Nascent tech, real fear: how AI anxiety is upending career ambitions

AI has convinced computer science students to shift majors and white-collar workers to change careers, while some are embracing it Matthew Ramirez started at Western Governors University as a computer science major in 2025, drawn by the promise of a high-paying, flexible career as a programmer.

But as headlines mounted about tech layoffs and AI’s potential to replace entry-level coders , he began to question whether that path would actually lead to a job. When the 20-year-old interviewed for a datacenter technician role that June and never heard back, his doubts deepened. In December, Ramirez decided on what he thought was a safer bet: turning away from computer science entirely.

He dropped his planned major to instead apply to nursing school. He comes from a family of nurses, and sees the field as more stable and harder to automate than coding. Continue reading...

AI has convinced computer science students to shift majors and white-collar workers to change careers, while some are embracing it Matthew Ramirez started at Western Governors University as a computer science major in 2025, drawn by the promise of a high-paying, flexible career as a programmer.

But as headlines mounted about tech layoffs and AI’s potential to replace entry-level coders , he began to question whether that path would actually lead to a job. When the 20-year-old interviewed for a datacenter technician role that June and never heard back, his doubts deepened. In December, Ramirez decided on what he thought was a safer bet: turning away from computer science entirely.

He dropped his planned major to instead apply to nursing school. He comes from a family of nurses, and sees the field as more stable and harder to automate than coding. Continue reading...