this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2026
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My Parent doesn't want me doing CS, or CE, because they feel the job market will disappear come 7 years. (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 days ago by aunchers@lemmy.world to c/cs_career_questions@programming.dev
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Basically Title.
I love CS, I love designing systems, programming, some cyber and math.
The problem is, I am due to admit into CS this year (4 year program). My Parent's will be funding a majority of it (~2 years, + RESP). And one of my parents, thinks CS won't have many jobs come 7 years?
Why? Because AI will take them all (or is more likely to take them all). That AI is expanding at a rapid pace, and they will slowly but surely take the hardware designing jobs, the programming jobs, and pretty much all the jobs except the administration ones. I have a poor time putting into words what I would like to do in the future (cause I love lots of things related to CS) but I say thing a bit on the technical side, and this parent says that if I cant explain it to them than I don't understand it and that they understand (more to me) what will happen to the market due to their age

I am not saying they're wrong to any of this by the way, I'm just looking for advice on if they're right, and if not, why?

I don't think I'll ever give up doing CS because its something I love with all my heart.
But if I'm not able to convince them, they want me to take a gap and get a different degree (in a less likely to be taken job).
I might be rambling here, but I am genuinely soooo lost.

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[–] Scipitie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 4 days ago

You have two paths from my perspective.

The one with less chance of success: convince them:

Look up tech developments from the youth time of your parents.

I've been through a couple of decades by now and yes, jobs vanish - but rarely instantly and rarely without a very VERY clear shift.

My parents for example still saw people lighting the gas lights in the streets when they were young. But gas lights vanished more and more, its clear that this job will be gone.

The job as driver is "dead" since oder a decade by now and lorry drivers are searched more today than in the last two years where I'm at.

But most likely you won't convince them with "you're wrong". Instead you can go a different route: CS not as "programmer" but as "master of the machine the people who will make other people's job obsolete". The ones who understand the magic of the silicone rock.

In short: you're not studying to become a programmer like so many other fools, you're studying to make them obsolete, to be the part of the future who's coming out on top.

The coal industry was dying but the smart ones jumped onto oil, or some other bullshit like it. In short: figure out what your parents believe the future will look like and spotlight the CS part in their world view. Change your own perspective to whatever theirs is, make them feel understood and seen - and he'll them from this viewport to see why it's the right choice for you.

Keep in mind that they're doing this because they care for you! Never forget that :)