Don't learn to code: Stanford grads compete with AI for programming jobs

“Stanford computer science graduates are struggling to find entry-level jobs," Jan Liphardt, associate professor of bioengineering, told the Los Angeles Times. AI has made experienced engineers more productive, limited job prospects for early-career software engineers, even those from elite universities, reports Nilesh Christopher. "The job search has been even tougher for those with less prestigious degrees."

Entry-level jobs for software developers peaked in late 2022, and have declined by nearly 20 percent since then, according to a Stanford study.

Employers who previously needed 10 engineers can do just as well with “two skilled engineers" and AI, said Nenad Medvidović, a USC computer science professor.

“We don’t need the junior developers anymore,” said Amr Awadallah, CEO of Vectara, a Palo Alto-based AI startup. “The AI now can code better than the average junior developer that comes out of the best schools out there.”

"Human engineers’ jobs are shifting toward oversight," writes Christopher. There are openings for people who can manage AI.

Some Stanford students are taking jobs with companies they wouldn't have considered before or creating their own startups, he writes. Many are staying on campus for a fifth year to earn a master's degree and build their AI skills.

“That’s been a dramatic reversal from three years ago, when all of my undergraduate mentees found great jobs at the companies around us,” Stanford’s Liphardt said. “That has changed.”

Some believe AI will create more opportunities by making workers more productive.

AI-exposed occupations are showing higher job growth and wages, according to a research report by the investment company Vanguard. “This suggests that current AI systems are generally enhancing worker productivity and shifting workers’ tasks toward higher-value activities,” reads the report.

Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, a cloud-storage company, says AI could expand white-collar jobs by reducing the costs of complex knowledge work, writes Eric Hastings on WebProNews.

"Levie envisions a future where cheaper AI tools enable companies to tackle ambitious projects that were previously uneconomical," he writes. "AI’s ability to handle repetitive or data-intensive tasks could free up human workers for higher-level strategic roles."

Not everyone is optimistic about working with AI.