The six-figure tech jobs that seemed like a birthright for computer science grads just two years ago are suddenly vanishing into thin air. Silicon Valley's latest reality check is hitting recent graduates particularly hard, with entry-level positions becoming scarcer than a profitable metaverse project.
Look, we all knew the tech party couldn't last forever. After years of throwing money at anyone who could spell "JavaScript," the industry's finally sobering up. Major players like Google, Meta, and Amazon have been steadily rolling back their once-lavish hiring sprees, leaving fresh graduates wondering if they picked the wrong major.
"CS degrees aren't the golden ticket they used to be," says a recruiter I talked to recently.
The days of bidding wars over new grads and signing bonuses that could cover a down payment are starting to feel like ancient history, right up there with MoviePass's original business model.
The numbers tell a pretty brutal story.
Entry-level tech salaries are sliding back to earth, and those legendary stock option packages are getting trimmed faster than a startup's burn rate during a funding crunch.
Companies that were once happy to train fresh talent are now looking for that mythical "entry-level position requiring 5 years of experience."
But here's the thing about tech: it's always been cyclical. Anyone who remembers the dot-com bust or the 2008 financial crisis knows this isn't the industry's first rodeo.
The sector has a way of bouncing back, usually with some new buzzword leading the charge.
Some grads are getting creative, taking roles at smaller companies or startups that bigger firms might've poached them from before.
Others are broadening their search beyond traditional tech hubs, discovering that, surprisingly enough, companies in the midwest need software engineers too.
The smart ones are adapting. They're picking up those unsexy but essential skills that keep getting overlooked during boom times. Database management, security protocols, and (gasp) actual documentation writing are suddenly valuable again. Who would've thought?
For students still in school, the message is clear: the tech industry still needs talent, but the days of showing up with just a degree and a dream are over. At least until the next hype cycle kicks in. Which, knowing tech, could be any minute now.
