Unless a veritable legion of analysts across the globe is egregiously wrong, the ongoing AI mania is all set to reshape nearly every facet of our world, akin to how the internet transformed our lives at the turn of the millennium.
And now, that change is predictably trickling down to career choices, where an AI-driven bifurcation of haves and have-nots is rapidly taking shape, removing the spotlight from the previously lucrative computer engineering career path, and shining a blazing new torch on the skilled work of electricians.
According to the New York Federal Reserve, computer engineering graduates are currently contending with an unemployment rate of 7.8%, while a separate report indicates that new AI Data Center electricians are now earning over a quarter of a million dollars every year
According to the New York Federal Reserve's tabulation of labor market outcomes, Anthropology graduates currently face the highest unemployment rate at 7.9 percent, followed by computer engineering graduates at 7.8 percent.
Of course, employment within Anthropology has been on a downtrend for a while now, but computer engineering was considered - up until fairly recently - a solid career path for tech-savvy students. Yet, the ongoing proliferation of AI-based coding agents is severely restricting this career choice now.
Meanwhile, new electricians who get to work on AI data centers are hauling in up to $280,000 per year. Of course, this career path is also predictably quite torturous, requiring a 4-5 year apprenticeship that entails around 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training and 500-900 hours of classroom instructions just to secure a formal license. Even so, you can acquire data center-related specialization during your apprenticeship by tapping the requisite credentials, including medium-voltage architecture, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, etcetera.
At the other end of the spectrum, computer engineering professionals are now having to contend with impossible demands. For instance, one Yahoo vacancy for a Senior Software Developer requires "10+ years of experience with Claude Code" when the AI agent has only been available for around 1 year! This might be a more extreme example, one that can be justified away as an error on the part of the HR, but the overall thesis stands.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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