Warning for Prospective Students: IT Graduates Are Losing Their Shine

A few years ago, the technology industry was a magnet for many people. Startups grew rapidly, the software engineer profession was highly sought after, and coding bootcamps proliferated everywhere. Amidst this trend, computer science transformed from a relatively niche field into one of the most popular choices on campus. The surge in interest has even changed the way universities operate, as institutions compete to expand their technology programmes to meet student demand. For a time, almost all paths into the tech industry seemed to lead to the same place.

In the last decade, almost no field of study has grown as fast as computer science. Data shows that Computer and Information Sciences is now the fourth largest field of study in the United States. Its growth is about 6.5 times faster than the average for other majors. The increase far surpasses many fields long considered popular, from psychology to social sciences. This phenomenon shows that computer science has evolved into one of the most sought-after educational products in the modern economy. For universities, the demand is too large to ignore. For students, the reason is simple: the major still offers a relatively clear path to high-paying jobs.

The boom has not always come from the most famous campuses. When many people envision computer science, names like MIT, Stanford, or Carnegie Mellon usually come to mind first. Yet the fastest growth has largely occurred at more flexible campuses. Online programmes have expanded rapidly. Campuses with more open admissions policies have increased capacity. New learning models allow more students to complete degrees more quickly. One striking example comes from Brigham Young University-Idaho, where the number of computer science graduates surged from 639 to over 2,000 in two years. A similar phenomenon is visible at various institutions relying on distance learning and non-traditional educational models.

Changes are also happening in how the degree is obtained. Some campuses have started offering competency-based degrees, a model that assesses students based on the skills they have mastered, not the time spent in a classroom. In some programmes, students pay a fixed fee and can complete the material at their own pace. For those who already have technical experience, the process can be far quicker than the traditional university route. If labour demand is high and learning technology becomes cheaper, the end result is fairly easy to predict: the education system will find a way to produce more graduates. In many ways, computer science is beginning to follow a pattern previously seen with MBAs or business schools. The higher the market demand, the greater the capacity built to meet it.

There is a strong reason why interest in computer science has not waned. Graduates still enjoy one of the best income prospects in the US job market. The median starting salary for bachelor’s degree holders is around US$89,000 per year. For master’s degree holders, the figure exceeds US$106,000. Not many fields of study offer a similar combination of market demand, career flexibility, and earning potential. That is why, even as the tech industry faces a slowdown and AI begins to change the way programmers work, computer science remains a magnet for students.

Here is where a larger question emerges. It is not whether computer science is still relevant, but rather what happens when a degree that was once relatively rare becomes mainstream. The number of students is increasing. Universities are expanding capacity. Online programmes are growing. Degrees can be finished more quickly. AI is beginning to assist in the learning process and code writing. The changes are not happening at a single point, but across the entire ecosystem. A boom in the number of graduates does not automatically mean a boom in the number of jobs of the same quality. As more people possess similar skills, the competition to stand out intensifies. A computer science degree still holds value, but the degree itself may no longer be the differentiator it once was. The ticket to the digital economy has not lost its value, but as more and more people hold it, the question is no longer who can learn to code, but who can differentiate themselves from millions of others learning the same thing.