑com bust and post‑2008 era: boom years (ZIRP, 2015–2022) led to over‑hiring, and now there’s a harsh correction despite upbeat macro headlines.
• Others push back on “AI is killing jobs” as the main cause, arguing it’s mostly a cyclical downturn plus high interest rates, trade tensions, and weak UK/EU conditions.

Trades and “Non‑Office” Work

• Commenters point to housing shortages and data‑center construction as evidence that trades (electricians, etc.) are booming in some regions.
• Counterpoints: entry barriers (unions, apprenticeships, “you must know someone”), big regional differences, and wages that don’t cover housing in many cities.
• Broad skepticism that there is a real “shortage” of tradespeople: many see a shortage of decent wages and willingness to train, not of labor.

AI, Automation, and the “Bell Curve”

• The essay’s “fat middle of the bell curve” idea resonated: routine, average work is easiest to automate; odd, cross‑disciplinary or messy work is safer, but only temporarily.
• Some see AI and teleoperation as “globalization 2.0”: remote workers driving robots and forklifts, offshoring not just code but warehouse and logistics tasks.
• Others argue AI productivity claims are overstated and being used as a convenient justification for layoffs and hiring freezes.

Offshoring, H‑1B, and Labor Politics

• Multiple reports of onshore hiring freezes while offshore hiring continues, often justified as “local talent shortages” that insiders see as pure cost‑cutting.
• H‑1B is described by some as wage suppression and creating a dependent underclass; others note that genuinely exceptional foreign candidates still fit its original intent.
• There is frustration that professions like medicine guard local supply tightly while software has been left open to heavy offshoring and migration.

Hiring Practices, Resumes, and Internships

• Internships no longer reliably convert to full‑time: freezes and headcount caps often block offers regardless of performance.
• Strong disagreement over the author’s CV: some hiring managers call it too dense and narrative; others say in a market with 200+ applicants per role, resume style is marginal.
• Several say inbound applications are now swamped by spam and AI‑generated resumes, pushing companies toward outbound recruiting and referrals, which hurts new grads without networks.

Emotional and Societal Themes

• Many younger and mid‑career commenters describe “compounding despair,” long jobless stretches, and a sense that the generational “social contract” is broken.
• Others stress that previous cohorts also went through brutal busts, but acknowledge this time feels worse because junior rungs themselves seem to be disappearing, not just temporarily scarce.