Why is it so hard for kids these days to get a job?
My younger sibling is 27 and graduating college this year. Even after sending out 20 applications a day, they say they only pass the document screening once or twice a month. Back in my day, if you had a decent school background, you'd at least get contacted. Listening to them vent, I hear that AI has reduced new developer hiring altogether, and that there are more positions that only hire experienced people. Since my sibling is a non-CS major preparing to be a developer, it feels even more noticeable. When will this get better? Or is it right to tell them to switch to a completely different path?
3 answers
Yeah, that's how it is these days. Especially if you're a non-major, it's even harder ㅠ
I'm also someone who prepared to become a developer without a CS background, and sending out 20 applications a day might not actually be the most effective approach. I used to do the same thing, but I got burned out and ended up completely rewriting my resume and cover letters. After that, I started getting more responses. I don't know what your sibling's major is, but there are probably places worth applying to that play to that strength. Rather than saying opportunities have shrunk because of AI, I think it's more accurate to say companies are replacing simple tasks with AI, so their approach to hiring juniors has changed. I'd suggest they try a slightly different angle within a similar path, rather than completely switching to something else.
Honestly, if your sibling is a non-CS major, isn't it obvious that it'll be tough? Before saying 'kids these days can't find jobs,' you should look at their actual qualifications. The developer market is flooded from every direction, so the competition is absurd. If they have a good school background and still can't get past the resume screening, then there's a real problem — but for a non-CS major, that kind of struggle might just be normal. OP, instead of comparing it to your own time, give your sibling advice that fits the current market. And if they don't absolutely need to be a developer, then I think it's right to tell them to look into other paths.