As the coding boom fades, AI is forcing colleges and computer science grads to adjust

According to analysis by the Associated Press, the jobless rate for computer science graduates is nearly 7.1%.

Jack Zemke poses for a portrait at a co-working space in Santa Monica, California, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. [Photo: Ethan Swope/AP Photo]

Computer science student Jack Zemke was getting nowhere despite sending out hundreds of job applications that mostly disappeared into the void—ignored.With his graduation from Tulane University just days away, he was considering moving back in with his parents when he got a break, thanks to a group project he had worked on involving an AI-powered search tool. As he touted it at an engineering conference, an employee at a civil engineering firm approached.“We’re not, like, the most on top of trends, but we know that AI is becoming a big thing,” he recalled the man saying. “We need somebody to be essentially an evangelist.”Zemke responded: “I’m your man.”It has been a difficult job market for new graduates, especially in fields like software development where artificial intelligence is shouldering more of the work. While college students majoring in computer science during the recent coding boom were getting job offers without even applying, graduates today in philosophy, art history, and ethnic studies majors all have higher employment rates.But as the job market evolves with AI and entry-level jobs become harder to find, students and schools are adapting. Colleges are experimenting with business-specific internships and bolstering training in AI tools. Schools say most graduates ultimately are getting jobs, although increasingly, the employers hiring aren’t tech giants but smaller businesses looking for help figuring out what to........

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