College Majors & The Rise of AI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A programmer with an AI tool is akin to a carpenter working with power tools - they are more efficient and can produce value at a higher rate, translating into higher productivity.

Typically, higher productivity encourages more investment, and more creation.

In other words, programmers will remain, but they will accomplish far more.

I disagree. I have been a programmer for 30 years, taught at two different t20 CS depts……now consulting with one of the big 3….
I’m 100% certain that once we reach AGI there wont be a need for programmers. It is that simple.
Young CS graduates will NOT have jobs for them 5 yrs from now. They wont get the experience they need to be able to oversee an AGI programmer.

95% of CS jobs will be eliminated in less than 7 years. You car take picture of this post….then lets discuss this again in 5 years so I can tell you “I told you so”…..

You type like grandpa's first time on a computer. I don't think you know anything about CS at all, but let me ask, when will we have AGI? You think what we have now is close? Lol.

You can think whatever you want. You dont know me, but if you did, you would think otherwise.
I dont know when we will get to AGI, but it is closer today than yesterday. Anywhere from 3 to 5 years is my opinion. I dont care what anybody here says. I’m closer to this than 99.999999% of the people on this site. I just happen to have a Junior that is trying to decide to what to study in College. This is why I frequent these boards…

I can see what is coming and it is not pretty. We can all put our heads in the sand and it wont change or stop the train. AGI will change everything. At that point, you better be in a senior position with plenty of experience. We will only need 5% of today’s CS workforce. But if you want to convince your kid to study CS, go ahead.

Yes, please share how you're advising your junior.
What majors/careers do you think are worthwhile to pursue given the above?

Sure. These are the programs we are discussing at our house with my son. 1st
8 are in the US, last 4 in the UK.
1. Stanford - Symbolic Systems (CS + Philosophy + Linguistics + Psychology)
2. MIT - BS in Urban Science & Planning with Computer Science
3. Harvard - Joint Concentration: Social Studies + Computer Science
4. Yale - Ethics, Politics & Economics (EP&E) + Cognitive Science
5. Michigan - Double Major: Information Science + Public Policy
6. Carnegie Mellon - Major: Ethics & Technology
- Minor: Human-Computer Interaction
7. Princeton University - Double Major: Digital Humanities + Public Policy
8. Arizona State - BS in Innovation in Society
9. University of Edinburgh
- MA Interdisciplinary Futures with focus in Future Governance (Edinburgh Futures Institute)
10. Cambridge - Human, Social, Political Sciences (HSPS) + AI Ethics Track
11. Oxford - Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) + AI Governance Thesis
12. University of St Andrews - International Relations with Philosophy OR Psychology/Neuroscience with Sustainable Development or Management

In an effort to be helpful — because we do appreciate that you are trying to be helpful — check out Trinity Dublin:
King’s college has I believe has a new AI and Philosophy major (though King’s is very late telling a kid if they were admitted, unlike St. Andrew’s, Oxbridge, and Durham)
Trinity Dublin: https://www.tcd.ie/courses/undergraduate/courses/computer-science-linguistics-and-a-language/

Avoid OXford PPE - a cliche for Americans and for everyone generally. It is like every American applies for PPE.
Cambridge does not like Americans. My recommendation would be Oxford but a different course, such as Psych, Phil and Linguistics

[Anonymous]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/ai-jobs-college-graduates.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LE8.ZED-.cmQY1MiJHMF5&smid=url-share

And so it begins

I don’t understand any majors in that list PP gave. Maybe because I’m not in tech. Anyway, I hope this next generation can adapt through this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/ai-jobs-college-graduates.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LE8.ZED-.cmQY1MiJHMF5&smid=url-share

And so it begins

I don’t understand any majors in that list PP gave. Maybe because I’m not in tech. Anyway, I hope this next generation can adapt through this.

Yea, people need to know how to use AI well. DC is a CS major concentrating in AI/ML and uses AI to check their work. They created a tool using AI at a hackathon. If you can do that, you might even have a leg up on some mid level engineers who don't know how to use AI well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/ai-jobs-college-graduates.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LE8.ZED-.cmQY1MiJHMF5&smid=url-share

And so it begins

I don’t understand any majors in that list PP gave. Maybe because I’m not in tech. Anyway, I hope this next generation can adapt through this.

