Wait – what? computer science and STEM majors have the some of the HIGHEST unemployment rates?

Photo above - Bob and Bob are efficiency consultants and want to have a conversation about what you do at your keyboard all day. There's no reason to be alarmed, however.

I always knew my high school career guidance counselor was moron. Not only was he too dumb to be allowed to teach any actual classes, his career advice is now proved 100% wrong. Per the link below (Futurism) computer science and STEM courses are some of the WORST things you could sign up for, judging by unemployment rates.

It’s doesn't end there. Think about accounting, engineering, banking, tax preparation . . . you name it. Apparently the more specialized and narrow your knowledge is, the easier it will be for artificial intelligence to do it. As opposed to really complicated jobs that flummox AI - things like Uber , door dash deliveries, or being a Starbucks barista. The good news, you can do all 3 gigs at once!

Let me insert a personal aside here. The futurism link DOES admit that the worst possible degree (highest unemployment rate) is cultural anthropology. Um . . . that would be me. And I doubled down on this bet with a dual degree in English lit. But I've never been out of work. Except for that time I quit my job writing customer service and telemarketing scripts because the place I worked for was treating customers like crap.

America has misplaced its faith in computer and coding careers for decades. Computer languages apparently have a half-life of 18 months before they start going extinct. Then you have to learn something entirely new. Nobody cares about Java, Fortran, Visual Basic, or Cobol any more. I personally know at least one Java coder who is considering suicide. (I made this part up. He's now a barista . . . )

About a decade ago President Obama cancelled the coal mining industry in West Virginia. “No worries” he told everyone. "We’re going to fix you up with computer programming courses. Replace your pickaxes and shovels with keyboards. You’ll love it."

You probably read how that turned out. Shortly after the miners to coders thing crashed and burned, there was a pivot teach these guys telemarketing. But then government killed that off too.

Okay, it’s 2025. Suppose your kid’s guidance counselor got fired for irrelevance, and that bright eyed 17-year-old wants to find a website to plan a good future. I’ve included a link to such a website, at bottom. It’s from the Bureau of Labor statistics – an official agency of the US government - so it HAS to be accurate, right? Here’s what it says the most promising careers will be:

Wind Turbine repairman

Rooftop solar panel installer

Nurses (this is evidently a bet on aging, but hard-to-kill boomers)

Data scientists

Okay, I slammed my laptop shut after that last one. The US government is REPORTING high unemployment in computer science but promoting it as a career at the same time.

This good news list goes on for 10 more rows and includes "epidemiologist." Either someone in DC is predicting a LOT more epidemics in the future or is skeptical that AI systems which are smart enough to diagnose cancer will be flummoxed by viruses and bacteria. I'll let you decide how much of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics career advice you want to rely on, when signing up for ginormous student loans.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

"Learn to Code" Backfires Spectacularly as Comp-Sci Majors Suddenly Have Sky-High Unemployment

Fastest Growing Occupations : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics