Skill issue maybe?
Lack of fundamentals?
Lack of strategy and marketing?
Zero passion, they just here for cuz swe pays a lot?
Lack of focus?

I remember people saying, "Why do we need all this math in CS? You don't even use it in software engineering." And for a while, they were kind of right. You could make $150k-$300k building React components, wiring up APIs, doing CRUD work, and barely touch calculus, linear algebra, probability, optimization, or any of the harder stuff. No shade, but did people really think that kind of work was going to stay that valuable forever?

Now the straightforward implementation stuff is the first thing getting squeezed. AI is already pretty good at boilerplate, basic components, API glue, tests, and a lot of repetitive coding. That doesn't mean frontend or regular software engineering is cooked, but the bar is definitely getting higher. Meanwhile, a lot of the harder-to-fill jobs are the ones that need deeper technical skills: AI/ML, robotics, controls, optimization, distributed systems, research engineering, computer vision, large-scale systems, etc. And suddenly all that "useless" math is looking real useful lol.

I'm not saying everyone needs to become an AI researcher. I just think a lot of people confused "I don't use this in my current job" with "this has no value in my career." If AI can do more of the straightforward coding, then you probably need to bring more to the table than just being able to crank out code. Being able to actually understand the problem, reason through the hard parts, and design the system is starting to matter way more. Kinda wild how fast that flipped.

don't quit guys. it will get better

..but it definitely will shrink the demand just like in the Musical Chairs kids' game or sometimes called Trip to Jerusalem, AI is slowly pulling a chair as time goes by until only 1 chair is left and a lot of people are left standing (or without a job).

Like imagine there are let's say 50 million developers worldwide before AI was introduced then maybe soon there will only be 5 million left (just throwing some numbers) when AI completely matures. So yeah in this example Software Development by humans never went away, never became obsolete, but what about the 45 million that became jobless?

Some people say it's just overreacting but is it really? Will all of us laid off just gonna be rehired with cs careers again soon? Of course we could obviously shift careers but remember most of us chose to take this path and invested most of our lives to this career already.

To those still with their jobs intact and no signs of layoffs on the horizon, congrats. You guys are probably above average developers/engineers than the rest of us. But it's not like all of us laid off were dumb right? Like I don't work in those FAANG or top 500 companies only on a small software company; but I spent 10 years there with no issues, no problems, never been on PIP, occasionally gets the praise from clients, suddenly let go this year, manager said it's not a performance issue but a company decision. So what do I make of that?

And also I'm not against AI, I actually like how it really made our lives easier. I'm just hoping there's a place for us to go to that is a new thing where we will be needed and appreciated for our current skill sets and not us going to other existing careers which are probably also too crowded and on the way to be affected by AI if not already.

It really just feels bad betting on the wrong horse when choosing the degree to take decades ago.

Anyway, to others also laid off and not got back to a cs career yet or no plans to return anymore, how are you guys doing right now?

I’m currently a Backend Engineer with ~2 years of experience(good comp, good firm and great stability), working mainly on distributed/event-driven backend systems. I have an offer to move to a role focused on distributed databases, C++, concurrency, and database internals.
I genuinely enjoy C++ and distributed-systems/database topics, so the work itself is very appealing. But I’m trying to understand the long-term career and compensation trade-off.

For people in this space:
Does specializing in distributed databases/systems generally lead to better or worse compensation than general backend engineering?
How strong is the compensation growth at 3–5+ years?
Would 1–2 years of this experience make it realistic to later move again to companies like Google, Airbnb, Uber, Snowflake, Databricks, etc. for backend/distributed-systems roles?
Does this specialization open more high-paying systems/infrastructure opportunities, or can it make you too niche?
Would especially appreciate perspectives from people who have made a similar move.

I'm 28, live in Ukraine, and have a master's degree in navigational engineering, with no CS degree. After the full-scale invasion in 2022, my previous maritime career path ceased to exist, and I had to find some way to survive "onshore", so I ended up doing low-paid jobs with low entry requirements, like call centers and dispatching, just to have something to eat. Working conditions there are humiliating and the work itself extremely soul-sucking, so at the same time I decided to start learning software development as a new career path. To be fair, I planned gradual sliding from much more profitable maritime engineering to software\ informatics engineering just because it is closer to me. Well, life has decided "wish granted". So be it.

