Despite spending lakhs on an engineering degree, freshers are finding it almost impossible to get a job. With massive layoffs already happening, many are left unemployed. Here’s a closer look at what’s going wrong in the IT sector.
Ever since AI made its big entry, many jobs have been on the chopping block. Now, AI technology is completely changing the software industry. A recent post by a startup founder, Shweta, has kicked off a huge debate about India’s Computer Science (CS) education system. She argues that colleges, parents, and students are all to blame for the current crisis with CS degrees.
Spending Lakhs on Outdated Education
Shweta points out that engineering colleges are charging lakhs in fees but are still teaching a syllabus that’s nearly a decade old. Students are spending a fortune to learn concepts that today’s AI tools can handle easily. The old formula of “engineering equals a guaranteed job” became outdated back in 2020. However, parents are still stuck in the past, believing in a job market that no longer exists. They are taking out huge loans, dreaming of their children landing fancy salaries or opportunities to go abroad. Thirdly, the students themselves are blindly following this path. Before investing four years of their time and money, they aren’t questioning the current market trends. Shweta questions the logic behind competing with thousands of other candidates for a starting salary package of just ₹3.5 lakhs.
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Advice for Students
Shweta has also shared some tips for students to get a job in the age of AI. First-year students should focus on getting their programming basics right and building a solid GitHub portfolio. In the second year, they must do an internship, even if it’s at a small startup. By the third year, students should pick specialised fields like AI and Cloud Computing. In the final year, they shouldn’t just depend on campus placements. They need to actively look for off-campus opportunities as well. She warns that while the market and AI have changed, people’s mindsets have not.
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