Oh well….I was “talked to” in this article….Clearly a lot of people are not understanding what I was saying about CS courses on its own. Whenever I have more time I will try to be more helpful in describing each one of those I mentioned previously….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A programmer with an AI tool is akin to a carpenter working with power tools - they are more efficient and can produce value at a higher rate, translating into higher productivity.

Typically, higher productivity encourages more investment, and more creation.

In other words, programmers will remain, but they will accomplish far more.

I disagree. I have been a programmer for 30 years, taught at two different t20 CS depts……now consulting with one of the big 3….
I’m 100% certain that once we reach AGI there wont be a need for programmers. It is that simple.
Young CS graduates will NOT have jobs for them 5 yrs from now. They wont get the experience they need to be able to oversee an AGI programmer.

95% of CS jobs will be eliminated in less than 7 years. You car take picture of this post….then lets discuss this again in 5 years so I can tell you “I told you so”…..

You type like grandpa's first time on a computer. I don't think you know anything about CS at all, but let me ask, when will we have AGI? You think what we have now is close? Lol.

You can think whatever you want. You dont know me, but if you did, you would think otherwise.
I dont know when we will get to AGI, but it is closer today than yesterday. Anywhere from 3 to 5 years is my opinion. I dont care what anybody here says. I’m closer to this than 99.999999% of the people on this site. I just happen to have a Junior that is trying to decide to what to study in College. This is why I frequent these boards…

I can see what is coming and it is not pretty. We can all put our heads in the sand and it wont change or stop the train. AGI will change everything. At that point, you better be in a senior position with plenty of experience. We will only need 5% of today’s CS workforce. But if you want to convince your kid to study CS, go ahead.

Yes, please share how you're advising your junior.
What majors/careers do you think are worthwhile to pursue given the above?

Sure. These are the programs we are discussing at our house with my son. 1st
8 are in the US, last 4 in the UK.
1. Stanford - Symbolic Systems (CS + Philosophy + Linguistics + Psychology)
2. MIT - BS in Urban Science & Planning with Computer Science
3. Harvard - Joint Concentration: Social Studies + Computer Science
4. Yale - Ethics, Politics & Economics (EP&E) + Cognitive Science
5. Michigan - Double Major: Information Science + Public Policy
6. Carnegie Mellon - Major: Ethics & Technology
- Minor: Human-Computer Interaction
7. Princeton University - Double Major: Digital Humanities + Public Policy
8. Arizona State - BS in Innovation in Society
9. University of Edinburgh
- MA Interdisciplinary Futures with focus in Future Governance (Edinburgh Futures Institute)
10. Cambridge - Human, Social, Political Sciences (HSPS) + AI Ethics Track
11. Oxford - Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) + AI Governance Thesis
12. University of St Andrews - International Relations with Philosophy OR Psychology/Neuroscience with Sustainable Development or Management

How about electrical engineering? Would that be a marketable degree?

Of course! All engineering degrees are marketable presuming it is accredited. The top schools with Engineering are the most likely to provide leadership skills and have a lot of writing requirements making them very versatile hires who can adapt to new technology and most importantly think , learn, and innovate. There is a reason 30% of current fortune 500 CEOs have an engineering degree and that figure will increase. Engineering is marketable in many if not all sectors.

[Anonymous]

I wonder if majoring in AI now is similar to majoring in the internet in 1997

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if majoring in AI now is similar to majoring in the internet in 1997

Nobody should major in AI. Worthless. But whatever major you decide to stick with, STEM or Humanities, you do need some coursework in understanding the contexts for AI including cognitive science.

[Anonymous]

If you want to work with real AI you're looking at a PhD. The rest of the engineers are just connecting pipes together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A programmer with an AI tool is akin to a carpenter working with power tools - they are more efficient and can produce value at a higher rate, translating into higher productivity.

Typically, higher productivity encourages more investment, and more creation.

In other words, programmers will remain, but they will accomplish far more.

