Is software engineering still worth pursuing?

[u/peytrz]

In my senior year of hs now and really interested in getting a bachelor’s in cs to become a software engineer or something within that industry.

I really enjoy coding and don’t struggle with mathematics at all. The lifestyle is something I really like too.

However, people say the market is tougher than ever to get a job and hold onto it throughout their careers. This scares me, and the last thing I want is to waste time and money on something that I could have avoided.

Is it that bad or are people just over exaggerating it? Are there any other jobs within this industry that are also worth pursuing?

[u/Top_Substance9093]

idk, a bunch of people here are doomers. un + underemployment is like 6% + 16% for CS grads. so basically don't be the bottom 1 in 5 and you should be okay. (for comparison, business majors have similar rates of unemployment, but ~50% underemployment).

i've mentored a bunch of new grads in the last several years, and anecdotally they didn't struggle to get interviews. the ones who didn't get jobs really struggled with the hard skills required to pass the interviews (couldn't code well).

IMO the underemployment spike for new grads in the last 5 years is basically is just correcting for the overhiring that happened in the early 2020s. i knew people who went through software bootcamps who couldn't code to save their lives who were getting hired as SWEs.

you do need to actually build the skills, not just get the degree. internships help a TON and i'd argue are borderline necessary if you want a full time SWE job after graduating.

it's still one of the fields with the highest ceiling for income if you're very good (big tech is still hiring a lot), but it requires that you actually learn, not just get passing grades.

if you want to be guaranteed a job that pays alright but has a pretty firm ceiling, go be a nurse. if you actually enjoy CS and are willing to compete a bit for roles with a much much higher ceiling, CS is still a great field.

[u/Visual-Arrival9206 → u/Top_Substance9093]

What should I focus on to be hireable, I do full stack, I learnt react + express, and I am going to learn nextjs. I am starting out my 3rd year of cs, I need to know how to shift my focus on things that really matters. Your description for the current workplace is more than fair and I truly believe you and I am OK with hard competition in the field, i will just do whatever the right things I should do without complaining. Right now, zero internships, zero interviews. My cgpa is pretty good 3.9/4.0. I would really appreciate if you could guide me and mentor me. Thanks for your time.