For parents of the Class of 2026, current headlines can feel challenging. After years of tuition payments and academic rigor, the prospect of a "weak" entry-level hiring market — the softest since the pandemic — raises a fundamental question: Is the return on investment for a college degree diminishing?

Remember that market cycles apply to labor just as they do to equities. While a growing share of employers may characterize the entry-level landscape as "poor" or "fair," it is vital to separate near-term economic friction from long-term wealth and career planning.

For the Class of 2026, success may not look like the linear path of previous generations, but with a strategic pivot, the ROI remains achievable.

![Happy graduate and her father taking selfie with smartphone.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9tGXsvT3gKkxsgV7SxYgyh.jpg)

## The Shift in Entry-Level Dynamics

Several structural forces are currently cooling the "big three" sectors that traditionally absorbed new talent: **Technology, consulting and corporate rotational programs**.

We are seeing a **"flight to experience,"** where employers are increasingly filling junior roles with professionals who have one or two years of experience — often those recently displaced by corporate restructuring — rather than first-time entrants.

Furthermore, the **"AI effect"** is no longer theoretical. Research from Forrester suggests that automation could replace roughly 6% of U.S. jobs by 2030.

For a new graduate, this is particularly relevant because the "training ground" tasks — the spreadsheet modeling, basic coding and administrative coordination — are the exact functions being consolidated by generative AI.

## Where the Growth Has Migrated

Reports of the "death of the entry-level job" are, in my view, overstated. Demand hasn't disappeared; it has migrated.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growth engine has shifted toward sectors that require **high-touch human interaction or specialized technical oversight**.

**Health care** continues to lead, with roles like nurse practitioners and specialized clinicians seeing unprecedented demand.

Simultaneously, we are seeing a resurgence in **"new collar" roles**. Massive investments in data centers and energy infrastructure have created a premium for construction technologists and specialized electricians.

For the student focused on immediate ROI, **targeted certifications and apprenticeships** are increasingly viewed as primary wealth-building strategies rather than fallback options.

## Strategic Planning for Families

Career outcomes remain highly individual, and as parents, our role is to provide a stable financial and emotional foundation that allows for flexibility.

Here are several planning considerations to help your graduate navigate this transition:

### 1. Reframe "Survival" Jobs as Skill-Building

If the "dream job" doesn't materialize by June, encourage early workforce participation in any capacity. I often tell clients that a job at a high-volume café is a masterclass in behavioral finance.

Managing high-stakes transactions and maintaining service quality under extreme time constraints is excellent preparation for dealing with executives and clients later in life.

In interviews, a graduate shouldn't just say they were a barista — they should describe how they managed logistics and customer expectations in a high-pressure environment.

### 2. Establish a "Bridge Fund"

From a cash-flow perspective, families should consider carving out a defined **"transition fund"**. This isn't an indefinite subsidy, but rather a structured bridge to cover living expenses while a graduate searches for the right fit or pursues a specialized certification.

Having **three to six months of liquidity** prevents a graduate from making a desperate career move that might hinder their long-term trajectory.

### 3. Lean Into Geographic Arbitrage

The traditional hubs — New York, San Francisco, Chicago — are facing stiff competition and high costs of living.

However, ADP Research indicates that cities such as **Baltimore; Milwaukee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Austin, Texas**, are seeing hiring increases.

Moving to a high-growth, **lower-cost secondary market** can significantly accelerate a young professional's ability to begin saving and investing early.

### 4. Cultivate "Human" Capital

While technical skills get the first interview, **"soft" skills** — or what I prefer to call **"durable" skills** — secure the career. Encourage your student to focus on the quality of their education to refine their thinking.

In an AI-driven world, the ability to synthesize complex information, practice empathy and maintain open-mindedness is the ultimate hedge against automation.

Every generation enters the workforce facing its own "unprecedented" challenge. The Class of 2026 is entering a market that demands more adaptability and technological fluency than perhaps any before it.

The goal of planning isn't to guarantee a specific starting salary, but to build a framework that allows for pivots.