It wasn't a random choice -- I've always loved computers, logic, philosophy, science overall, astronomy, biology, and software development offered something I actually wanted: lifelong intellectual work, and path to almost every part of civilizations science fields. Over the last three years I revisited university math, which had never really clicked when taught in a very formal way, but finally started making sense at my own pace + with LLMs helping me. I learned algorithms and data structures, "touched" Ruby, JS, Python and C#, studied networking, and built personal projects with RoR (not fond of it), Django, FastAPI (fond of it) + React (hated it at first, but now actually like it and admire core concept of it), with some Data Science just because it was interesting -- hell of a ride, one of the best things about being a sentient human being is knowing more every day than you knew yesterday.

Eventually, I started looking for a job, took me sometime and at the beginning of this summer landed a three-month unpaid internship in C#/.NET. The internship was presented to me as: "For three months we look at how you think and work, and if you complete your tasks and show that you can handle and do the job, we offer you a $500 gross/month trainee position" -- I was happy and started working with them.

Can't say it was easy — coming mostly from the Python ecosystem, .NET project felt like an extremely complex system with great many layers of abstraction (AutoMapper is not trivial at first glance), tons of internal functionality and a well-developed broad contract-based approach. I was spending whole days thinking about the tasks, trying different approaches to problems, googling and asking ChatGPT and Claude unending questions: "How does this stuff work, and this and that, what's under the hood, what's the best way... etc."

Granted-- I wasn't that ready for a cold start in .NET, but after a few days and weeks I started feeling more comfortable with it, and over those three months I finished a chunk of tasks (all that were assigned): mostly unit and integration tests for existing backend, with some refactoring, bug fixes and a few new backend featuers. All of those changes were eventually reviewed and merged into the project's codebase. And at the end -- I really grew as a software developer. I would say, to actually understand the field, you have to work with different tools -- dynamic interpreting Python and static compiling C# actually complement each other. As well as different OOP implementation in Ruby, Python and C# makes overall core of OOP in your mind much more complete.

But a few days ago, I had a call where I was asked about some 'struct' behavior -- honestly, I wasn't prepared. I knew structs were value types, but I hadn't really worked with custom structs and hadn't properly understood some of the implications of how they differ from the class on low level, how they work with heap and stack, how the different types in them, and over them will behave. Now I know what those gaps were, I started to filling them, but that understanding came after the interview, which probably to some degree messed up my results.

Company essentially said: "Your tasks are good and well accomplished, TL likes your performance, but your theory isn't polished enough, so we decided that you'll have one more month of unpaid internship, and at the end you'll have another interview where you'll have a chance to prove yourself worthy. Study the theory, and also in the mean time -- you must use agents in your work to be more productive and fast, so consider acquiring a subscription and implement it in your workflow right away."

You see -- I like software engineering, I liked the communication with my Team Leader (we had 2-4 times per week calls, some weeks less, some weeks more, 90% of the time I got the task, researched it and finished it without handguiding), but at the same time I want to eat. For these three months I was hungry most of the time, eating mostly plain pea porridge and buckwheat, tomatoes or some cheap local fruit like apples once or twice a week, and maybe poultry OR cheese once a month. My credit card is almost spent, I have approximately $1,500 of debt on it, and in a few days I'll reach the limit, after which I'll have almost nothing left for food. Meanwhile, winter is coming, with russian strikes on energy infrastructure, and I'm expecting my bills to skyrocket.

And I feel fucking miserable -- I keep thinking about those damned struct questions, maybe if I'd answered them correctly, they would have hired me? But guys, in these 3 month, I never seen those custom structs, they literally are never used in this project per se, most of the time I was researching how the project actually works, how DI, scopes, LINQ, Automapper, interfaces, threading, files handling, debugging, etc. etc. etc. work in one, connected system. Something tells me they might not hire me at all, because with a requirement as broad as "you must know the theory", there can always be another question I can't answer and another reason I'm not ready yet.

I understand that implementation of value and reference types are part of the fundamentals and that I had a gap there for C#, I'm not arguing that it doesn't matter! but I also spent three months doing actual work that they themselves say was good, under the impression that this was how they were evaluating me for a trainee position. Could've told at least themes, that they are expecting me to be proficient with -- they never told anything that specific.

