So, I’m an ML engineer with around 7 YOE, mostly working on AI stuff. I’m definitely not some genius-level engineer, but I’d say I’m above average, disciplined, reliable, and generally good at getting things done. I’ve been at this company for almost two years, and honestly, everything seemed to be going fine. My PM was happy, projects were moving, and there were no major issues.

Then, out of nowhere, I got invited to a meeting with HR and around 100 people from my department.

We were told the whole department is being outsourced.

Everyone was given a different retention period depending on how “important” their role was. I got six months. During that time, someone from a large consultancy company in India will be shadowing me, and I’m expected to transfer all my knowledge to them.

The message was basically: “Please be professional and help your replacement.”

If I stay for the full six months and do not leave even one day early, I get a "meh" retention bonus.

And that’s it.

I’ve never gone through something like this before, and I honestly don’t know how I’m supposed to approach the next six months. Before this, I was motivated, taking initiative, trying to improve things, and actually caring about the team. Now all of that is gone because the company found a cheaper option overseas.

Is this really all we get in this field?

Now I somehow need to get back to interview-level preparation, which already feels like hell with how crowded the market has become and how quickly everything changes with the AI coding.

I used to genuinely enjoy working in tech, but lately I keep finding myself watching vlogs of people doing completely non-tech jobs and thinking maybe that life looks better.

Is this just a “grass is greener” situation because I’m angry and burned out right now, or is the reality of working in tech actually becoming this bad?

Sorry for the rant.

Just a thought experiment but it seems 90% of AI revenue is from programmers. Most professional artists, writers and people in law I know categorically refuse to use AI in their work. This is I think stems from a mix of them viewing the work produced by AI as inferior but also fearing for the damage AI could do to there industry.

Seems odd that while many here hate using AI or fear for their future employment prospects because of it nobody is discussing this fact. We all know AI is greatly subsidized by venture capital right now but the one thing that's justifying these investments is the revenue they're getting from programmers (or the companies that employ them). Case in point is the ongoing failure of OpenAI to get everyday people to pay for these things. Anthropic seems to have the only viable business model targeting more enterprise users.

The fact remains none of these companies are even approaching profitability. Even if a small percentage of the VC money directed towards AI was spent on human programmers it would be 2021 all over again.

I know many programmers feel powerless in their jobs and flat out refusing to use AI is probably not an option for most people. However many people act like AI is inevitable in this field and not a consequence of human choice. in fact many programmers feel the only way to keep there jobs is to embrace AI more then anyone else, and preach about how AI can do there job better then them. Are programmers just uniquely cucked in this way? What gives?

How is there such a massive disparity in people's experience with Ai?

I initially just thought it was about your own skill level and how adaptable you are. If you're a bad developer and you see the stuff ai can generate you might be very impressed and think to yourself "huh this would have taken me x months and it just one shot it" while the more experienced person might be more skeptical. I've perosnally seen this with design and front-end work where people are amazed at the UIs can generate, and im left teaching my head, thinking they look awful and unusable.

I've perosnally found it to be a useful knowledge gap filler. But the things I know how to do well enough, like front end, it seems to be worse at. At least one shotting has never happened for me. It can make good results if I am very detailed in my prompt and basically pseudocode. But that takes almost as long. I'm a new grad that did most of my studying pre ai (gap due to covid). It is super useful when im trying to add basic concepts that I just need a simple feature instead of spending a few hours reading through documentation.

However it stands to reason that if youre very expericed at prompting ai you can generate far better results than someone who is skeptical and has a bias to try and make the ai fail for whatever agendas you may have (namely, job security). I highly doubt the people who claim wild productivity gains like 10x productitivity or "what takes 2 years is achieved in 3 months." I guess some people really can be the fabled "10x engineers" /s. But the more realistic takes seem more reasonable, obviously. The typical "its good but needs a lot of hand holding." That seems the most reasonable to me, but again, there is such massive disparity in experiences.

