An IIT graduate has triggered a discussion on social media after sharing his difficulties in securing a job despite preparing extensively for roles in software development, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science. The student revealed that he is now unsure whether to continue searching for a job or pursue a PhD instead.
The graduate shared his concerns on Reddit in a post titled, “Unemployed IITian. What should I do: Job or PhD?”
IITian opens up about placement challenges
In the post, the user detailed his experience during campus placements. He wrote, “Hi all, I have just graduated from BTech, IIT, and as a usual ‘Bhed Chaal’, I had also started preparing for SDE, AI/ML, and Data Science roles. Coming to the placement season, I gave 7 to 8 interviews for different roles, including PM, ML, DS, etc., but some were rejected in the first round, and 1 to 2 were rejected in the HR round.”
The student said that although he had a strong grasp of data structures and algorithms, he did not receive any interview opportunities specifically for software development roles. He added that after graduating, he continued working on DSA and system design while also taking up an off campus internship at a small startup that offered very low pay.
The IIT graduate said he was now considering a PhD, partly because of concerns about the growing impact of artificial intelligence on technology jobs.
He wrote, “I am in a dilemma about whether to choose a PhD path now, because I am afraid of AI taking over and so many layoffs have already started, in my respective branch, preferring QC, or still apply till the end of June and see the results.”
Seeking advice from fellow users, he further added, “I have to make a decision fast! Should I really still continue grinding DSA and System Design until I have an offer? Thanks for any suggestion.”
Social media reactions
Many users responded to the post and offered suggestions based on their own experiences.
One user said, “dude same boat, non iit tho lol. if you actually like research then phd is fine, but don’t do it just to dodge layoffs. industry exp + strong projects > endless leetcode. also focus on 1–2 roles, not everything at once. either way it’s just stupid hard to find anything right now.”
Another person wrote, “don’t be in a hurry, i graduated in 2025 (from a IIT ) and my friends who were doing sde prep and were unplaced got good jobs in 4-6 months, so keep working. But if you want to detour into research, you need to have an interest in that subject.”
A third user commented, “IITIAN. Omg. Unemployed. Omg Maybe … just maybe a piece of paper does not decide everything in this world. I know, …”