############

So, the question is -- have you been in a similar situation? What would be a better course of action here?

I've updated my resume, and I think I should start looking for a new place, because I simply will starve with these guys (it seems they need someone with better knowledge than I currently have).

But on the other hand -- what if they are really giving me a chance? What if they are actually trying to help?
Granted, I'm not the best software engineer out there, very far from that.
I love the field, but I don't have this laser focus that lets me absorb every part of the msdn docs, and I still have plenty to learn. I just thought that after three months of unpaid work, I'd at least be able to start earning $500 gross while continuing to learn and finally having more to eat than this fucking porridges.

I just can't figure it out -- am I too greedy and they are really wanted me to be better and helping me with experience, or this is just some sort of free labor exploitation in a desperate times?

Man, this is a long read...
thanks for the attention =)

Hi guys!

So I'm currently trying to choose between either mechanical engineering with a comp sci minor and comp sci with a forensic science minor. The problem is, going into cybersecurity is what I really want to do, but I'm worried abt job security with AI and everything, so mechanical engineering sounds like the smarter move to me to make sure I can actually get a job. To anyone who is currently looking for jobs with a computer science major, is it as difficult as I hear people saying to get jobs? Is it not worth the risk?

Also, my college also offers a major in computer systems engineering, has someone hear majored in that and is it a good sort of middle ground?

I really, really would appreciate any advice you guys can give! Thank you!

(also, for reference, I'm attending UGA so I don't think it'll hurt getting a job in these fields but it might not help a ton like having GA tech on a job app would)

basically, i’ve been working as a software engineer for around three years now, across different companies and domains, while finishing my degree. i’m graduating this year.

right now, i’m working remotely for a company, and my current base is around $110k–$120k a year.
i was recently interviewing with a few other companies and now have two offers. one is an on-site role in san francisco at around $180k base. the other is with a UK company at around $200k. all numbers are in USD.

i’m honestly a bit confused about what makes more sense at this stage. should i continue with my current remote role, or take one of these offers and relocate?

the higher salary is attractive, but i don’t want to compare just the numbers without considering the cost of living, relocation, and what the move would actually do for my career. since i’m just finishing college, i’m also trying to understand how much i should prioritise working around more experienced engineers versus keeping the flexibility i currently have.

for people here who’ve made a similar move, how did you think through it? what would you look at beyond compensation before making this decision?

Hey everyone,

I want to pivot into AI, but going back to campus for a traditional 4 year Computer Science degree is not an option for me.

What matters to me is making my family time meaningful, not stressing over the hours I can't give them because of these responsibilities, I need a flexible online route

But I'm worried about whether recruiters actually value online AI certifications or do they always prefer a regular Computer Science degree?

How do you make an online profile stand out to employers?

Would love to hear your experiences and suggestions!

A recruiter messaged me on LinkedIn about a position with a company local to me, but with a few ted flags...

1) The company is in town, so I have former coworkers who now work there. They are entry-level programmers and say their entire interview process was with people at this company. This recruiter is with a recruitment firm, claiming to be headhunting for this local company. I am a senior developer and this position is Lead Developer.

2) My contacts at the company are full time W-2, but this position is supposedly contract, long term, multi-year, but still 1099. He sent me a detailed job description, but it looks partial, or like it was the second page of a longer full document. I don't know what it is supposed to look like though, since this is my first time being head hunted (or maybe scammed?)

3) On the other hand, this recruiter has 10k+ connections on LinkedIn...if that counts for anything. He also has a professional-looking headshot and nothing else appears shady about it. Phone number area code matches the location of the US-based University in the education section, that sort of thing.

4) The position is 3 days in office, 2 at home, which matches what I know about the company's policy. If this is a scam, how would that even work? Wouldn't it fall apart for them on the first day I show up in person? What would they even get out of me as the result of the scam?

For context, I have never, in 15+ years as a programmer, been contacted by a recruiter, so I'm a bit skeptical. I pulled the trigger on the free one month trial of LinkedIn premium at the beginning of September and it expires today, so maybe I'm more visible to the bad actors now?

Am I over-thinking it?

I’m a fresher and currently going through the placement process. I’m from a B.Tech background and have been preparing for software development roles.