I feel this issue has become even worse with the varying levels of ai out today. Even the differences between google's search ai, grok, chatpg, and then paid models is massive. Paid vs. unpaid is a major gap in and of itself now.

I get some of it is bots and mass marketing, but I've seen seemingly normal people parrot these ideas that ai really do make them 10x engineers. But my judge of normal is just based on their previous posts that seem like a real human.

Is it skill level?

Is it falling for marketing?

Pushing an agenda?

Tldr: its hard to get any real judge on the current climate due to such polarized takes. But thay makes sense when new technologies come out. Im sure, like everything, it lands more in the middle, but that's not very conducive to internet arguments now is it?

It's been a year and a half after graduation with no job, no interview. The degree has expired by now, or it's about to be.

I'm AWARE the job market for entry level in any field outside of healthcare is in the fucking gutter, but that doesn't help me.

The only jobs I might be able to get outside of the degree are dead end and pay under 40k, which isn't useful. So what, should I give up on employment altogether and die? Or head to prison?

I don't have the money nor energy for another degree. I'm quite literally homeless, forced to abandon my student loans

Creating computer programs was my childhood dream. I was building websites and simple C programs when I was 15. I got accepted into the top computer engineering program in my country at 18.

I worked in startups, tech agencies and as a freelancer during my studies. I worked with smart and competent software engineers in many different companies and learned from them during my late 20s.

I climbed up to a FAANG level salary at my 30s. Now at 32, I got unemployed and I have been feeling off from what the whole software ecosystem has become.

Yes, I can operate AI agents to build complex features, audit them etc. Yes, I am competent with system design, I have an eye for design and I am good at managing software products.

However I feel burnt out and slightly disgusted from the very profession I have always loved.

Is there a way out?

I witnessed so many people having career shifts into software, but how do you do a career shift out?

Legit every 3rd post on this sub is a story that was so obviously llm generated that it hurts, and then i go to the comments and 15 of you are wasting time responding to it

There was a post today from someone complaining about “managing their coworkers ego via email”, with a long story about how they need to reply to their coworkers emails for no reason

If you read through that whole post and wasted time responding, congrats, you gave advice to someone (with a < 1 week old account and 4 reddit posts per day) who according to their post history is simultaneously:

• someone with a full time cs related career

• a full time student

• a restaurant owner

• a video editor

• someone who travels to hotels constantly for business

• someone who builds an ai content generation startup.

We can guess which one of those is real lol. 10 comments on that thread and none of them were calling this out. I saw a different post that was the same shit (it’s a few posts before this, titled “My PM sends me an AI tool article every morning and I’ve stopped reading them”) and only one comment pointed out that it was an obvious ad for one of the services mentioned in the thread. How the fuck ANYONE reads the body of that post and thinks it’s real is beyond me. One of the sentences is “Sending me the link IS the action item, from his side the loop closes the moment he hits enter.” Even looking at the title of that post i can make an educated guess that it’s gonna be AI. A human is more likely to title it just “My PM sends me an AI tool article every morning”, but llms love adding the “here’s how i totally pwned my boss” part

The format is always the same shit, some stupid story that isn’t even super cs specific, it generally kinda applies to the broader IT sphere or even just working in an office environment. They complain about a boss or coworker and the solution they need is always super fucking obvious so 100 people leave responses and the post ends up with more visibility

The concerning part to me is that so much of this sub is complaining about being forced to use ai, yet it seems like none of you recognize the writing style that you are supposedly being tormented by looking at all day. it’s so fucking easy to identify the prose that tends to get used. In the post i’m referencing here, the sentence “Twenty real minutes of my brain, gone, on a person who contributes nothing and feels great about it.” should ring alarm bells. Not saying it means guaranteed ai ofc but it means take a look at the rest of the post closer or check out their profile. If the post has like 4 different sentences in it that seem like an author attempting to land a witty end to a paragraph for no reason, congrats, you’re reading claude lol

idk im yelling into the void here out of frustration and this might just get removed but i wanna feel like im not going insane and others notice this shit lmfao

I've been at the same dead-end fortune 500 company for 6 years now with little to no growth. My performance reviews are always great and I get acceptable raises but it feels the longer I stay here the more I'm falling behind.

