# AI killed entry-level tech jobs. Grads are flipping burgers instead.

> Computer science graduates can't find the jobs they trained for since ChatGPT launched, forcing them into retail and food service.
- Title: AI killed entry-level tech jobs. Grads are flipping burgers…
- Summary: Computer science graduates can't find the jobs they trained for since ChatGPT launched, forcing them into retail and food service. AI disrupted entry-level…
- Keywords: chatgpt, artificial intelligence, computer science, entry-level jobs, college graduates, labor market, tech industry, underemployment, retail, food service, hiring decline, earnings drop
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/17/ai-chatgpt-college-majors-retail-jobs
- Author: Catherina Gioino
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: chatgpt, artificial intelligence, computer science, entry-level jobs, college graduates, labor market, tech industry, underemployment, retail, food service, hiring decline, earnings drop
## ChatGPT wiped out entry-level tech jobs
Within months of OpenAI's December 2022 ChatGPT release, hiring for workers ages 22 to 24 in AI-exposed industries dropped sharply. Employment in the most AI-exposed fifth of industries fell 12% over the next ten quarters.
## Computer science grads hit hardest
AI-exposed industries cluster around software and IT work, the exact fields computer science majors are trained for. These graduates faced the steepest employment and earnings declines after ChatGPT's launch.
## Earnings dropped like a recession hit
Computer science graduates saw their initial earnings fall 13% after ChatGPT's release, roughly equivalent to graduating into a severe recession. Yet the broader economy stayed strong, showing the impact was AI-specific.
## They're taking retail and restaurant jobs
Half the earnings loss came from lower wages in tech roles. The other half came from switching to lower-wage sectors like restaurants and retail. Graduates apply for software jobs that no longer exist and settle for grocery store work instead.
## Students took three years to react
The job market shifted within months of ChatGPT's release, but computer science enrollment didn't drop noticeably until spring 2026. By then, 42% of bachelor's degree students had reconsidered their major because of AI.

> about 42% of bachelor's degree students had reconsidered their major because of AI
## Underemployment is now the norm
Recent college graduates face a 42% underemployment rate as of mid-2026. Over half are working in jobs that don't require a degree, and 45% remain stuck in those roles a decade later.
## Key takeaway

AI disrupted entry-level tech hiring within months of ChatGPT's release, but students didn't notice for three years, creating a mismatch between degree choice and job availability.