A computer science grad taught me a lot about finding work in the AI era. Here's what it takes to get that first big job.

Kiran Maya Sheikh graduating Kiran Maya Sheikh A version of this story originally appeared in the AI Insider newsletter. Sign up for Business Insider's weekly AI Insider newsletter here. I've got some happy news to share this week. It involves a young computer science graduate named Kiran Maya Sheikh, who has taught me a lot about grit, determination, and the realities of finding a job in the age of AI. Back in February, I wrote a newsletter arguing that people shouldn't panic about AI destroying tech jobs. Kiran, who had recently graduated from the University of California, Irvine, wasn't impressed. "It's bad advice to 'not worry,'" she emailed me. "AI is causing disruption in this job market. Employers are prioritizing hiring experienced workers, but not new graduates." It was a humbling moment. We arranged an interview, and Kiran told me about the struggle to land her first full-time job. She'd studied computer science partly because it promised financial stability. Instead, she was competing against experienced engineers, other graduates, and potentially AI itself. "It's a bloodbath," she told me. We've stayed in touch ever since. I've sent her articles, offered (unsolicited!) career advice, and occasionally shared my own professional struggles. She's kept me updated on the job hunt, her volunteer work, and the fellowships she pursued to gain experience. In June, she was still searching. But she was learning new skills, building websites, and meeting people. Then, last week, an email arrived. "I have great news: I started my first full time job as a software engineer!" she wrote. Kiran is now working for the Virginia Digital Service, the state's government technology modernization team. She's moved from Los Angeles to Richmond, Virginia, and is settling into her new life. Yessss! Nothing feels better than to share in other people's success, without doing any of the work. Are robots really scary? Seriously, though: Kiran's experience is worth remembering as we confront another frightening prediction about the future of work: Robots are coming for everyone's jobs. Business Insider recently launched Robonomics, a major reporting series examining how AI-powered robots could transform work, businesses, and the economy. One story, by my colleague Eugene Kim, takes us inside an enormous Amazon warehouse in Tracy, California. The facility is packed with robots that move shelves, sort packages, and transport carts. Jobs that once required people to walk miles every day are increasingly performed by machines. Sounds terrifying for workers, right? Except Eugene discovered something surprising. The warehouse employs more than 3,000 people, up from roughly 1,000 when it opened in 2023, according to Amazon. Workers are still picking, packing, and loading packages. Others are learning to supervise and maintain the machines. One employee, Briana Brager, started as a warehouse picker. Now she's a "quarterback" for robots, coordinating the response when machines malfunction. "We call the shots," she told Eugene. Amazon says its more automated warehouses support roughly 30% more skilled jobs. The Tracy facility handles more packages than a nearby warehouse with fewer robots, despite employing roughly the same number of people. This doesn't mean there's nothing to worry about. Amazon has explored using robots to slow future hiring growth, Eugene exclusively reported in May 2025. If warehouses can process more orders without adding employees, thousands of potential jobs could disappear before they're ever created. Retraining is difficult. Change is stressful. And nobody can guarantee that tomorrow's new jobs will make up for those that vanish. But automation isn't the same thing as unemployment. That's a distinction often lost in the rush to write scary, clickable headlines about AI. The broader tech job market also offers reasons for optimism. My recent reporting found tech openings have jumped this year, fueled partly by AI-related demand, while tech layoffs remain well below their 2022 peak. Kiran's lessons Which brings us back to Kiran's shiny, new tech job. Following her journey has reminded me that getting your first proper job has always been brutally difficult. When I graduated decades ago, I applied for hundreds of positions and heard almost nothing. Eventually, a college professor helped me get a miserable, poorly paid editorial assistant job. It took years of grinding before I landed at Bloomberg News (as a lowly intern) and my career finally began. There was no ChatGPT to blame back then. Just rejection, uncertainty, and the occasional generous human being. Kiran's experience has been different, but her conclusions sound remarkably familiar. She shared two lessons from her job search odyssey: "1) Your network matters, and 2) Results come from effort * LUCK, and you improve your chances of success by doing as many things as you can!!!" she wrote. Appropriately, she used the * symbol as a multiplication sign, as