AI has convinced computer science students to shift majors and white-collar workers to change careers, while some are embracing it
Matthew Ramirez started at Western Governors University as a computer science major in 2025, drawn by the promise of a high-paying, flexible career as a programmer. But as headlines mounted abouttech layoffsand AI’s potential toreplace entry-level coders, he began to question whether that path would actually lead to a job.
When the 20-year-old interviewed for a datacenter technician role that June and never heard back, his doubts deepened. In December, Ramirez decided on what he thought was a safer bet: turning away from computer science entirely. He dropped his planned major to instead apply to nursing school. He comes from a family of nurses, and sees the field as more stable and harder to automate than coding.
“Even though AI might not be at the point where it will overtake all these entry-level jobs now, by the time I graduate, it likely will,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez is not alone in reshaping his career out of anxiety over AI. As students like him arereconsidering their majorsover concerns that AI may disrupt their employment prospects, more established workers – some with decades of experience – are rethinking their trajectories because they’re encountering AI at work and share the same unease. Some workers are eschewing it entirely; others are embracing it.
It’s not clear when AI will become advanced enough to replace certain white-collar workers and just how many jobs it will be capable of taking over. But jitters around its potential impact are already pushing people to change course, reshaping the labor market before automation fully arrives.
What is clear is why workers are feeling on edge. TheWorld Economic Forumprojects that AI could displace 92m roles worldwide by 2030, including many white-collar positions. In the US, employers cited AI as a factor in nearly 55,000 job cuts in 2025, according toChallenger, Gray & Christmas, a consulting firm, as job seekers navigate a tougher market.
While AI is still just one factor among many that are leading to layoffs, ADP, the largest payroll company in the US, found that professional and business services roles, alongside information services jobs in media, telecom and IT,collectively lost 41,000 jobs in December 2025. In that same month, employment grew in healthcare, education and hospitality, per the firm’s data.
Many of those white-collar roles involve writing, data analysis and coding – tasks generative AI tools can increasingly perform. Hands-on, people-facing work remains less exposed.
Jobs that emphasize interpersonal and hands-on skills are increasingly appealing to young people who are wary of automation, according to Dr Jasmine Escalera, a career development expert at Zety, a professional development platform.
Source: Drudge Report
