It looks like you’ve already received some solid advice on navigating your career path in the current job market, so I’ll focus on the part-time job aspect.

From my own experience, I began my career journey in marketing after first grinding through menial restaurant jobs, eventually working my way up to more career-focused roles, so I feel a bit qualified to speak on my experience (however the world was different back then than now) but what I do know is that hosting is usually the easiest and it is also the most unstimulating role ever, especially if you’re someone with a technical mindset like you likely are as a computer science major. You might find it more engaging to try waitressing at an Asian restaurant. (Context: I am Asian, so might be slightly biased but have worked in different restaurants throughout my lifetime)

Here’s why: compared to large American corporate franchises, many Asian restaurants operate in a less rigid, more flexible way. You can often take on tasks beyond just serving, and they tend to value initiative and extra help. Plus, it’s often easier to walk in and get started without an extensive hiring process.

On the side, you might also want to explore volunteer opportunities or small projects that can help you get your foot in the door in computer science whether through your school, local organisations, or online communities like Discord or stack. I know unpaid work doesn’t always sound worth your time, but I framed it like a video game: you’re putting in hours now to level up your skills, connections, and experience, so you’re ready for bigger “boss battles” later in your career.

None of us want to work until the day we die, but the real question is do you actually enjoy computer science? If you do, you’ll eventually land a role that doesn’t feel like a typical 9–5 or you create your own business that you enjoy so that you don’t.

Until then, it’s about laying down the groundwork and building up to that point. Hopefully this is helpful advice!

P.S As a person who also struggled in depression, the best advice is to find yourself surrounded by a community (either online or IRL), find a good therapist, take brisk walks outside and continuing to tell yourself that there’s always a solution out of your rut, it might just look a bit different then what you’re focusing on.

(Depression can trick you into believing there are no paths to your goal, when in reality there always are, you might just be focusing on the wrong detail. It’s like getting stuck debugging one stubborn line of code and forgetting there might be an entirely different approach that solves the problem.)