I disagree. I have been a programmer for 30 years, taught at two different t20 CS depts……now consulting with one of the big 3….
I’m 100% certain that once we reach AGI there wont be a need for programmers. It is that simple.
Young CS graduates will NOT have jobs for them 5 yrs from now. They wont get the experience they need to be able to oversee an AGI programmer.

95% of CS jobs will be eliminated in less than 7 years. You car take picture of this post….then lets discuss this again in 5 years so I can tell you “I told you so”…..

You type like grandpa's first time on a computer. I don't think you know anything about CS at all, but let me ask, when will we have AGI? You think what we have now is close? Lol.

You can think whatever you want. You dont know me, but if you did, you would think otherwise.
I dont know when we will get to AGI, but it is closer today than yesterday. Anywhere from 3 to 5 years is my opinion. I dont care what anybody here says. I’m closer to this than 99.999999% of the people on this site. I just happen to have a Junior that is trying to decide to what to study in College. This is why I frequent these boards…

I can see what is coming and it is not pretty. We can all put our heads in the sand and it wont change or stop the train. AGI will change everything. At that point, you better be in a senior position with plenty of experience. We will only need 5% of today’s CS workforce. But if you want to convince your kid to study CS, go ahead.

Yes, please share how you're advising your junior.
What majors/careers do you think are worthwhile to pursue given the above?

Sure. These are the programs we are discussing at our house with my son. 1st
8 are in the US, last 4 in the UK.
1. Stanford - Symbolic Systems (CS + Philosophy + Linguistics + Psychology)
2. MIT - BS in Urban Science & Planning with Computer Science
3. Harvard - Joint Concentration: Social Studies + Computer Science
4. Yale - Ethics, Politics & Economics (EP&E) + Cognitive Science
5. Michigan - Double Major: Information Science + Public Policy
6. Carnegie Mellon - Major: Ethics & Technology
- Minor: Human-Computer Interaction
7. Princeton University - Double Major: Digital Humanities + Public Policy
8. Arizona State - BS in Innovation in Society
9. University of Edinburgh
- MA Interdisciplinary Futures with focus in Future Governance (Edinburgh Futures Institute)
10. Cambridge - Human, Social, Political Sciences (HSPS) + AI Ethics Track
11. Oxford - Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) + AI Governance Thesis
12. University of St Andrews - International Relations with Philosophy OR Psychology/Neuroscience with Sustainable Development or Management

How about electrical engineering? Would that be a marketable degree?

Of course! All engineering degrees are marketable presuming it is accredited. The top schools with Engineering are the most likely to provide leadership skills and have a lot of writing requirements making them very versatile hires who can adapt to new technology and most importantly think , learn, and innovate. There is a reason 30% of current fortune 500 CEOs have an engineering degree and that figure will increase. Engineering is marketable in many if not all sectors.

Will there be entry level jobs in five years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if majoring in AI now is similar to majoring in the internet in 1997

Nobody should major in AI. Worthless. But whatever major you decide to stick with, STEM or Humanities, you do need some coursework in understanding the contexts for AI including cognitive science.

+1
On the theory side, this is coursework in mathematics, cognitive science, theoretical computer science, philosophy, and linguistics. It may also be helpful to take courses in the social sciences to understand their impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A programmer with an AI tool is akin to a carpenter working with power tools - they are more efficient and can produce value at a higher rate, translating into higher productivity.

Typically, higher productivity encourages more investment, and more creation.

In other words, programmers will remain, but they will accomplish far more.

I disagree. I have been a programmer for 30 years, taught at two different t20 CS depts……now consulting with one of the big 3….
I’m 100% certain that once we reach AGI there wont be a need for programmers. It is that simple.
Young CS graduates will NOT have jobs for them 5 yrs from now. They wont get the experience they need to be able to oversee an AGI programmer.

95% of CS jobs will be eliminated in less than 7 years. You car take picture of this post….then lets discuss this again in 5 years so I can tell you “I told you so”…..

You type like grandpa's first time on a computer. I don't think you know anything about CS at all, but let me ask, when will we have AGI? You think what we have now is close? Lol.

