For 20 years, American parents and policymakers have repeated the same advice to young people. Study STEM. Learn to code. Get a four-year degree, and well-paying jobs will follow. 

We did not lie, but we told only part of the truth, and in hindsight, we did not tell the truth, either. 

Artificial intelligence has reshaped the job market faster than we ever imagined, and far too many graduates now discover that the work they were promised either looks very different or, in more cases, is not there at all.

The data is sobering. Tech employers shed tens of thousands of jobs in 2024, and the cuts continued through 2025 across firms large and small.

Trackers from Crunchbase and TrueUp count well over one hundred thousand positions eliminated, and the speed of the shedding has not let up. Even blue-chip software companies have moved to a model of frequent small reductions while they retool for AI and cloud priorities. These headlines are not outliers. They are signals that the hiring environment for traditional entry-level tech roles is diminished and likely to remain so as AI boosts productivity and compresses staffing plans.

The economy is adding jobs elsewhere. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total employment will grow by about 5.2 million positions from 2024 to 2034, with healthcare and social assistance supplying the largest share of that growth. Healthcare alone is expected to generate close to two million openings each year when you include both new roles and replacement needs. 

Nurse practitioners. Medical and health services managers. Even registered nursing, after a difficult pandemic period, is projected to add about 189,000 openings per year this decade due to growth and retirements. Public and private workforce studies point to persistent shortages in allied health fields, from respiratory therapy to pharmacy.

So what did we get wrong? Our government and media treated STEM as a single ladder that runs straight through computer science to software engineering. In practice, we need many ladders. 

P.I.T. was founded to be career-focused. Our strongest programs are in healthcare and the sciences that support it. We design short, stackable pathways that move students into living-wage roles quickly, then give them bridges to advance. Think practical nursing to registered nursing. Think diagnostic medical sonography. Think about the business and data skills that hospitals and clinics actually seek candidates to possess when hiring.

Our goal is not to steer students away from technology (heck, for our first 65 years, our foundation was Engineering and Computer Science). It is to place technology inside care and community. AI is already embedded in modern ultrasound machines, in medication management, and in scheduling and revenue cycle operations. 

The winning graduate is not the one who writes an algorithm from scratch. It is the one who can operate with fluency, where AI is a tool that makes a clinical or operational workflow safer, faster, and more accurate.

What does a reset look like for families, schools, and states?

First, stop promising that a single computer science degree route will guarantee job security. It never did, and in an AI-accelerated market, it certainly will not anytime soon. Tell students the truth. Software careers are still good, but entry points are more competitive, and the work is evolving. Pair that truth with targeted programs that include clinical, lab, or employer-based practice from the first term.

Second, invest in the care economy as a technology sector. The fastest-growing jobs list includes both health roles and analytics roles. Fund programs that teach bedside skills with digital literacy and data interpretation. Help two-year colleges scale simulation labs and advance clinical partnerships. Students will graduate into work that exists and matters.

Third, reward speed to value. Encourage stackable credentials that lead to licensure or industry certification in one year or less, with clear bridges to associate and bachelor’s degrees. Students who can earn while they learn build stability and choice. The ROI research makes clear that shorter programs with strong placement deliver early financial wins that set up longer-term success.

Families deserve transparency on completion, licensure pass rates, job placement, and earnings at one year and five years. Applied colleges like P.I.T. welcome that scrutiny because our mission is straightforward. We prepare people for essential work, and we place them into it.

We will help you master skills that AI amplifies rather than replaces. We will move you into the workforce quickly with less debt. We will give you bridges to keep moving up. That is how we keep faith with this generation. And this is how we keep our communities healthy, our hospitals staffed and our region growing.

Matt Meyers is the 11th president and chief executive officer of Pennsylvania Institute of Technology in Upper Providence Township, just outside of downtown Media. He lives in Montgomery County.

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Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is a non-profit college dedicated to providing high-quality education and empowering students to succeed. With a focus on personalized learning and career readiness, P.I.T. offers bachelor and associate degrees and certificate programs. #PursueYourDreams ✨