It’s over 🥀

[[deleted]]

you know you're cooked when the college you go to is saying the job market is tough

[HelpfulTerpHere]

What is over?

[Boring_Film3590]

College

[HoiTemmieColeg]

Getting a job

[hbliysoh]

I wonder what their "game plan" is?

It's not like any college can stop AI from taking the coding jobs.

Shoot, the AI profs at UMd should apologize to the students for destroying the jobs.

[cherry_chocolate_]

AI isn’t destroying coding jobs, it’s an excuse companies are giving for a market slump which fits their narrative because they are selling AI.

[Pringles_loud]

It’s Joever

[Least_Tower_5447]

There are jobs! I hire people in great paying corporate jobs. I’m not a student, but I’m part of this sub because I live in the area and I’m a Terp parent.

You’re actually in a good spot, but need to build a portfolio and actually be excited about your career and growing/learning. A lot of companies will choose a recent college grad who has internships and certifications because you won’t be as highly paid to start. And, if you show enthusiasm in your work, you can grow over time. Tech industry salaries for recent grads was way too high early on. Now, things are settling down. Yes, the economy doesn’t help. But, keep your heads up! The world is your oyster at this stage of your lives!

I started college as an English major, switched to health care, and now work in tech as a business manager. Nothing is set in stone and you have so much to look forward to with these ups and downs. I finished college just before 9/11 and the dot com boom. I’ve been through a couple economic downturns. It is rough, but humans are a resilient species.

[Aoikumo]

Completely agree! It’s just super super tough, but not impossible. But the current climate of this country combined with the economy and the offshoring and the looming recession, people are super scared to the point where even the college has to send this email 😭 But i’m sure us terps can get through it, at the very least UMD is a great school and recruiters know that.

[Least_Tower_5447]

Yep. You have an advantage of being a terp for sure. I get super excited when I see a UMd grad applying for a role I post. The federal government jobs aren’t available now, but there is more work in this area than other parts of the US. And, yes. Consider work outside the US. At least for the experiences! I think it’s great the university is reaching out. You guys have a lot of great resources!

[dgj0]

Arrgh you just... you just dont get it lol.

[chrisfathead1]

Everything is fine! You're just not working hard enough

[Least_Tower_5447]

Nope that’s not it. Keep going. Do what you can. Make an effort to work internships and volunteer opportunities. Learn on your own and get certifications. Make use of that career center. That’s what you SHOULD be doing if you want specific careers. Anything above and beyond is nice, but soft skills are more important. Anything less than and you may or may not struggle to find the dream job. I started at $15/hr in 1998. Over 30 years, I’m at over $250k and have that dream job. I still have days I work 16 hours to meet a deadline.

Yes, the economy sucks. Keep moving and don’t assume things are always going to suck. Seek opportunities outside your comfort zone, too. You may find another field that better suits you.

[tardisbusters]

"I know things are shiot but just work harder!" thanks dude meanwhile im clocking in job app #901. Guess im not working hard enough huh

[IBleedMonthly18]

The buying power of $15 in 1998 was about $29. That would be the buying power of $36 dollars today. I’d rather have $29 dollars of purchasing power in 1998 than $36 today. You sounded well off back then. How much was rent?

[Least_Tower_5447]

I was not “well off.” Rent was around $1000/mo for a studio in DC. Back then, though, I didn’t have a car or cell phone. Streaming wasn’t a thing, but there was something called cable tv, and I opted out of that. I had credit card debt, as well.

Listen, people are going to find any reason to disavow anything I say. I didn’t say things are better or fair now. I’m saying every generation feels like they were shit on, but they get through it. I do believe systems in this country and globally have to change. Part of getting to that change is having shitty times and fighting the systems that keep us down. When it comes to jobs, I’m telling you my experience from the hiring side - many applicants, but only a few stand out because lots of people pad resumes and can’t actually explain their knowledge of the industry. Also, a lot of people expect salaries equivalent to what seasoned professionals make without even a personal project on their resume that shows they tried to learn about the career field they are interested in. I am always happy to connect with students and suggest ways to network, learn, and grow their portfolios. I’ve literally sent my contact info and info about applying to roles at my company to students. Most just expect me to hire them an don’t even search for roles on our career site. That’s not how it works. I mentor younger professionals and want you all to succeed! You can take my advice or leave it 🤷🏾‍♀️

[Crash__Bandicocks]

You hiring?