You can think whatever you want. You dont know me, but if you did, you would think otherwise.
I dont know when we will get to AGI, but it is closer today than yesterday. Anywhere from 3 to 5 years is my opinion. I dont care what anybody here says. I’m closer to this than 99.999999% of the people on this site. I just happen to have a Junior that is trying to decide to what to study in College. This is why I frequent these boards…

I can see what is coming and it is not pretty. We can all put our heads in the sand and it wont change or stop the train. AGI will change everything. At that point, you better be in a senior position with plenty of experience. We will only need 5% of today’s CS workforce. But if you want to convince your kid to study CS, go ahead.

Yes, please share how you're advising your junior.
What majors/careers do you think are worthwhile to pursue given the above?

Sure. These are the programs we are discussing at our house with my son. 1st
8 are in the US, last 4 in the UK.
1. Stanford - Symbolic Systems (CS + Philosophy + Linguistics + Psychology)
2. MIT - BS in Urban Science & Planning with Computer Science
3. Harvard - Joint Concentration: Social Studies + Computer Science
4. Yale - Ethics, Politics & Economics (EP&E) + Cognitive Science
5. Michigan - Double Major: Information Science + Public Policy
6. Carnegie Mellon - Major: Ethics & Technology
- Minor: Human-Computer Interaction
7. Princeton University - Double Major: Digital Humanities + Public Policy
8. Arizona State - BS in Innovation in Society
9. University of Edinburgh
- MA Interdisciplinary Futures with focus in Future Governance (Edinburgh Futures Institute)
10. Cambridge - Human, Social, Political Sciences (HSPS) + AI Ethics Track
11. Oxford - Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) + AI Governance Thesis
12. University of St Andrews - International Relations with Philosophy OR Psychology/Neuroscience with Sustainable Development or Management

How about electrical engineering? Would that be a marketable degree?

Of course! All engineering degrees are marketable presuming it is accredited. The top schools with Engineering are the most likely to provide leadership skills and have a lot of writing requirements making them very versatile hires who can adapt to new technology and most importantly think , learn, and innovate. There is a reason 30% of current fortune 500 CEOs have an engineering degree and that figure will increase. Engineering is marketable in many if not all sectors.

Will there be entry level jobs in five years?

There will be in engineering. Just the raw brain power and discipline needed to get through that degree is valuable. But yeah, as AI gets going, it's going to be tough out there in a few years.

My personal opinion is that civilization needs to get it together and regulate AI quickly. Because the consequences of unconstrained AI are going to be enormous for the well-being of most people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want to work with real AI you're looking at a PhD. The rest of the engineers are just connecting pipes together.

Why is majoring in AI worthless? Someone has to manage AI software.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A programmer with an AI tool is akin to a carpenter working with power tools - they are more efficient and can produce value at a higher rate, translating into higher productivity.

Typically, higher productivity encourages more investment, and more creation.

In other words, programmers will remain, but they will accomplish far more.

I disagree. I have been a programmer for 30 years, taught at two different t20 CS depts……now consulting with one of the big 3….
I’m 100% certain that once we reach AGI there wont be a need for programmers. It is that simple.
Young CS graduates will NOT have jobs for them 5 yrs from now. They wont get the experience they need to be able to oversee an AGI programmer.

95% of CS jobs will be eliminated in less than 7 years. You car take picture of this post….then lets discuss this again in 5 years so I can tell you “I told you so”…..

You type like grandpa's first time on a computer. I don't think you know anything about CS at all, but let me ask, when will we have AGI? You think what we have now is close? Lol.

You can think whatever you want. You dont know me, but if you did, you would think otherwise.
I dont know when we will get to AGI, but it is closer today than yesterday. Anywhere from 3 to 5 years is my opinion. I dont care what anybody here says. I’m closer to this than 99.999999% of the people on this site. I just happen to have a Junior that is trying to decide to what to study in College. This is why I frequent these boards…

I can see what is coming and it is not pretty. We can all put our heads in the sand and it wont change or stop the train. AGI will change everything. At that point, you better be in a senior position with plenty of experience. We will only need 5% of today’s CS workforce. But if you want to convince your kid to study CS, go ahead.

