AI's Impact on Student Career Paths: How North Carolina Students Are Adapting to the New Job Market

AI Reshapes Student Job Prospects as Entry-Level Hiring Slows

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how North Carolina students prepare for their careers after college, according to new national survey data, state workforce figures, and student interviews.

Survey Reveals Major Shifts in Student Thinking

A Lumina Foundation–Gallup survey found that 47% of college students have considered changing their major because of artificial intelligence. Sixteen percent said they have already done so.

At North Carolina State University, students said AI is already shaping how they approach coursework, internships, and career planning.

"I’m looking to add a machine learning or AI minor just to prepare for the coming times," said Nicole Sokeye, an engineering undergraduate student at NC State.

Other students said expectations in technical fields have shifted as AI tools become more common.

"I was always told growing up, learn to code," said Noah Watkins, a junior history major at NC State. "Then AI advanced and now it can code."

The Changing Job Market Landscape

Federal data shows there were 45,000 layoffs nationwide in 2026 in the tech industry alone, with at least half attributed directly to the rise of AI — underscoring Watkins’s concerns about the availability of entry-level coding and tech jobs in the near future.

Thousands of local college students could be feeling similarly unsure about Big Tech as a promising field. According to a 2025 UNC System report, computer science is the fastest-growing major in North Carolina’s public universities. Enrollment grew from about 9,300 students in the 2018-19 school year to 12,200 in the 2023-24 school year, a 31% increase. Yet as the number of recent grads competing for new tech jobs has grown, the availability of those jobs is shrinking.

In March 2026, Epic Games laid off 1,000 employees, including more than 200 based in Cary, as part of a major restructuring tied to declining Fortnite engagement and cost restrictions.

CEO Tim Sweeney never said the layoffs were related to AI, but instead driven by financial pressures and slower revenue growth.

Student Adaptation Strategies

Sokeye said she is adding another year of school to help prepare herself for the world of AI. She said she has seen peers reconsider their plans or add certifications due to uncertainty about hiring after graduation, too.

Recent college graduates face unemployment of roughly 5% to 6%, compared with about 3% for all college-educated workers, according to Federal Reserve data from 2025.

State Government Embraces AI

North Carolina state government is also expanding its use of artificial intelligence. Many individual state agencies and departments are using the technology — which could help lighten the load on overworked state employees. Most agencies report large vacancies, which can in turn lead to backlogs of work or other issues.

After spearheading the state’s first AI pilot program a year ago, the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer announced Monday it has moved into broader implementation across its divisions.

The agency said its partnership with the company OpenAI increased productivity in certain divisions. Following the pilot, officials expanded testing across multiple AI systems and have begun departmentwide training and implementation.

"Our 12-week pilot program with OpenAI showed up to 10% increased productivity in certain divisions," State Treasurer Brad Briner said in a statement. "We expect that implementing AI tools across the department will replicate that productivity increase across our entire team, leading to a better return for taxpayer dollars."

Briner said the goal is to improve efficiency in state government while maintaining security and privacy protections.

The North Carolina Chamber said even in jobs that aren't eliminated due to AI, the technology is still affecting many roles and changing how work is performed.