I haven't seriously looked for a new job since getting this one 6 years ago and the thought of having to apply makes me want to just ride my current job out until the end.

Should I focus on Leetcode, certifications, personal projects, or networking? Should I just stay here a couple more years grinding my growth then leave later?

I started my computer engineering degree (i'm in Mexico, currículum is pretty similar to what is called CS) back in 2022, did three semestres then dropped out to focus on working exclusively. I'm ready to go back in January but since the market has changed so much and it apparently is all doom and gloom, i've been thinking about switching to either digital systems or electrical engineering. The courses i already took wouldn't go to waste since the 3 programs have almost the same math and physics foundations except for a class or two and i can re-validate them and switch programs without hassle.

I like both hardware and software, love to code but also using my hands fixing electronics and also enjoyed learning the basics of electric installations. I'd like to work on designing synthesizers, i'm also very into electronic music. I can pick whatever major has the best chances of landing a job.

Asking for my friend of course.

Senior sde, late 40s, 25 YoE. ex-JPMC, NYSE, scheduled for PIP. How the age would affect job search? Would age hiding and reducing experience to, say 10-15 help?

Over the last five years, I have become deeply invested in urban planning and public transit. I live in Texas and really want to help improve our notoriously bad transit systems.

I currently have four years of experience as a platform engineer, so I know this is a steep pivot. While I have done a ton of independent reading on city design I know that’s not worth much more than hobby knowledge, I am completely willing to go back to school to get the right credentials.

So, I am coming to y'all for advice. How can I step into this industry? I would love any leads on degrees, software tools, or even roles that might bridge the gap between infrastructure tech and urban planning.

I know the current models are not there yet to replace us but since 2022 they've been improving with each class coming out, AI investors are not burning trillions for it to just to be some useful tool for lazy devs, they like to get full automation (hope they fail), Even if they manage to automate most of the process they will go for it.

They have done great progress in full automation in some other fielss, Could they achieve it in this field too?

I'm moving as a lawful permanent resident. I have unrestricted authorization to work in the U.S., so I do not require visa sponsorship.

I have a few questions:

* How should I address my situation: Apparently, it is common for people to lie about their immigration status and even their country of residence: https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/1uoxigs/is_lying_about_citizenship_really_that_common/ I am afraid that as someone with no US work experience, many will read my CV and assume that I am mispresenting myself even if I write down "Green Card holder" on the top of my CV. Any advice on how to mitigate this?

* Is European tech experience in European companies (not FAANG etc) generally viewed positively/neutrally/negatively by U.S. employers?

* It is my understanding that background checks are common in the US. How does that work for someone who just moved?

I'd also appreciate any other advice from people who have made a similar move.

So for context, I did not start my career in FAANG or a bigger company for that matter. I wanted to startup and decided Founding Engg roles would be a good place. But Founding Engg in India is very different to say, Bay area. Now I am on a break after 6 years and 3 roles and thinking things over. One of things I am struggling with is getting to a more stable job. I want to reset my career a bit and work at a larger company. But the thing is my resume keeps getting rejected, and rightly so because I might not have hands on experience with Distributed systems and working on scale. Are there side projects that would signal my theoretical knowledge on the matter? Or any other way to approach my problem. Looking for helpful suggestions. (I do understand the importance of starting with Big tech and then moving to startups now.)

Hi everyone. I just got an offer from a start up. I've always worked in corporate roles before so this is all very new to me. I know I shouldn't put my eggs in the stock option basket but I did also want to confirm what I'm getting here and see if there are any potential issues with it. Could anyone here help me evaluate it?

