2023 will be 20 years since I graduated out of masters and formally ended my educational journey. In 2003, the US economy was pretty bad and tech sector was in a bad shape. Jobs were difficult to find, and if you found them, they did not pay well. Tech sector had taken a beating in the 2000-2001 crash they had just about started to recover. My dad really wanted me to pursue my PHD right after college, but I was so disillusioned with my masters experience that I knew it would be my last resort if I did not find a job. 20 years down the line, not doing my PHD was the right call for me personally; and in tech sector especially, PHDs have diminishing returns very quickly, unless you happen to get into R&D of a company. I was lucky that I found a job in a startup as a intern in Jan 2003, that converted to a full time job by the time I graduatted. While the pay was legit awful, it allowed me to have a holding ground for better opportunities as time went by.
In fact, very very few people within our own graduate batch did not find a job. Almost everyone did. A couple of people went into PHD, while a few left back for India. But a majority of them are still around here, and while I have no contact with any of them, they are all on linkedin. And its a nice feeling to know they are all doing well (or at least based on their LinkedIn titles). To all the young folks who are graduating now in 2023, dont lose heart or hope! We’ve been there before. We survived and thrived. You will too! The world is much more better, diverse and welcoming of young talent. You will find something and make your way. Even though tech sector today is beginning to look like that of 2003, it will all work out. In another 20 years, hopefully you all will be looking back and giving the same advice to youngsters while i start preparing for my retirement :).