By focusing on transferable skills, geographic flexibility and a sound financial bridge, parents can help their children turn a challenging market entry into a resilient career foundation.

The degree is the ticket to the stadium — how they play the game in the first few innings will depend on their ability to adapt.

Despite a weak entry-level job market, the college degree's return on investment is still achievable for this year's grads. Here's how parents can help them.

How Parents Can Help the Class of 2026 Land Jobs in a Tough Market

![People working on or looking at computer code](https://i.insider.com/699887a72237a6a8f0cd88bc?width=700)
*AI provides certain shortcuts for junior-level engineers and has reshaped daily tasks. Nitat Termmee/Getty Images*

If Ben Zabihi had started his career five years ago, his workday would have looked very different than it does today.

A few years ago, he might have spent much of his time formatting code and writing documentation. Now Zabihi, who has been working as a software engineer at a small New York City startup since December, said a good portion of his day is spent using **AI tools** — not just to write code, but also as a research assistant to better understand his industry and business terminology.

The 23-year-old entered the profession at a time when companies and workers are actively testing and debating the extent to which AI is helpful and what still requires a human touch.

Though Zabihi said that relying too much on AI at the start of his career could result in a weaker foundation for his learning in the long term, he also knows he has to use the technology and optimize his workflow.

The tasks that used to keep entry-level engineers busy might not be as important as they once were, he said.

Instead, he's focusing on the **bigger picture**: work like understanding business goals, system architecture, scaling, and security risks, which once were the domain of more senior engineers.

## Risk and opportunity

While many recent grads see AI as a way to gain superpowers quickly, some industry veterans worry that the technology erodes a formative stage of learning that builds judgment and problem-solving skills — a gap that may only become clear as today's engineers advance.

When 36-year-old engineer Georgian Tutuianu entered the field a few years ago, he said 95% of the job was painful. For today's junior engineers, though, there are many shortcuts — and he's worried those can come at the expense of deeper understanding.

For example, a core part of his job is managing codebases through pull requests, where engineers submit code for review before it's merged into the system. Tutuianu said he used to review around 100 to 500 lines of code in a pull request. Now, with LLMs, it's easily over a thousand, and he said he sees workers often add layers of complexity they don't understand.

"It's super concerning because then you have just a pile of terribleness that you have to contend with," Tutuianu said. "It's literally just pollution."

He said he worries that junior engineers may be outsourcing the hardest part of the job — wrestling with what they don't understand — to LLMs.

Zabihi and Tutuianu's differing experiences reflect a wider shift in the industry. As one of the fastest sectors to adopt AI, software engineering is being transformed — and entry-level roles, which were once the training grounds for mastering the complexities of the job, are fundamentally changing.

With that comes risk, but also opportunity.

## Getting ahead

There's no crystal ball to predict where the industry is headed, but one thing is clear: Junior developers are navigating a murky employment market as the industry undergoes a tectonic shift. That means they'll need to move quickly to stay relevant.

The shift in focus may also force a rethinking of the fundamentals of the job. If AI can handle much of the code itself, the value of an engineer might lie less in perfecting syntax and more in gaining a broader expertise in defining problems and architecting solutions.

"The question then is, how do the requirements of the job and the skills change?" Matt Kropp, managing director and senior partner and chief AI officer of BCG X, the tech division of Boston Consulting Group, told Business Insider. "If you're a junior engineer, how do you make sure that you meet those skills in the market?

Keith Ballinger, Google's vice president and general manager of Developer & Experiences, told Business Insider that "nothing beats doing it."

"You don't need to ask for anybody's permission to do something significant and meaningful," Ballinger said. "Just put together a cool app and post it on a website."

Ballinger said that most software engineers didn't enter the field to write code in a specific language or framework. A developer's job is to use technology to solve problems and apply engineering techniques, he said. Great engineers have always known how to break down problems into smaller ones, and now agents can help handle the rest, Ballinger said.

"That's a skill that we can teach and that people can pick up, but now it's more important than ever, and certainly more important than memorizing how an API works," Ballinger said.