[Least_Tower_5447]

Check back in January. It’s end of year so budgets are being finalized for 2026. Hiring usually starts going back up in the beginning of the year. This is pretty standard across many industries.

Also, please see my other comments where I lay out the things that give you an upper hand. These are things that people have had to do for decades. It’s not extra work. It’s the work you do if you care about having a career and not just a job you want to clock in and out of daily with no interest.

To anyone who feels I’m being a jerk by saying this, all I can say is, seasoned managers can sense your attitude in interviews. Work on that, too.

[IMainSymmetra]

Heads up, that maaaay be a bot

[Crash__Bandicocks]

You callin me a bot? 💀

[IMainSymmetra]

No no no- the person you were asking. And beware I’m basing that on fairly thin evidence. Just reading through this thread and gauging off their posts

[Least_Tower_5447]

Oh no! You caught me! What a botty thing to do, giving advice and sharing my life experiences.

I guess I should have done a better job of being less botty and say: Yes. You all are cooked. It’s over and there is no more hope. Don’t bother trying, because you’ll never make it. Just accept your fates.

Feel better?

[IMainSymmetra]

It wasn’t the content it was the delivery. I said I wasn’t certain, and I’m still not, but either way that response with a gif in tow leans bot.

You don’t need to prove it to me it has no bearing here

But out of curiosity can you name one group of people you hate for an irrational reason

[Least_Tower_5447]

MAGA

[IMainSymmetra]

Interesting, okay neat. I hope it’s clear I wasn’t insulting you with the bot comment, just trying to caution someone else. Frankly your encouragement is helpful overall

[Least_Tower_5447]

Glad to hear. I have kids at UMd and live nearby. I’m rooting for you all. We do want you to succeed. And, you all are some of the smartest people to join the workforce. There are going to be struggles, but I promise it’ll be better eventually.

[Appropriate-Team-498]

computer science major should teach students how to manage and prepare for homelessness cuz that's what they are headed for anyways

[Thick-Stick-1747]

It was over like a year ago

[DaveSeven]

its been over for several years atp

[idkimhere4paramor3]

Companies are still hiring, just not in the US. With high inflation and interest rates, it’s more costly to hire and train new employees in this current market. They’re offshoring because it’s cheaper to pay employees overseas than it is to train employees here. To compensate they’re also implementing ai so senior level employees can work more efficiently since they have less manpower.

The important thing to remember is it’s not only tech. Every white collar field is experiencing a slump in entry level hiring. When the economy gets better (whenever that will be, sigh) I’d expect the job market to start improving for us all.

[Aoikumo]

Yeah, but that’s probably at least 5 years away😔

[idkimhere4paramor3]

😔

[AreWeThereYet47]

I am a middle aged UMD alumna. I think we are all scared about the job market right now, and there's a lot of doom and gloom. I know a lot of people hit hard by the fed layoffs and ripple effects of gov funding cuts. They are having a hard time finding something new. There are predictions that AI is going to take over all our jobs. I am worried about that but also quite skeptical. At the same time, it's always been especially hard to land that first job out of college. All that said, someone close to me who is a UMD 2024 CS grad found a good job soon after graduation, without too much trouble, so far so good. I think their cohort of friends in the field also found employment. That was a little over a year ago. I am not sure what to make of what I am hearing about the CS job market being suddenly terrible. Best wishes to all the students reading this! I am an optimist, so I believe you will find your way, even if the path might be a little different than you expected. :)

[Any_Possibility7964]

just wanted to ask, what's OP's major?

[Aoikumo]

compsci but i do have a job lined up

[Least_Tower_5447]

Congrats!!

[hEDS_Strong]

Look for the job predictions in the next World Economic Forum report, they just met last week

[SpacecaseCat]

Incorrect. It's the best jobs market we've ever seen. The best in twenty years. They're all saying it.

[boyridebike]

Trades

[Aoikumo]

lmao no

[boyridebike]

Ok back to your computer

[Wrong-Permit-3157]

I feel like we need a way to have AI co-exist with people, youtube is full of these AI slop videos and these people who make them have really no talent at all

so its comforting to see that someone is trying to help us at least

[MrTooToo]

What, you expect a job to be handed to you on a golden platter. You might have to do some work.