Job prospects dwindling for college grads

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A know a lot of 25 grads who are doing internships, since they could not find a job. Unfortunately that trickles down to the college kids who now have less internship possibilities.

How can they do internships after graduation? Unless they're continuing on to grad school?

[Anonymous]

Underemployment is a big problem too. I believe many of them are juggling multiple jobs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny I don’t know a single 25 grad that is unemployed save for one who thought he would get drafted or walk on to an NFL team and now needs to figure out next steps. All the others who wanted jobs landed a job 5 months post graduation. That’s not too bad.

You obviously don't know too many 25 grads if that is the case ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A know a lot of 25 grads who are doing internships, since they could not find a job. Unfortunately that trickles down to the college kids who now have less internship possibilities.

How can they do internships after graduation? Unless they're continuing on to grad school?

We know 5 kids from a top-20 school who did internships after graduation -- it's because they didn't want to offer full employment. One got hired on but his start date got pushed back to February 2026. This is for a major company that has been in the news lately, and making lots of $$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A know a lot of 25 grads who are doing internships, since they could not find a job. Unfortunately that trickles down to the college kids who now have less internship possibilities.

How can they do internships after graduation? Unless they're continuing on to grad school?

We know 5 kids from a top-20 school who did internships after graduation -- it's because they didn't want to offer full employment. One got hired on but his start date got pushed back to February 2026. This is for a major company that has been in the news lately, and making lots of $$.

I sincerely doubt this because internships are used by the companies to check out and entice upcoming talent. I’ve never heard of a post/grad intern. A company that can’t give an offer won’t do it or will retract. We saw this during Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A know a lot of 25 grads who are doing internships, since they could not find a job. Unfortunately that trickles down to the college kids who now have less internship possibilities.

How can they do internships after graduation? Unless they're continuing on to grad school?

We know 5 kids from a top-20 school who did internships after graduation -- it's because they didn't want to offer full employment. One got hired on but his start date got pushed back to February 2026. This is for a major company that has been in the news lately, and making lots of $$.

I sincerely doubt this because internships are used by the companies to check out and entice upcoming talent. I’ve never heard of a post/grad intern. A company that can’t give an offer won’t do it or will retract. We saw this during Covid.

This has always existed. Stringing along a recent grad is no different than taking a junior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A know a lot of 25 grads who are doing internships, since they could not find a job. Unfortunately that trickles down to the college kids who now have less internship possibilities.

How can they do internships after graduation? Unless they're continuing on to grad school?

We know 5 kids from a top-20 school who did internships after graduation -- it's because they didn't want to offer full employment. One got hired on but his start date got pushed back to February 2026. This is for a major company that has been in the news lately, and making lots of $$.

I sincerely doubt this because internships are used by the companies to check out and entice upcoming talent. I’ve never heard of a post/grad intern. A company that can’t give an offer won’t do it or will retract. We saw this during Covid.

This has always existed. Stringing along a recent grad is no different than taking a junior.

For years my company has had three intern classes per year - summer, fall, spring. The fall/spring interns are often recent grads. Students are eligible for up to 12 most after graduation.

[Anonymous]

When my 2026 kid graduates in MIS in the spring and lands a job…I’ll be so happy I’ll make a big post. Professors are already telling the kids maybe the students can get a job in their field in a few years….surely I’m not the only 25 or 26 grad parent on here with kid with no job yet ( still lurking around here bc I have a HS junior).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are an estimated 600000 to 750000 H1B workers in the United States and more than 1 million students who use or become eligible for OPT each year. These programs create a large supply of foreign labor for roles that often overlap with the entry level positions sought by recent American graduates. Given this scale, policymakers should reconsider or even eliminate these pathways in order to prioritize hiring and career development opportunities for US graduates first, ensuring that public investment in domestic education translates into stronger early career outcomes for citizens.

+1

I completely agree. As an IT contractor for a federal agency, I can tell you that around 90% of the IT workforce—including roles like helpdesk support, IT infrastructure, and software development—consists of H1B visa holders. I know so many recent computer science graduates from universities like UVA, Virginia Tech, and UMD who are actively searching for jobs, and they would jump at the chance to work as government contractors for major firms. Yet, companies like Leidos, SAIC, BAH, and CACI find ways to sidestep regulations by hiring H1B workers instead of U.S. citizens, even while qualified American CS grads are left unemployed. These big boys work around the rule by subcontracting to other smaller companies. I am incredibly frustrated and pissed off.

