Employers aren’t giving up on computer science grads. Here’s what they want instead

Not long ago, a computer science degree was widely seen as a golden ticket to a lucrative career. Over the past year, a different narrative has taken hold: In the age of artificial intelligence, that path is collapsing. From coders working at Chipotle to the ”bursting” of the computer science bubble, a growing chorus has suggested that a degree once synonymous with opportunity no longer delivers. The numbers don’t match the story. The pessimistic narrative around computer science (CS) hinges on two main arguments: that CS graduates have recently faced elevated unemployment, and that too many have been unable to secure a good first job. Each of these points is true on the surface. But they are also overstated—and they misread the transformative impact that artificial intelligence is already having on the economy. Lower underemployment After the launch of ChatGPT, recent CS graduates did experience unemployment a couple of points higher than the average for other recent grads. But they continue to experience substantially lower underemployment than most of their peers, a critical distinction, because it means they are more likely to land professional, college-level roles that make m…