A UC Berkeley computer science professor is sounding the alarm after noticing a worrying trend among his former students—graduates with stellar records are struggling to find jobs. In a recent LinkedIn post, James O’Brien admitted that many of his brightest students, even those finishing with perfect 4.0 GPAs, are reaching out in frustration because their degrees aren’t translating into employment.
Even Top Students Are Being Overlooked
Professor O’Brien stressed that the job market has shifted dramatically. “Tech degrees no longer guarantee employment,” he wrote. In past years, even average Berkeley CS graduates could count on multiple offers, often with competitive salaries and locations. Today, he says, even the most outstanding students are finding themselves without options.
Many of these graduates have strong academic achievements, relevant experience, and glowing recommendations—yet they are still coming back to their professor asking why their hard work isn’t leading to opportunities. For O’Brien, this highlights a deeper and possibly long-term change in how employers are hiring.
A Market Shift Future Graduates Can’t Ignore
O’Brien warns that the problem isn’t limited to today’s graduates. Students just starting college now may also face a much tougher landscape when it’s their turn to enter the workforce. With ongoing tech layoffs and a rising number of unemployed professionals, competition is fiercer than ever.
“We need to take action now,” he urged. He also pointed to a Wall Street Journal report confirming the decline in tech jobs. Data from Indeed shows that postings for software developers have fallen by more than 30% since early 2020. Meanwhile, over 137,000 tech jobs have been cut in 2024 alone, adding more pressure to an already crowded market.
The Broken Promise of a College Degree
For decades, a college diploma was considered the golden ticket to a stable career. But the current job market is proving otherwise. Despite years of study and often crippling student debt, today’s graduates are finding fewer opportunities in their fields. And this issue goes far beyond tech—graduates in multiple industries are hitting the same wall.
Recent data paints a grim picture. A study by the Strada Institute and the Burning Glass Institute found that 52% of bachelor’s degree holders are underemployed within one year of graduating. Even after a decade, nearly half remain in roles that don’t require a degree.
Troubling Trends in Graduate Employment
The employment outlook for this year’s graduating class isn’t much better. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, hiring expectations have dropped significantly. Sectors like finance, insurance, and real estate expect 14.5% fewer hires this year, reversing last year’s growth.
For students who once believed their hard work and high grades would guarantee success, the reality has been sobering. Even perfect academic records no longer provide a shield against a shaky job market.
How Universities Can Better Prepare Students
To face this challenge, experts say universities need to be more transparent and proactive. That means helping students understand market shifts before graduation, offering strong career services, and preparing them for the possibility of non-linear career paths.
Resume workshops, networking support, and clear guidance about what industries are shrinking or growing could make a real difference. As Professor O’Brien’s warning shows, academic excellence is no longer enough by itself. Students need both skills and strategy to succeed in today’s job market.
I am 64 and will not consider anyone for a well paying IT position with no experience.
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I started out by working on farms at 14, rode my bicycle to get to work, then retail and retail management, joined The Army at 27, served 26 years and now have a great career in IT as a Senior Program Analyst. Many of our positions require a degree in Computer Science and ten years of experience. Your GPA alone is not enough.
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No one hires in as a General. Show me you can shovel “tihs” and show up to work on time, can be reliable, productive, and counted on, then work your way up the ladder, we can talk.
A greater majority of the students are receiving outstanding grades. I suspect this is due to grade inflation (which has been getting worse over the decades), lowering of academic standards, secondary schools being given increased funding for improved academic performance (they lowered their standards to achieve this) and to a lesser extent AI. Secondary and post-secondary education doesn’t foster originality, analytical skills and problem solving and I think employers are beginning to see this in their new employees. Yes, there are individual exceptions. This however appears to be the current norm.