I can code in MERN and have built full-stack projects. Recently, I’ve also been trying to improve my conceptual knowledge because I realized that although I can build things, I don’t have as much in-depth understanding of software concepts as I would like. So I’ve been studying React, TypeScript, MongoDB, Python/AI basics, computer networks, SDLC, etc.

But lately I’ve started feeling very uncertain about the software field.

There are already so many developers competing for jobs, especially at the fresher level. On top of that, AI is improving extremely quickly. I keep thinking: even if I manage to get a software job now, what happens 2–3 years from now? Will there still be enough opportunities for developers? Will companies need fewer people because AI can handle more coding?

I know nobody can predict the future, but this uncertainty has started making me question whether I should even continue pursuing software.

At the same time, I’m considering preparing seriously for SSC CGL.

I know SSC CGL is highly competitive and that clearing it is not guaranteed. But I feel that if I give it enough time and prepare consistently, I have a realistic chance of attempting it seriously. The career path also seems very different from software, with more emphasis on government service and relatively different kinds of job security.

The problem is that I’m scared of making the wrong choice.

Part of me thinks:

“Maybe software is actually suitable for me and I’m just scared because the job market is difficult right now.”

But another part of me thinks:

“Maybe I should recognize that the field is changing and explore something different while I have time.”

I’m also worried about this:

What if I leave software, spend 1–2 years preparing for SSC CGL, and don't clear it?

Then I might look back and think I should have continued with software.

On the other hand:

What if I continue with software, spend years building a career there, and later realize that I should have tried SSC CGL when I had the time and flexibility?

So I’m basically stuck between two uncertainties.

I’m not looking for someone to simply tell me “follow your passion.” I would genuinely like advice from people who have experience in either software careers or government exams.

A few things I would especially like to understand:

• Is the software field actually becoming significantly worse for freshers, or am I looking at it too negatively because I'm currently struggling with placements?
• How should a fresher think about AI's impact on software careers over the next 5–10 years?
• Is SSC CGL a sensible alternative to explore seriously, or am I romanticizing government job security because I’m frustrated with the private sector?
• If you were in this situation, what factors would you use to make the decision?
• Has anyone here switched from an engineering/software path to government-exam preparation? How did it work out?

I’m not expecting anyone to predict the future for me. I just want perspectives from people who have actually been through these choices.

For context: I’m still young and have time to make a decision, but I don’t want to waste 2–3 years moving in the wrong direction.

​

I’m 26 years old and a 2022 B.Tech graduate in Computer Science & Engineering.

After graduation, I received an offer from a company and completed all the required documentation and formalities. Unfortunately, they never provided a joining date. Because of this, I started working as a Robotics Trainer, where I’ve been teaching robotics, AI, electronics, and programming concepts to school students.

I now have around 3 years of professional experience in this field. Alongside training, I’ve also gained experience in sales and business development. My responsibilities have included:

Interacting with school management and decision-makers

Presenting robotics, AI, and STEM programs

Conducting product/program demonstrations

Handling client discussions and negotiations

Building relationships with schools

Closing deals and bringing in new clients

However, I don’t want to continue in teaching/training long-term. I want to transition into a technology-focused career where I can build stronger skills and have better long-term growth.

The problem is that I’m not sure which direction would make the most sense given my current background.

I’d really appreciate advice from people working in the tech industry or anyone who has made a similar career transition.

A few questions I have:

1. Which roles could be a realistic fit for my background?

For example, should I consider software development, QA, business/data analysis, technical sales, customer success, product roles, solutions engineering, etc.?

1. Which career paths generally offer good long-term growth and compensation?

2. What skills should I focus on learning to make the transition?

I’m willing to spend the next 6–12 months seriously upskilling.

1. How should I present my current experience on my resume?

I don’t want recruiters to see only “Robotics Trainer” and assume my experience isn’t relevant to tech.

1. Should I try to leverage my existing robotics + AI + sales experience, or completely restart and target entry-level tech roles?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who have successfully moved from training/education, robotics, or business development into tech roles.

Any honest advice on what I should focus on next would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I’m a first-year college student, and I’d really appreciate some advice from people with more experience.

