The Bay Area is renowned for its burgeoning technology industry. As such, many students plan on working in the field, hoping to take advantage of how lucrative the sector is. As technology has recently faltered, however, students have been forced to reassess their career planning.

“Tech layoffs go deeper than most people realize, I think that is because a lot of tech companies are coming out of COVID. Tech was big during COVID so they ramped up and brought a lot of extra people to deal with it and now that these tech companies are coming down to more normal levels of production, they are going to have to lay some people off,” said AV Journalism teacher Wendy Connelly.

So the question is: what other sustainable jobs can students pursue?

Students in high school don’t take the advantage of asking their counselors for advice; many jobs are overlooked or not even considered by students choosing their college career. Many jobs in high demand just aren’t interesting to what is advertised to the current generation as to what could be their future. The future needs more important jobs.

“I think future generations can start their own businesses that are non tech related like working in science labs; they can do STEM related jobs that don’t require tech,” said Sachith Sandeep (‘24)

Students don’t have to work in STEM if they don’t want to: key jobs in law, education, and counseling are in high demand as well. From being a paralegal to an independent researcher, the world beyond the tech industry is vast and diverse: the perfect place for students to sustainably cultivate their interests. 

“I think kids should ultimately just choose what they enjoy most and follow their dreams. I don’t think they should be pressured into certain jobs by the people around them. Whatever makes them happy I think is the best option in terms of a job,” said Mason Basbas (‘23).

While most industries struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic, tech companies prospered, creating countless job openings. As the pandemic tapers off, tech companies have been forced to assess alleged overhiring, leading them to take measures to reduce the headcount.

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“Over the pandemic, there was way more hiring because everyone was at home. Now, they are going back on it. The economy right now is super unpredictable with inflation,” said AP Computer Science student Kyle Zhou (‘24). 

The layoffs have been in part caused by mass inflation, pushing companies to curb their spending. With the ambiguity of the current economy, companies like Microsoft have cut up to 11,000 employees, with others announcing similar numbers.

“I am worried about how easy it’s going to be to get a job later on. I was thinking about going into computer science as my major but right now it’s looking really uncertain,” said Zhou.

With the decline of tech, other industries have taken the spotlight.

“Healthcare got a lot more attention because of the pandemic so they are always hiring. Engineering and maybe more applied sciences are getting a lot more attention now, so I think a lot of students might switch,” said Zhou.

Amador is home to hundreds of students that plan to work in the tech industry. However, with questions regarding tech’s future, students are looking for other opportunities.