A common argument on Twitter or other social media is that computer science (CS) or math degrees will become obsolete due to AI. Therefore it’s a poor career choice, and you should choose another major or profession. As the narrative goes, getting a CS degree will be seen as foolish in an era of AI.
There are flaws with this logic. First, people made this prediction and gave similar advice from 2022-2023 during the post-Covid wave of tech layoffs. This advice seemed prescient at the time, but then—boom-in 2024-present came the AI wave and renewed hiring. Major tech companies repurposed themselves as AI companies. In hindsight, “quitting tech” in 2022-2023 would have been poor advice, as you would have missed out on AI. Indeed, computer science grads have fared well since 2023.
Second, let’s assume there is a recession ONLY limited to math/physics/CS grads. This would be very uncommon in the history of the US economy. In every recession over the past 20 years, tech has recovered the fastest, such as after the Great Recession in 2008, or 2020 during Covid. It would require truly extraordinary circumstances for a major economic downturn to be limited to technology. Even in 2001-2002 or 2022-2023 the downturn was so brief that most CS grads quickly found new jobs. At no point did humanities degrees exceed CS degrees in terms of pay or other employment prospects.
Thus, I predict CS degrees will still pay a premium compared to alternatives, even with AI. Colleges will adapt by relying on in-class exams, so the IQ signal is not devalued. Same for employers, who have rapidly adapted to AI by using special software to detect if applicants are using AI during interviews. Colleges and companies are not going to just sit and do nothing as AI threatens to erode the leverage they still have.
But let’s assume you heed the warnings. Popular, “smart” people on twitter told you that CS has no future, and given their large brands, they must be right. Being proactive and worried about AI, you major in something else or skip college. Terence Tao is scared of AI and so should you.
The problem with this reasoning is for EVERY year that passes in which the awaited or inevitable “CS crisis” or “math crisis” fails to happen, is money left on the table by choosing the worse career path. This is like waiting to buy a home expecting prices to fall-it’s not long before it’s too late and you have major regret by waiting so long.
The same for refusing to take an AI job because you’re worried it’s a bubble: who cares, as long as you’re being paid, it’s all good. Even if it was to burst, your credentials would still help in getting a new job. People who ignored the warnings in 2023 and were hired in 2024 now have 2 years of pay, whereas waiting would have meant less or no pay. There is no downside to just jumping in. Waiting is for losers.