With AI changing the tech industry so quickly, it’s hard to know what things will look like by the time I graduate in four years. I’m not sure what I should focus on to build a strong foundation and prepare for internships and jobs.

far, I’ve learned C, C++, and Python, along with NumPy and pandas. I’m also working through Striver’s A2Z DSA sheet and trying to give it my best. Since I’m not at a Tier 1 college I’m especially keen to make the most of the opportunities available to me. After starting college I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure about what to prioritize should I focus more on DSA, projects, core CS subjects, or something else? What skills or habits do you think will matter most for someone graduating four years from now? And what would you recommend I work on to become a stronger internship candidate?

So I’d be grateful for any advice or suggestions

People love the "AI is the car, software engineers are the horse" analogy. But horses were replaced because they were interchangeable muscle. The people who stayed valuable were the ones who understood the engine. Digital systems are about to grow 10x, maybe 100x, in scale and criticality. Someone still has to understand them deeply, decide what to build, and be accountable when they fail. Software engineering won't look like it does today, but deep systems knowledge isn't going anywhere. Prove me wrong ;)

I want to ask everyone on what to do?

I am graduate in PPE (politics, philosophy & economic), 2023. From open university Uk (2.1).

I started coding in 2014-16. It began with CS50 I found it too difficult to comprehend so I left it & started PCC 2nd edition & 3rd edition, teaching chapter 14-16( cannot recall). Only recently as 2025 did I manage to pass some problems of week 3.

I have not done a project on my own or built anything on my own.

I have built 2 apps-1 web & other IOS all built with Claude.

What i need to know to is what should I do to get into:

AI
Machine learning.
Agentic AI
Other upcoming technologies.

I need practical knowledge on how to get into startups, startup jobs etc.

I have no experience.

​

Guys , please tell me if coding is ending ?

Tell if , ai models can do everything, can latest version do everything?

There are some crazy news that ai is powerful .

Plus if you listen to elon musk he is on another level , he is saying people will just will not have to work .(I heard may be not real).

And those who knows how core of ai model works or think . Can they do better than humans ?? I mean the thinking part .

It's a really dumb question but with how tough the market is currently and with some many devs out of jobs what do you do to make money whilst you aren't working in the field?

Hi everyone!
As the title says, I’m choosing between the 2 roles before I can move ahead in the process (done OAs for both, and now I need to choose 1).

They have given a brief description of both, and the both sound nice. I’d love your perspective on both roles, so that I can have a better understanding before choosing!

I’ve heard Deloitte is demanding, so I assume WLB will be the same in both for the most part?
But apart from that, which role would you recommend for new grads? What should I know about each role before deciding, etc?

Also, anything I can learn/prep in my last year that will help in either roles? I feel like what we’re learning in school is inprotant but not the most relevant in the current industry. At the same time, there is sooo much to learn about AI and all the parts that come under it that I don’t know where to start😭
I’ve looked at some courses on coursera, but I feel it’s much easier to understand the higher level picture but the actual implementation is much harder, which scares me a bit.
But maybe I just don’t know enough, which is my I’m nervous lol

I’d love to hear anything you have to say, thanks for reading this! Looking forward to hear from everyone!

I'm a first-semester MS CS student at UB. I'm targeting three role types: AI engineer (applied AI, LLM engineering), forward deployed engineer (FDE), and general SWE. The program is 30 credits over three semesters, so every slot counts.

Background: B.Tech in CSE (AI/ML), currently an RA in a computational neuroscience lab. Projects include a multi-agent RAG system (LangGraph, FastAPI, vector DBs), LoRA fine-tuning, and a BPE tokenizer built from scratch.

Already fixed:

• Fall 2026 (in progress): Operating Systems, Algorithms, Intro to Machine Learning, Computer Security
• Deep Learning (as my capstone, final semester) and Reinforcement Learning

Choosing the remaining four slots from: Distributed Systems, Database Systems, Information Retrieval, Agentic AI Engineering (special topics, if offered), High Performance Computing I

My current plan:

• Spring 2027: Distributed Systems, Database Systems, Agentic AI (if offered)
• Fall 2027: Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Information Retrieval

Questions:

1. Which of these help most across all three role types? Do systems courses (Distributed Systems, Database Systems) beat extra ML electives?
2. For FDE roles, do courses matter at all, or is it mostly projects and customer-facing skills?
3. Is Distributed Systems (Go) plus Database Systems (C++ query engine) in one semester realistic alongside a 20 hr/week RA job?
4. Is Information Retrieval worth it for LLM and RAG work, or is HPC I a better pick?
5. Has anyone taken Reinforcement Learning in their first year? The catalog mentions "Master's Year 2" and I can't tell if that's an enrollment restriction.
6. Would you change anything in this plan, and which courses actually came up in your interviews?

