
For the past decade, a simple message has been delivered to a generation of American students: If you learn to code and complete a computer science degree, you’ll get a job with a six-figure salary.
Now, thousands of students who followed the advice are discovering that the promise was empty. Natasha Singer, a technology reporter for The Times, explains.
Guest: Natasha Singer (https://www.nytimes.com/by/natasha-singer) , a technology reporter in the business section of The New York Times.
Background reading:
• Goodbye, $165,000 tech jobs. Student coders seek work at Chipotle (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/technology/coding-ai-jobs-students.html) .
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily (http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily) . Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Andrew Spear for The New York Times
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