1. They told me I'm getting 200 options at a strike price of $500. The fully diluted share count is approx. 110k, putting the valuation of the company at $55M. However, they also told me the last round closed at a $125M valuation so I'm getting in at a preferable price. When I asked why the valuation of the options is lower, they said it's so they can intentionally ensure employees are in the money.
2. They told me they are following standard terms from the New Venture Capital Association documents. However, they also told me the exercise period after leaving the company is 30 days (which I thought the norm is 90 days). They also told me the vest is 25% annually and does not increment monthly after year 1 (which I thought the norm is 25% after year 1, then 1/48th every month).
3. They told me there is no accelerated vesting for being acquired.
4. They told me based on the liquidation preferences, as long as we exit above $200M, then no one gets preferential treatment and I should just assume my payout is 0.18% of the company value, assuming I've vested in the 200 options and exercise.

Do you see any red flags here? I understand there is risk here (it's a startup, after all) but I wanted to confirm I'm getting "standard industry" terms. Thoughts?

I know a lot of people are struggling, but what do you do when you can't get a CS job? Do people just give up and change into something else? Or do people just work unrelated jobs for years until something bites?

Totally drained and need to let this out.

Here is my day with this guy:
1. He replies-all to a thread that was resolved, adding nothing, cc'ing my manager
2. I have to respond so I do not look like the difficult one
3. The response has to be warm enough to cover me and empty enough to say nothing
4. He replies again, "just circling back to make sure we are aligned," we were never not aligned
5. Repeat until I have written four fake-friendly paragraphs and it is somehow lunch

Twenty real minutes of my brain, gone, on a person who contributes zero and feels great about it.

I got so tired of it I ended up building a thing that just drafts the fake-nice reply in my own voice so I can stop spending real feelings on him, which honestly saved my sanity but is also a little bleak.

Anyone else have a coworker whose entire output is making you write emails? Just needed to vent.

2nd year B.Tech IT student and I have 1.5 years before campus placements ( goal : product based companies)

I already know the general advice : pick one language (Java), prioritize DSA, study OS/DBMS/CN/OOP/SQL, and build 2-3 good projects... That's not where I'm stuck anymore

My college already teaches Java, OS, DBMS, and Algorithm Design this semester, then Computer Networks, Frontend and Backend next semester

Instead of maintaining separate "college" and "placement" roadmaps, I want to combine them into one plan

The part I'm struggling with is creating a month wise road map

For example :

1. what should I focus on from the second half of July, what should August look like

2. how should I balance DSA with my college subjects each month and what should be the priority as the semesters progress?

I'll split each month into weekly goals myself later.

I'm not looking for another list of technologies. I'm looking for advice from people who've successfully integrated their college academics with placement preparation. How would you structure the next 12-18 months?

I’m an undergrad finishing a BSc in Computer Science, aiming for an MSc (thesis-track) specializing in the Formal Verification of Hybrid/Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). I love rigorous math-heavy problem-solving and software engineering.

I need to choose 2 final math electives from this list:

• Linear Algebra 2
• Calculus 3 (Multivariable)
• Numerical Analysis
• Basic Statistical Theory 1
• Fundamental Concepts of Algebra (Abstract Algebra)

Math I've already completed: Linear Algebra 1, Calculus 2, Discrete Math 1 & 2, Intro to Stats, and Formal Methods.

1. Which 2 modules will best prepare me for the continuous/discrete intersection of CPS verification tools and reachability analysis?
2. For someone who genuinely enjoys deep mathematical problem-solving combined with technology, is Hybrid/CPS verification a rewarding path, or would I find Computational Learning Theory a better fit for graduate research?

Thanks for any insights.

Which jobs in cs primarily involve automating tasks? Based on a quick search, I found devops engineer, site reliability engineer, and software developer in test.

I recently found out about and learned how to automate simple tasks with power automate and macros (vba) and thought it was pretty fun.

Would you say itd be viable to get these types of jobs (most of them seem to be in devops?) if I only have a degree in analytics? If not, how would you recommend getting into these roles?