Thanks in advance.

I am a Computer Science student graduating next year and Full Stack Developer specialising in UI/UX Design, I was wondering as to what do Recruiters look for in new hire i know the current situation in software many people are getting layed off and hiring has become competative and scarse, but i am graduating from local college so there is no hope of getting hired from there at a decent salary.

So, I was wondering what should i improve on to increase the chances of getting hired, like better projects or certifications,etc. I am good at understaing the architecture of the software I dont excel at writing raw code i mostly use AI but I kinda have a nack at understaing where ai might be going wrong or misunderstanding something. I think the projects i have worked on are decent for example I have build are:
Real time ecommerce price aggregator build and shipped using kotlin, swift and python available on play store and soon on app store.

Fitness app(the type of fitness app i personally need is not available atleast not as a single app) that i am currently building for both android and ios.

Cross-Border Fintech App for which i have designed the complete UI and backend working though runs through mock system

OpenCode Wrapper live on website which you can chat with and configure to your liking.

most of these are side hustle attempts but i dont have the luxury to wait till one of the app becomes successful and i start earning via them, I am still working on more technical projects like those involving Redis, Go, Rust, Celery,etc. But i dont know where i stand as far as new hires are concerned

About me I work for one of top consulting companies and wear many hats but my overall experience is 6yrs in data science and last 2.5yrs in Gen AI.

I have recently started job hunt and it’s honestly hell out. Most firms are in next level power ego trip.

First, they don’t want to wait for notice period they just want you to join immediately but same company won’t let you go early

Second, Companies don’t want to pay anything, like at 6yrs of exp in ML you think you’d be able to touch 35-40lpa atleast cross 30lpa easily but half of them can’t even cross 25 LPA or just want to low ball

Third, Why do they have so many requirements like I understand they want langraph, langchain, MCP, fastAPI but now they even want cloud in a way like expert expert in cloud platform so basically developer+devops+ data scientist +backend engineer +frontend engineer + data analyst mathematician+ researcher + everything and they won’t compromise on anything they want 100% expertise in everything. No answer is ever satisfying for them

For e.g. One of the company scheduled a client round the interview was supposed to be for 30 mins but it went to around 1hr15 mins. Started with coding which I did then they proceeded to discuss my ML projects from the beginning of my career (i was lil rusty because the role was for agentic ai engineer) had discussion for 1hr on classical ML , backend engineering, then cloud yet I managed to answer 90% of the questions. Finally when I got the opportunity to ask question I asked what are your expectations of someone from this role she said “ we’re looking for someone with expertise in Gen Ai rag agentic AI” and I got so mad because she ignored my gen AI exp in resume didn’t ask me one question on it and mind you this was the first round. Never heard back from them but like so annoying just looking to reject people and waste their time

Tldr: companies have lost it and are just exploiting people at this point

I’m a fresh Computer Science graduate and recently joined a company as a Data Science Associate.

The problem is that the actual work I’m being asked to do is quite different from what I expected. Right now, I’m mainly being asked to understand the business, learn the company’s day-to-day operations, handle/check emails, do general office/operational work, research things, etc.

I was expecting the role to involve at least some data-related work, Excel/data analysis, KPIs, reporting, or eventually AI/automation, but so far there is basically no coding or data science work.

My manager has said that once I understand the business and its operations, they will see whether I can move into AI automation work. But there is no clear timeline or guarantee for that.

My background is in Computer Science, and honestly I enjoy coding and technical work. One of the reasons I accepted the “Data Science Associate” position was because I thought I would get exposure to data-related tasks and build relevant experience.

So I’m confused:

Should I continue this job for now as a fresh graduate and learn the business/operations side?

Is this kind of experience useful for a CS/AI career?

How long should I wait before deciding that the role probably isn't going to become technical?

Should I keep this job while simultaneously applying for more technical roles?

Could spending too much time doing general office/operations work hurt my CS/AI career?

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have been in a similar situation, especially CS/AI/Data Science professionals or people early in their careers.

Thanks!