As entry-level hiring opportunities shift, Mohit Bhende, the CEO and cofounder of engineering hiring platform Karat, said aspiring engineers should seek out organizations committed to training junior talent. Those opportunities may increasingly lie outside traditional tech, he said.

Bhende said he expects more talent to move to sectors like finance and healthcare, where AI adoption is slower, and security concerns elevate the value of human oversight.

He said CTOs are also increasingly seeking engineers who understand the business side of their work. Bhende said that aspiring engineers should prioritize developing domain knowledge, whether through on-the-job training or formal education.

"Maybe you're graduating not just with the computer science degree, but you're graduating with that, plus a business degree," Bhende said, adding that he thinks "the jobs of the future are going to merge those two."

Zabihi, for one, is bullish about what the rapidly evolving tech will mean for his career. He said his output is significantly higher because of AI — and ultimately, that's what he's being paid for.

"As a junior dev, you've never gotten a better bang for your buck," Zabihi said.

AI has reshaped the work of junior engineers — something that could have pros and cons. Here's how they can still get ahead.

The AI Revolution in Engineering: How Junior Developers Can Thrive in the New Era

Marquette University senior Gigi Martin calls the current job market **"rejection therapy."** She is numb to hearing no after applying to more than 100 jobs over the past year, mostly in the tech industry, and getting a polite denial or no response from about 90% of employers.

**"A lot of it has felt like shouting into the void,"** said Martin, who is graduating this spring with a double major in computational mathematics and history. **"It's definitely frustrating."**

Martin and others in the class of 2026 looking to enter the workforce in the coming months are up against a tight job market. The recent college graduate unemployment rate has ticked up, and a 2025 report by Oxford Economics said there are signs of entry-level positions being displaced by artificial intelligence at higher rates.

With commencement looming, Martin is pursuing a different path: graduate school for records management and archival studies. Her interest stems from her secondary history major, which she added her sophomore year because she loved the classes and the way the discipline encouraged her to ask deeper questions.

**"I have complicated feelings about AI: I recognize the efficiency it can bring, but it has limited my job opportunities,"** Martin said. **"The barrier to get into tech is much higher. They expect you to have all of these qualifications and experience. That's not what an entry-level job is about. It’s to gain experience."**

## 14% of companies surveyed are discussing replacing entry-level jobs with AI

In an economy increasingly reliant on automation, it's a tough time for recent college graduates.

This group's unemployment rate outpaces most other groups, the Federal Reserve reported. The underemployment rate – defined as a college graduate working in a job that typically does not require a college degree – rose to 42.5%, its highest level since 2020.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers, a national organization that tracks and forecasts employment of college graduates, surveys employers twice a year on their hiring plans. The most recent survey indicated a flat labor market, with 60% of respondents planning to maintain hiring from the previous year and a quarter of companies planning to increase hiring.

A more concerning survey question revealed about half of employers rating the overall job market **"poor" or "fair,"** the largest share since 2020.

The organization surveyed employers about AI for the first time last fall. About 60% of employers said they do not plan to replace entry-level jobs with AI; 14% were having discussions about replacement, and 25% were unsure.

Mary Gatta, director of research and public policy for the organization, said students who engage in experiential learning and use their institution's career center while in college are more likely to get more job offers, receive higher pay and report higher career satisfaction.

Grades aren't everything: About 42% of companies surveyed said they use grade point averages to screen applicants, down from 73% in 2019.

**"What employers are telling us is that academic major matters, work experience matters, completing internships and being able to demonstrate their skills matters,"** Gatta said.

## UWM student tries 'AI-proofing' his job application

Local employers from Kamatsu to Milwaukee Tool to Uline filled big ballrooms in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Union in late February. Students walked the halls in suits, smiled for headshots and passed out their resumes.

![Students attend a career fair in February at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/02/27/PMJS/88889649007-mjs-career-5.jpg)

East Seawright, a senior majoring in information science and technology, noticed fewer companies at the software, analytics and IT career fair than in past years. He would know. It was at a career fair Seawright's sophomore year that he landed an internship.