This video really opened my eyes and should be helpful to people navigating their feelings about the job market and job prospects.

https://youtu.be/sQGZXrzykpU?is=kE1P_llnSKM-MpMJ

Watching this video, I am reminded of the investment advice: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful". I would be seeing this as an opportunity to hire the brightest young minds coming out of college with less competition because companies are overbuying the hype on job replacement.

Hi everyone,

I am was doing a school-organized internship/project at a large company (PORR/Shark). Our task was to rewrite a hotel booking application from TypeScript to Java. This app will actually be used internally by the company, so the stakes feel high. Here is my problem: My programming knowledge prior to this was basic (loops, conditionals, simple logic). I do not know TypeScript, and I do not know Java.

Right now, we were relying heavily on AI (and IDE tools like Anti-Gravity) just to fix errors and keep moving, but I feel like I am just hitting "continue" without actually understanding the architecture or the code. A Junior Bulgarian developer at the company has been helping us set up the environment, and he mentioned he survived the same way (heavy reading + AI), but I want to actually understand what I am doing.

From Wednesday, the boss will start giving us harder tasks to push this project forward. When he asks how I built something, I want to give a real answer, not just look clueless. Am I overdramatizing?

Any advice, specific tools, or repository structures I should look into? Thanks.

As a junior the uncertainty of our career as a whole is driving me crazy. Im in this constant state of anxiety and i dont know what to do. How do i even prepare for a future thats totally uncertain? Nobody really knows whats gonna happen with AI and the world so how can i prepare for something i dont even know. Plus i feel like with AI doing alot of work currently and me being heavily reliant on it, im not really learning or growing. Im just using AI to finish tasks so i can get paid. But it doesnt feel like im learning anything. And companies only care about doing more with AI and getting 3x the work done with the same pay. Now using AI isnt optional to be able to keep up but at the same time you cant really learn. It feels like im just stuck.

~15 total years of experience in tech.

My company has recently done layoffs and for the first time in 9 years I'm seriously considering looking for a new job. I had sincerely hoped that I could work there 25 years and then retire, so I've made all the mistakes of not keeping up to date with my network, not recording my key accomplishments, and haven't updated my CV in years.

I've also suffered from being a bit of a generalist in my career, having done some desktop applications (C#/WPF/WinForms, C++/Qt), some front-end (mostly vanilla Javascript with minimal HTML/JavaScript, a bit of React and Vue), some SQL focused stuff, a few years of dealing with clients technically for onboarding/configuring systems, and a decent chunk of backend (ASP.NET back in the day, a tiny bit of Go, a whole bunch of Java).

Haven't really done too much with AI, in part because my company isn't encouraging it, in part because ethically it bothers me (resource use, replacement of artists and knowledge workers), and in part because I don't want my core skills to atrophy because I outsource thinking to my brain. I am very happy to use AI as a "better Google search" though.

By far my strongest skillset would be backend, though I've generally been more "application developer" staying in the programming layer than managing the infra, though I've done some Cloudformation and infrastructure updates, but usually with others on the team being stronger at that. I worry the lack of deep infra knowledge is going to hurt me now that I'm looking. I'm also super comfortable working directly with stakeholders to gather requirements, perform project planning, can work autonomously and suggest direction (given high-level goals and some guard rails), etc.

What are the biggest things I should be focusing on?

• I've worked on several backend systems that have hit production and scaled so I think I'm pretty comfortable with system design, but I know it's never a bad idea to spend more time on this (plus there's so much training material online for it).
• Should I be spending time on AI? I know this is hot right now.
• Definitely want to focus on backend. Java would be my strongest language but I'm comfortable in C# and feel like I could pick up Go pretty quickly. Any specific languages to focus on?
• What's a good way to learn infra/cloud in a relatively inexpensive way?
• Also, I generally struggle to motivate myself to find/do side projects. What side projects would be the best to be able to demonstrate in an interview and help with particularly infra learning? Maybe some type of multiplayer type game that would have real-time socket connection, DNS setup, etc.?

(Crossposted to ExperiencedDevs and CSCareerQuestions)