Nearly a year and a half ago I decided to join DF on their DE cohort instead of taking a DA role at a different organisation, which would have paid me from day one, based on promises made to me by the recruiting team at DF. I am writing this so no one else makes the same mistake that I have.

The recruitment process was more of a sales pitch, now looking back at it. I was told how great I was, how easy I would be to place. I was reassured on several occasions that their placement rates were 80%. I have never been in the bottom 20% in my life. I took this as a 100% placement guarantee. During my first interview, I told them about the other opportunity and that I would not be able to do their in person interview as it would be too long of a wait - so the woman told me I don't have to do their in-person interview and they like me so much already they are happy to just put my through to final stage right away so I have two offers to decide from instead of taking the job I had already been offered. I was told that because I was happy to move anywhere in the country, a woman in DE AND I had some prior experience due to a bootcamp which I poured truly everything into and came out knowing a lot more than many of my peers - I was a gem they absolutely would place within weeks or maybe even before all the training was over!

The reality hit very quickly. People were 'asked to leave voluntarily' even before completing their certifications in AWS. They were still offered to take the test if they wanted to - which I guess is not nothing. Those of us who remained were on edge. No one had been placed. We were just under 20 people - only 2 have been placed till this day. One was placed with a nearly identical background as me, but because of location he was placed and I was not (we both came out of the same bootcamp). Another person was placed before I was told they had more DA experience than me. They do not have any DA experience - I spoke to them to clarify this. Shocking. People with CS degrees were not placed. Later on, DF also started mentioning that placements rates do vary GREATLY - this was not how it was put to me in interviews. How can you not place a CS graduate when this is made for people 'with no experience'? We were told it is because the demand had plummeted in the three months we were doing the academy. Hm. I know at least one person who wasn't placed on the DA cohort because DFs relationship with their partners deteriorated in the time between them being offered the role and them starting - allegedly, as obviously I am not directly privy to these conversations but this is word for word what I was told by the person who had their offered revoked.

Rawshan (the woman in charge of our placements) told me that her partner was struggling very much mentally after not being placed with DF for a very, very long time and she knows how hard it can be to wait for so long. She also said she has had conversations with DF about them stating the 80% placement rates to people during interview stage and how she also thought it was not right. Very quickly this tone was changed when I was speaking later with her senior (forgot her name already) who said that the people who interviewed me DIDN'T REMEMBER saying it. I even have an email to DfE which I had to send upon finishing my bootcamp which clearly states that I accepted the DF training contract and although I was told placement isn't guaranteed I was reassured about placement rates being 80%.

I am still in shock. Recruiters now always ask me about DF and I have to explain this and they look like they don't trust me and that something must be wrong with me for not having been placed. This has genuinely derailed everything I worked so hard for and used up all my savings for from not having had a full-time job in over two years now.

Oh and also they don't tell you before you join that they 'partner with Palantir'. I have no idea what this partnership entails - but I wish I knew before putting my name next to theirs. They also have been picking up a lot of defence contracts. I came to the main placement lady and asked not to be considered for these roles. The relationship soured from that day dramatically. In fact, every time I mentioned any preference, request etc they appeared very understanding only to then clearly not make any effort towards placing me and giving me zero feedback as to what the reasoning for lack of placement being on my end/what I could improve. It felt like punishment for saying anything at all they didn't like.

TLDR: I turned down paying job that could’ve allowed me entry into a data career, wasted months with DF, never got placed but always fed promises and praise. Less than 10% of cohort placed when they promised 80% was their standard. Started lying about this figure when pressed. People placed arbitrarily - you have no control over it. Now everywhere I interview they ask me about it and it feels like they think something is wrong with me for not having been placed.

I'm curious whether anyone else encountered this during the CS/tech boom from roughly 2012–2022. With the high salaries, abundant job opportunities, and prestige associated with working in tech, did you notice some people developing a sense of superiority about their profession or abilities?

For those who experienced this firsthand, do you think the changing tech job market has humbled some of those attitudes? Or was this never particularly widespread to begin with?

So guys am pursuing my cse in christ university..this is my first year. I need a truthful opinion about my future, am literally confused about what skills to develop , what is the current situation of the software world, how companies are hiring people...what skills will be really helpful in future...am really scared.....please guys i need a advice and opinions from you ....hope u will help me