UWM said the software, analytics and IT career fair is still relatively new and has always been smaller than other fairs. There were 13 employers this year, down from 16 last year. But the university said it has seen robust participation at its other on-campus career fairs. The business and communications fair, for example, hosted 68 employers this year. UWM connects students to area employers in other formats, too, including coffee chats, panel discussions, resume reviews and mock interviews.

**"UWM offers unparalleled opportunities for preparing graduates for lifelong careers with adaptable skills that go beyond the first job,"** the university said in a statement.

Seawright still has the internship he found through the career fair two years ago. He hopes it leads to a full-time offer after he graduates this spring.

But just in case, Seawright started applying elsewhere. And he's using AI to **"AI-proof"** his own materials after reading about how companies are using AI to screen hundreds or thousands of applications. He asked a chatbot to incorporate keywords from a company's job description into his cover letter and resume to increase his chances of making it through the application tracking system.

## At UWM career fairs, students say they have applied to many jobs

Several other UWM students walked out of the software, analytics and IT career fair, discouraged by their job searches.

One student who studied data analytics said he had submitted about 35 applications in the past six weeks. Two companies interviewed him, then ceased contact.

Another student who declined to be named, fearing it would further hinder their prospects, said he has unsuccessfully submitted more than 100 applications every semester since sophomore year. Now a senior, he said he may get a master's degree if he can't get a job.

**"It's definitely a congested field,"** he said of his computer science major. **"It's not a field where you can just get a degree and get a job. Maybe in 2015 it was."**

UWM graduate student Eric Walker is pursuing a master's degree in anthropology and a certificate in geographic information systems, in hopes of working in cultural resource management. He wants to transition to part-time graduate work as he finishes up his thesis – so long as he can find a full-time job.

Walker estimated he had submitted 50 applications since last summer and only heard back from a few. Most were either denials or offers completely unrelated to his field, such as restaurant jobs.

**"I've been applying for a minute,"** he said sarcastically. **"It's rough out there. Maybe I'm in the wrong field. Maybe it's the wrong time. But you got to keep trying. My fingers are crossed."**

At a recent career fair, students said they had submitted dozens or hundreds of applications. One tried \

AI vs. College Grads: Why Entry-Level Jobs Are Vanishing and How to Fight Back

Spring is the perfect time for a fresh start—and that includes your resume. Just like decluttering your closet, **clearing out the clutter** on your resume can create clarity and help you **stand out to recruiters** for internships or full-time jobs. Here’s how to give your resume a much-needed refresh.

### Update Your Experience
Don’t just list your experiences—make them shine. Include recent accomplishments like a **study abroad internship** or a thesis project, and place them at the top of your resume. Even if an experience isn’t fully completed, you can note it with an **anticipated completion date**. Remember, employers value well-rounded candidates, so include relevant activities like learning a second language, volunteering, or travel experiences in a special section.

### Change the Order
One of the quickest ways to refresh your resume is to **reorder your skills and experiences**. Move the most recent and relevant items to the top, so recruiters see them first. Additionally, **mirror the job description** you’re applying for by aligning the order of your resume with the employer’s priorities. This makes it easier for recruiters to connect your qualifications to their needs.

### Trim the Excess
Just as you’d remove old clothes from your closet, cut out **unnecessary jargon, repetitive bullet points, and excessive details** from your resume. Avoid duplicating achievements—it’s better to have a clean, concise document than to fill space with redundancy. Focus on clarity and impact.

### Refresh the Design and Format
Take a step back and look at your resume visually. Is it **easy to read and professionally formatted**? Use consistent fonts, headings, and spacing to create a clean layout. Tailor the design to your industry: creative fields like graphic design allow for more innovation, while traditional sectors like finance may require a classic look (think Times New Roman). Don’t stress—**industry-based templates** can guide you.

By incorporating these tips into your routine, you can keep your resume updated and ready to impress. Regular refreshes will help you **land that coveted job** and make your job search more effective.

By Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster.com Spring is in the air and your closet may not be the only thing needing a purge. Your resume might be due for an overhaul or at least a little freshening up. Clearing out the clutter helps create clarity.  Similarly, tweaking your resume can help you stand out […]
