Generative AI tools including tools that use Large Language Models (LLMs), like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and many more, are increasingly disruptive and very popular. Recent graduates, current students, prospective students, and parents alike are increasingly concerned about these new technologies, and for good reason. LLMs have affected many industries ranging from leisure to law. The purpose of this document is to focus on a specific area that has been affected by LLMs: software development.
Microsoft, Duolingo, and others have announced big layoffs. Mass layoffs from well-known companies get a lot of publicity, but these particular rounds of layoffs are flavored differently from ones of yesteryear because they claim that AI will pick up the slack. At best, companies expect existing or new employees to be AI-ready, and at worst they aren’t hiring new employees at all with the claim that AI will replace entry-level employees. Strangely, CEOs didn’t expect such a negative backlash; after all who doesn’t want an efficient, productive company? Even though the layoffs affected individuals in all areas of the companies from middle management to HR, a new question arises: are degrees in Computer Science still worth the effort? Ironically, the very AI that computer scientists built is the very thing threatening their current and future livelihood.
It is true that Computer Science graduates are seeing a higher-than-usual unemployment rate in 2025, at over 6%. While still on par or better than the unemployment rate for many other fields, this kind of news fits squarely into the “not worth it” camp. Perhaps “learn to code” wasn’t such a good idea after all, or at the very least the CS degree was a bubble all along and that bubble is bursting. Not all agree, however. In fact, shortly after the Microsoft layoffs were announced, the CPO publicly stated that she “fundamentally disagrees” with the idea that Computer Science is not a worthwhile pursuit, and IBM had to rehire as many people as they let go because it takes people to make effective use of AI.
We argue that Computer Science is still worth it, though what makes a Computer Science degree what it is might need to change. In fact, our opinion matches that of others in that AI is making Computer Science more important than ever. We make some important arguments below, including a clarification as to what Computer Science really is (in short: not just software, but so much more, and so much more needed in the AI world we now live in). We at the Department of Computer Science (CS) at Boise State University share insights on two principle questions that have been raised about the value of a CS degree:
- Do LLMS make the Computer Science (CS) degree irrelevant?
- Do LLMs eliminate the entry level software developer position?
Here is the short answer: no. That said, jobs done by graduates of the Computer Science Program at Boise State, like software developer, software engineer, web developer, mobile app developer and more, are changing as a result (so are all professions!). Here is what you need to know.
- Your CS degree will prepare you for more than writing the code computers understand;
- Student learning outcomes focus on analysis, design and application of computing based skills, alongside professional communication, effective teamwork and more,
- Boise State graduates have gone to become software developers, data scientists, AI engineers, database architects, web developers, software testers or a host of other careers.
- CS degrees are even more relevant in the long term.
- CS degrees are still relevant in the short term.
Do Software Developers Program Computers?
What jobs are out there for the Computer Science Graduate? One common misconception is that the Computer Science graduate will work at a company to program computers (by typing in the text that a computer executes). While a CS graduate will likely use computer programming in their job, it is only a tool used to accomplish their work.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a Computer Programmer “Writes programs in a variety of computer languages,” “Updates and expands existing programs,” along with other skills related to typing the computer code. These are all skills you will learn and practice in the Boise State Computer Science Program. Additionally, Boise State retains core focus on the skills required to perform as a Software Developer:
- Analyze users’ needs and then design and develop software to meet those needs
- Recommend software upgrades for customers’ existing programs and systems
- Design each piece of an application or system and plan how the pieces will work together
- Create a variety of models and diagrams including classical and AI models
- Ensure that a program continues to function normally
- Develop and maintain large-scale systems that affect millions of users
These skills are the focus of upper division classes on Software Engineering, Senior Design Project, and electives such as Design Patterns, Mobile App and Web Development, Distributed Systems, and many more are critical to forming these abilities.
How are CS careers growing? The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides job outlook information for a variety of careers that can be done by the holder of a Computer Science Degree.
Job Title
Number of Jobs (’23)
10 year job outlook
Median annual pay
1,897,100
+17%
$131,450
222,600
+8%
$95,380
202,900
+36%
$112,590
141,900
+9%
$123,100
139,400
-10%
$98,670
All Professions
–
+4%
$49,500
While one job category is in decline, the four other listed occupations are growing faster than average, and sometimes dramatically faster. If AI Tools such as ChatGPT were affecting the value of the Computer Science degree, certainly that effect would be visible in the data.
How are Software Development Jobs Changing?
