Thoughts on career mindset, entrepreneurship, and tunnel-visioning life as a CS major

Aug 28, 2025

I graduated in 2023 with a CS degree. Instead of going straight into a dev job, I worked for a year in sales engineering (didn't get offers for any swe roles). My role was setting up tech automations for lead generation, SEO, and marketing at an audit firm, basically being their “tech guy.”

That year of exp changed how I think about work. Even though the firm had good revenue (4 Mil), their revenue was plateauing because of the current recession (I know people don’t call it that, but the slowdown is real). The CEO was constantly stressed about new revenue streams. He even told me he was considering starting a restaurant just to diversify.

We bonded because I was entrepreneurial too. But I noticed something: the employees were relaxed. They didn’t have to worry about next month’s revenue or rising expenses, that was the CEO’s problem. (weren't aware of it) Meanwhile, accounting was becoming a race to the bottom thanks to Fiverr and outsourcing driving down prices.

And I realized: the exact same thing is happening in CS.

The race to the bottom in CS AI is already replacing entry-level developer work. Senior devs with AI are a lot more productive, so companies need fewer people. Just look at Twitter after the layoffs, smaller teams still got the job done (though this was pre-ai I think). This trend will only accelerate. But for some reason, demand for tech is not rising (could be the recession). I mean, look at your software usage, how often are you using a new app made this year, by a startup.

Junior tech jobs (that have been lost) as we know them now, are not coming back. AI is at its worst right now. It will only improve from now. This is a slow “dying industry” moment, much like the decline of Midwestern steel and industrial towns in the late 1990s, driven by globalization. Not dying, but rather transforming. It's not like we stopped needing steel, in fact we needed more than ever, but who/how they made it changed. The same transitioning is taking place with junior tech roles.

Even those who still have jobs live with constant anxiety – layoffs, reorganizations, AI tools creeping in. So why spend your energy protecting your boss’s revenue stream, when you could be building your own?

The trap of the "career mindset" Here’s another thing I learned from the accounting CEO. I asked him why he had Big 4 alumnus working under him when he wasn’t one himself. Why didn't they start an agency? His answer was:

Salaries make people comfortable, which makes them risk-averse. Also it makes them see something riskier than it actually is. (2 Way Door Analogy by Jeff Besoz)

Could be inherent brain wiring. As, he would rather make 50K on his own than make 200K working for someone else.

That hit me. Many CS majors (and honestly, college grads in general) are trapped in a career mindset. We’re conditioned to think a degree should “open doors.” However, reading this Subreddit, I think it often closes them, because it locks us into tunnel vision. You see your only option as sending out 1000 applications, taking endless OAs, and praying someone hires you as for a "CS" job.

But it’s not 2021 anymore. The market itself is telling you: think entrepreneurially.

Why entrepreneurship might actually be the easier path now

If those same people spent the time they used on 1000 applications to:

Write content (even if nobody reads it at first)

Experiment with services they can offer

Send cold emails and test what sticks

Build a personal/company brand

They’d end up with much higher ROI (financially, emotionally, etc.) in 10 years. Lead generation for your own business is just as hard as job hunting - but it’s the same skillset, and it compounds.

Think about it, the companies you dream of working for only exist because they’ve already solved distribution through marketing and lead generation.

During any golden tech era (0% interest rate, 2021, 2016?) working for someone who already did the lead generation was the easy path, but now they are of the same difficulty. Getting your own clients, however, has always been hard (there was no golden era for this lol).

CS degrees should be a tool, not your identity. Don’t limit yourself to “I must get a CS job.” The market is shifting toward distribution and sales. AI/outsourcing makes building things cheap (technical side), but getting clients and standing out is the real bottleneck (distribution & marketing). That’s why sales engineering and tech sales will remain valuable.

But I also read people saying they couldn't get a tech sales job too, since demand is low right now for SaaS and other things, so idk.

One thing for sure, looking for entry CS roles is hard (maybe harder lol) than doing your own lead gen at this point.

My own path I’m now trying to apply the same automations I built for the audit firm to other companies. I’m learning to generate my own leads, pitch services, and see where it takes me. It’s tough, but it feels more productive than blasting resumes. Why work for a sketchy firm, with questionable job security, and an abusive boss, sacrificing self-respect for cents, when you can be the sketchy firm yourself haha.

Business is like a video game – the longer you play, the better you get. It's how you got better at coding. And now AI is taking over that domain. So, why not level up in creativity and entrepreneurship?

A wake-up call for CS majors I know many people online are losing hope, feeling doomed if they don’t land a “sweet CS job.” But remember: plenty of C-grade students have started companies. In fact, I am starting to realize now why A students usually work for C students. C students are forced to think outside the box/system, and to be an entrepreneur. Maybe people need to be forced into a corner (recession) to be an entrepreneur, idk.

Don’t envy the $200K devs either – they’ll face the same crisis later, maybe even harder. Also, same will happen with other industries but later.

We are just getting the wake-up call earlier. Entry-level CS is collapsing first, but no job will be stable Post-AI. Don’t wait until you’re laid off to figure this out. Build your revenue stream early.

Yes, it’s harder than the fantasy of a chill 9–5 followed by Netflix and anime. But the meaning and agency you gain will be worth it. Or, you could just compete with global south and mass send resume. I don't think enough Gen-Z are starting businesses (not taking risk), no wonder the economy is dying. NVDA is carrying the stock market atp. We need Gen-Z Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, etc

And I know some people will say, “What if I have no capital, or immigrant parents to take care of?” The CEO I mentioned was a first-gen immigrant himself. He took out a loan to start the business. There’s no risk-free way to do this. You can’t have upside without risk, if it were risk-free, it would already be a no-brainer and everyone would do it. That’s how it’s always been, from cavemen leaving the cave to every time you cross a zebra crossing, it’s all a leap of faith.

Also, please, don’t make your CS degree into your whole identity. It’s just a piece of paper. Explore other parts of yourself too, write, create, make music, start small projects. Don't limit yourself. Widen your world, look at the sky, please. (Steve Jobs recommended this)

Agency is everything. The world wants to take it away from you — to make you dependent, to make you believe you’re powerless. That only they can help you with a free course or something (tech YouTubers that are taking advantage of CS doomerism). I’m writing this for those who refuse that mindset.

Final thought: This isn’t about being delusional or pretending everyone will be a founder. It’s about realizing that the old career path is breaking, and the sooner you adapt, the more upside you’ll have.

Don’t wait for the rug to be pulled, when your $200K job goes away. Please keep this in mind now. Build your own floor.

Highly recommend Graham Weaver's Stanford talks and Steve Jobs 2005 commencement speech.