I have a vested interest in college kids’ outcomes right now because I have two of them myself and one on the way, and things seem very uncertain for them. When I read the research data about what’s happening, I pay extra close attention.
The Data
It’s not very encouraging. According to very recent research from Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab, published in August of this year, companies that adopt AI at higher rates are hiring juniors 13% less. Another study from Harvard published in October of this year cites that early-career folks from 22-25 years old, in these same fields, are experiencing greater unemployment while senior hiring remains stable or even growing.
There are so many young people out there that don’t have the luxury of living with their parents during hard times, and this, sadly, has the potential to affect their entire career trajectory.
Why I Got Involved
Because of the work I do with People Work, I was lucky enough to be able to dig into this issue more deeply when we joined CU Boulder Venture Partner’s Starting Blocks program to see whether or not universities were feeling this, too. The point of the program was to validate a customer segment for our business (students), but as a mom and an engineer, I had a deeper purpose. I did interviews with university faculty and staff and students from all over the country, and I found anecdotally, of course, that the research findings have definitely caught up to what people are feeling.
What I’m Hearing From Universities
Most of the university post-graduation job placement statistics have not caught up with the research yet, but staff and students alike have anecdotally told me that they feel it. Students are telling advisors that they are struggling with getting that first job, and hopelessness looms.
I recently responded to a video from a CS grad who described feeling 'cooked', and I get it. The feelings are valid.
The most surprising thing that I learned is that everyone - career services staff, professors, deans, students, and parents alike - all agree that networking is absolutely essential for post-graduation job-placement success. (This was before they knew who I was or what People Work was about.) They see the AI-resume / AI-recruiting game and know that the only way to stand out is creating genuine connections with other professionals.
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