The advent of LLMs and conversational chatbots (AI Tools) that can program is having an impact on what software developers and similar careers are doing in their day to day. The Association for Computing Machinery, and a joint whitepaper from the Computer Community Consortium (CCC) and the Computing Research Association (CRA) have studied this change. These sources indicate AI Tools are already assisting Software Developers by documenting their code, and helping to test their software. In our experience, these are both tasks that developer’s generally shirk anyways. By automating some IT roles and taking over repetitive tasks, IT professionals can now focus more on complex and strategic initiatives as a result.
These sources highlight the following as essential skills for creating successful software solutions, even in the presence of AI Tools:
- Understanding and adapting code
- Ability to read and write code
- Ability to check AI generated code for correctness, security, and readability
Currently, AI generated inline suggestions typically do not produce more than a few dozen lines at a time, which allows an experienced developer to vet LLM-generated code relatively quickly. This, combined with an increasing volume of generated code, indicates that Software Developers will still need to be able to read and adapt LLM-generated code for the foreseeable future. For the software developer, being able to rapidly read and understand code is more important than ever.
What is really exciting about AI is that it opens up building software to so many people who otherwise would not be able to. Think about building software with a Computer Science lens: there is a universe of possible things that could be made into an app or program, but of that universe only a small percentage are actually made because of the necessary technical knowledge required to build them. AI enables more apps and programs to be built that otherwise would not have been built, but it will take properly-trained software engineers to deploy, scale, and maintain those apps and programs. AI is great for prototyping, but not for the maintenance of robust applications.
State of the Job Market
“I still think the [jobs] outlook is robust or strong or relatively bright for the [IT] field. It just will be a different kind of labor market than pre-pandemic. These large tech employers may not be hiring at the same volume as before, or for the same positions, but there is still a need for the skills and abilities that computer science graduates have.”
–Paul Farnsworth, president of technology job site Dice
Analysis of the current job market for Computer Science graduates shows that there are several significant trends which will affect the market in both the short and long term. The most significant trend is that large tech companies over-hired during the COVID-19 pandemic, in part due to risk mitigating government subsidies and a drive to remote work for professionals. The second significant trend is a broader trend in all industries toward digitization as companies realize they can no longer operate without technology. The third significant trend is the advent of Artificial Intelligence and its use in the workplace.
What this analysis reveals is that the traditional large tech companies (Meta, Google etc.) are currently adjusting their workforce to reflect the actual need of their organizations. Large companies in general run a business model of minimizing risk, not running many small teams that each have a chance of being successful. Small innovative teams were supportable in 2021-2022, and are not in 2025 with changing interest rates and other macroeconomic factors.
On the other hand, smaller tech focused companies are rising at the opportunities created by new AI technology. North American economic research at Indeed reported a 75x increase in AI related job postings from April 2022 – April 2024, for example. Additionally, these postings are found across many industries, not just in tech, as a reflection of the interest in digitization in other industries. AI-focused companies will continue to need software engineers to work on various aspects of their infrastructure since their primary product will still be software!
Finally, AI tools do play a role for Computer Science graduates. In the short term, many companies are restricting the use of these tools in order to protect their Intellectual Property from being ingested into the tools and being exposed. Companies that are using these tools, including the large tech companies, are thinking of the future. When asked about what they want to see in Computer Science graduates, they are interested in students that understand the fundamentals very well, as opposed to in-depth knowledge of a specific language or framework.
Conclusion
Even now, at the height of AI hype, some companies are already realizing that replacing humans with AI are realizing their mistake. Boise State Computer Science strongly affirms the continued need for Computer Science graduates, though every new software developer will need to have some experience using AI tools. Whether you are a current high school student, college student, declared Computer Science major, or recent graduate, we encourage you to consider the main points:
- The value of your Computer Science degree includes competent use of cutting edge languages and tools like AI. You will also learn to work in a team, communicate effectively, and apply the fundamentals of computer science to successful products.
- Professional Software Developers are still required to understand computer programming to a high degree in order to effectively use LLMs to create such solutions (it’s more than just vibe coding).
- Generative AI tools assist Software Developer’s in their traditional least favorite activities: documentation and testing. This is good for you!
- Large tech companies are not hiring aggressively like they were in 2021-22. Jobs are more likely to be found in industries other than the traditional technology companies, like healthcare, warehousing, automotive, and precision agriculture.
The Boise State Computer Science Department welcomes your interest in the program, and encourages you to reach out to answer any questions you may have regarding the choice of a computer science degree at Boise State. Use the Future Students portal on the Computer Science Website to schedule a department tour, see degree requirements, and what it’s like to be a part of the amazing Computer Science community.
By Dr. Casey Kennington and Andre Keys