For new grads, Journalism > Computer Science

Not really but that’s what the numbers are saying…

Computer Science grads have a 6.1% unemployment rate. Journalism grads? Just 4.4%.

Think about that for a second. I’ll pile on.

The US employment rate overall is 4.4%. We’ve added jobs 52 months in a row.

But for 20–24-year-olds? It’s 8.2%. And for young men specifically, it’s 9.6%.

So…not a good time to be young. But at least you have all your hair.

I’m not here to fearmonger. If I were, I’d go full Anthropic CEO and claim we’ll hit 20% unemployment in five years because of AI. (He’s talking his book. Fear sells AI.)

Here’s what’s actually happening:

1. AI is reshaping planning. Even if AI ends up being mostly hype.

It’s really damn hard for companies to disrupt themselves. Especially when they’re already making money. Which is what overhauling your entire org with AI would require.

But in the short term? Perception is reality. Every exec and investor is reading the same AI headlines. They’re taking a swing. And the easiest area to replace people is the junior level.

2. We’re still in a ‘do-more-with-less’ hiring environment.

Tariff uncertainty + high interest rates = cautious hiring.

The only roles getting filled are must-haves. Low initial ROI hires (i.e., people who need a lot of training) have fallen off the map.

(Junior hires aside, we’re also seeing less Learning & Development hires. There’s less training at all levels.)

3. All those 2020 COVID gap years means more than usual grads in 2025.

A higher supply of grads is hitting just as demand is cooling off.

All the being said, I have two pieces of advice for the younger generation right now:

👉Hunt for jobs in the most proactive, human way possible.

Something that has always been true at junior levels: hiring managers are impressed by hustle.

Send direct emails/DMs. Pick up the phone. Go to events. Ask for referrals. Send handwritten notes.

Basically, do anything besides just applying online. Because that’s what everyone else is doing.

“Grit” and “drive” are two of the words I hear most often from execs who hire junior talent. They can tell you’ve got it, just by the way you approach a job search.

(I could go on a tangent about how online swiping culture has made everyone worse at think-outside-the-box job seeking, but that’s another rant entirely.)

👉Target jobs AI can’t do (or can’t be trusted to do).

Sales and client support roles are the top of the list. People buy from people. That ain’t changing anytime soon. (And it’s where we’re seeing the most demand.)

Then you’ve got the jobs where the details have to be right, and AI hallucinations can’t be allowed. Roles in fields like accounting and legal need human oversight.

It’s not the first rough market for junior hires and it won’t be the last. Smart and scrappy beats spray-and-pray, every time.