Yes, please share how you're advising your junior.
What majors/careers do you think are worthwhile to pursue given the above?

Sure. These are the programs we are discussing at our house with my son. 1st
8 are in the US, last 4 in the UK.
1. Stanford - Symbolic Systems (CS + Philosophy + Linguistics + Psychology)
2. MIT - BS in Urban Science & Planning with Computer Science
3. Harvard - Joint Concentration: Social Studies + Computer Science
4. Yale - Ethics, Politics & Economics (EP&E) + Cognitive Science
5. Michigan - Double Major: Information Science + Public Policy
6. Carnegie Mellon - Major: Ethics & Technology
- Minor: Human-Computer Interaction
7. Princeton University - Double Major: Digital Humanities + Public Policy
8. Arizona State - BS in Innovation in Society
9. University of Edinburgh
- MA Interdisciplinary Futures with focus in Future Governance (Edinburgh Futures Institute)
10. Cambridge - Human, Social, Political Sciences (HSPS) + AI Ethics Track
11. Oxford - Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE) + AI Governance Thesis
12. University of St Andrews - International Relations with Philosophy OR Psychology/Neuroscience with Sustainable Development or Management

How about electrical engineering? Would that be a marketable degree?

Of course! All engineering degrees are marketable presuming it is accredited. The top schools with Engineering are the most likely to provide leadership skills and have a lot of writing requirements making them very versatile hires who can adapt to new technology and most importantly think , learn, and innovate. There is a reason 30% of current fortune 500 CEOs have an engineering degree and that figure will increase. Engineering is marketable in many if not all sectors.

Will there be entry level jobs in five years?

There will be in engineering. Just the raw brain power and discipline needed to get through that degree is valuable. But yeah, as AI gets going, it's going to be tough out there in a few years.

My personal opinion is that civilization needs to get it together and regulate AI quickly. Because the consequences of unconstrained AI are going to be enormous for the well-being of most people.

Tech bros are lobbying Trump hard to not regulate AI.

[Anonymous]

Yeah- should be regulated but not going to happen. Not in this country anyway- too polarized. Can’t get people to agree on even basic facts let alone complex players like AI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A programmer with an AI tool is akin to a carpenter working with power tools - they are more efficient and can produce value at a higher rate, translating into higher productivity.

Typically, higher productivity encourages more investment, and more creation.

In other words, programmers will remain, but they will accomplish far more.

I disagree. I have been a programmer for 30 years, taught at two different t20 CS depts……now consulting with one of the big 3….
I’m 100% certain that once we reach AGI there wont be a need for programmers. It is that simple.
Young CS graduates will NOT have jobs for them 5 yrs from now. They wont get the experience they need to be able to oversee an AGI programmer.

95% of CS jobs will be eliminated in less than 7 years. You car take picture of this post….then lets discuss this again in 5 years so I can tell you “I told you so”…..

Wrong.

A CS degree is more than coding.

Sorry bud…you dont need to teach me what a CS degree is…..been teaching at some of the TOP CS depts for years….
Of course it is more than coding. But it doesnt change the fact that once we reach AGI, there wont be a need for an INEXPERIENCED CS graduate….those jobs will be gone whether you like it or not. The transition will be hard. It will start with the kids right out of college first and with time, even guys in my position will be obsolete.
But go head and put your head in the sand as you send your kids to study CS…..let’s have this conversation again in 2030….

Nope.
It's like saying math major was going to be obsolete now that  we had computers in the 80s 90s. All the calculations would be done by computers and entry level mathematicians are not needed. Let's see in year 2000.

Math major has been fine and applied math major has been gaining popularity with good outcomes. Nobody really knows, but CS major is still in a better position than most others.

Math majors are not learning calculations. Math is completely different than computation.

CS majors are not learning coding. Coding is a mean to solving problems. You are repeating yourself.

That's odd, because I learned quite a bit of coding as a CS major. That being said, I wouldn't consider a CS degree as purely vocational, and I'd consider a CS degree at least as useful as virtually any other major. After all, if AI is taking over programming jobs, it will surely take over work of law associates or people that write marketing copy.