Why would companies choose to hire a foreigner and deal with the H1B nightmare instead of hiring a qualified American? This makes zero sense. H1B workers are here because there aren't enough Americans willing to do the jobs that are needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are an estimated 600000 to 750000 H1B workers in the United States and more than 1 million students who use or become eligible for OPT each year. These programs create a large supply of foreign labor for roles that often overlap with the entry level positions sought by recent American graduates. Given this scale, policymakers should reconsider or even eliminate these pathways in order to prioritize hiring and career development opportunities for US graduates first, ensuring that public investment in domestic education translates into stronger early career outcomes for citizens.

+1

I completely agree. As an IT contractor for a federal agency, I can tell you that around 90% of the IT workforce—including roles like helpdesk support, IT infrastructure, and software development—consists of H1B visa holders. I know so many recent computer science graduates from universities like UVA, Virginia Tech, and UMD who are actively searching for jobs, and they would jump at the chance to work as government contractors for major firms. Yet, companies like Leidos, SAIC, BAH, and CACI find ways to sidestep regulations by hiring H1B workers instead of U.S. citizens, even while qualified American CS grads are left unemployed. These big boys work around the rule by subcontracting to other smaller companies. I am incredibly frustrated and pissed off.

Why would companies choose to hire a foreigner and deal with the H1B nightmare instead of hiring a qualified American? This makes zero sense. H1B workers are here because there aren't enough Americans willing to do the jobs that are needed.

Because it’s much cheaper/they don’t get paid as well.

[Anonymous]

The job prospects are dimming for everyone unless you can get by on minimum wage gigs

[Anonymous]

very common to do an internship after grad, some are restricted to where they have to be in a masters program but probably 80% are not. My post grad DS did an internship this summer which got extended to fall term and then he applied for and was hired for a FT role in the org. He is still working with several recent grads in the intern class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every day, there's an announcement about how industries are tightening their belts and hiring fewer entry-level workers because of AI. Where exactly are all these kids struggling to get into college going to go after graduation? The number of 2025 graduates still unemployed is kind of crazy, and the news only gets more abysmal coming out of consulting and tech sectors.

Go to a top school. kid graduated T10 in 2025: the unemployment at graduation was quite low and very similar to prior years.

This board is hilarious. If your kid cannot either admit and/or afford a T20 university, don't bother to attend university. Basically all the schools below T20 or T50 (being generous) should just close down, according to the DCUM crowd. SMDH

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny I don’t know a single 25 grad that is unemployed save for one who thought he would get drafted or walk on to an NFL team and now needs to figure out next steps. All the others who wanted jobs landed a job 5 months post graduation. That’s not too bad.

How many 2025, undergrads do you know and what was their college major?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purely anecdotal but my 26 grad at a SLAC and most of their friends that had decent internships after junior years have received return offers

That has ZERO bearing on this discussion. The job landscape has been decimated since your 26yo graduated.

Class of 2026 graduate

Wait till they're deferred, like many have been for 2025 graduates. I find it breathtaking you think you know what you're talking about since your kid got an internship.

I have no dog in this fight because my 2025 grad got a job after hustling after 2 impressive internships. But, I'm not TA who will say that because he has a job, everyone should not worry.

ITA. In most cases, landing a job just before/after graduation requires serious hustling.

My 2023 grad is on job #2 post college graduation. Loves her colleagues in her department and is thrilled with her work.

My 2026 grad has a finalized job (starts work in June), where he worked as an intern summer 2024, school year 2024-25, and summer 25-present. He hustled to land this internship and has shown his work ethic over these 18 months. He has completed his TS/SCI poly, too.

Well, thanks for admitting it, especially since you're rubbing more salt in people's wounds. I hope he's not deferred like three of DS's friends.

Thanks for the good thoughts. He's not at a tippy top school and not a CS major so I am thinking there is less competition.