Not wrong! The degree was always the stepping stone, and even for me I was always told work experience would make the difference. But now having graduated college 2 years early, with 2 high quality internships under my belt, my options are slim. Thankfully, I love what I do and don’t plan to ever stop doing it, but I feel bad for the people that “did everything right” and still aren’t landing jobs.
Referenced unemployed new grad here! I think a lot of what contributes to this is the thought that a degree=employment for college students. We feel scammed, confused, and quite frankly just angry that this was the timing to graduate into.
As a CS student I have many thoughts around the reasoning for this (AI reducing need for junior engineers, oversaturated market from COVID bubble, opaque job requirements/too low of bar). As much as I'd like to believe it's just a skill difference on my side, it's hard to deny my peers' and friends' struggle around me. I don't want my livelyhood to come down to a numbers/chance game. But sadly, that's what it is looking like right now.
I appreciate the insight! I hope this isn't something I regret, mainly because the product just came out naturally from my character. I still love learning, and I plan to be a life-long scholar (part of why we are both likely on HN).
Despite the "speed running," I didn't actually give up too much. I managed to be a treasurer/photographer at the school fashion magazine, study abroad, make a huge amount of friends, and even land a really nice internship during my time here. It all was condensed into the 2 years, but I did do it all! I do hope that this becomes a choice that reflects who I am as I grow, rather than a regret later on. Either way, I'm still a teenager, and I'm sure this isn't the worst mistake a teenager can make :)
Hey everyone, Yash, writer of the article here! I truly believe in freedom of information and a lot of tips and tricks here were found through needless trial and error. Feel free to ask me any questions about whats up!