You know the beginning of this story, but the ending isn’t written yet.
Juniors are in trouble by most measures, and starting a career in tech has never been harder.
People like to blame AI, but the reality is more complicated: some companies are using AI as an excuse, while others are using AI to build (and include Juniors).
I’ve seen both, and I know a LOT of earlier career folks.
So this post is for you if you’re getting started or trying to break into tech! I’ve got my honest war stories, what companies need to hear, real strategies I’ve seen work, plus (yes) a real list of companies that are being loud about hiring juinors.
So make this post yours! Share it with those hungry for work, add your advice at the end. Look at the stories I’ve seen that really do work.
Let’s make this a rich post with real tales of the struggles (and successes) of finding tech roles in 2025.
I believe in a world where junior talent has an honored place in tech, and I want to share some of the stories I’ve heard here and start working together to make it happen. Some of the best builders and developers I know have been juniors—AI can’t replace you guys!
So share your story, share this post with someone who needs it, and let’s start building a better world together.
Yes, it’s real…
Let me validate what you're experiencing first. Computer science graduates now face 6.1% unemployment, nearly double the national average. Entry-level positions require an average of 4.5 years of experience. Big Tech has cut new graduate hiring by 50% over five years. Those are real numbers, and I can’t wave my hand and fix them.
I’ve talked with a couple of dozen early career folks over the past two months and the TLDR is: "It's terrible and you can't get interviews. And if you do get interviews, it's AI conducting the interviews and it's an absolutely soulless process." One shared they'd sent out 400 applications and gotten three callbacks—all automated rejections after AI screening.
This isn't because you're not good enough. It's because the system for recognizing talent is fundamentally broken.
Why AI broke promises on hiring
For decades, I could look at a junior's messy but passionate side project and see potential. Experienced builders could spot hunger in how someone approached problems. But AI has destroyed these signals. When every resume is perfect and every portfolio is polished by AI, how do you stand out?
Ironically, here’s the thing: companies still desperately need raw, hungry talent. They need people who obsess over problems at 2 AM because they can't let go. That conviction has never gone out of style. The problem isn't that companies don't want you—it's that they can't find you in all the AI-generated noise.
This is like dolphins trying to navigate in a sea of ship noises: we’re all lost and disoriented because of the cacophony. We need signal to find our pod.
But I'm seeing juniors who've cracked the code. Let me tell you about someone who succeeded by doing the opposite of what everyone else was doing.
One of one is annoying because it works
This person obsessed over the intersection of sales enablement and entrepreneurship. Instead of sending generic applications, they created custom videos for that specific niche. They didn't try to be broadly impressive—they became the obvious choice for a specific problem.
They had absolutely obsessive focus.
Another junior I know specialized in AI automations for a super-specific back office automation problem space. They can tell you all about trading off n8n and Zapier and Make for that particular use case. When companies in that space need someone, their name comes up immediately.
Whatever your specialty is, get one. Pick one. Double down on it. Make yourself one of one for something. You're not competing on the variables everyone else is maximizing. You're finding your own game.
Companies doing it right
Not everyone is using AI as an excuse to avoid hiring juniors. I'm seeing companies that get it—they're creating exceptions in their requirements: "You need X years of experience unless you're AI-native and can prove it." They recognize that hunger plus AI-native thinking beats experience alone.
One startup I know specifically opened their doors to junior talent with the requirement that they demonstrate AI proficiency. They figured out that injecting AI-native blood into their culture was worth more than years of traditional experience. Their junior hires are now outperforming many of their senior engineers on AI-integrated projects.
Another company started a "junior pod" system where three juniors work together with one senior mentor, using AI tools to multiply their effectiveness. The juniors bring fresh perspectives and AI fluency, the senior provides domain expertise and judgment. It's working brilliantly.
The Junior edge
Here's what senior engineers walking away from tech won't tell you: Many of them are choosing retirement rather than learning AI. I know multiple engineers and PMs who don't want to deal with the AI transition at this stage in their careers. They're opening coffee shops, taking up woodworking—anything but another paradigm shift.
This is your opportunity. While they're walking away, you're native to this new world. You don't have to unlearn 20 years of habits. You can partner with AI naturally because you grew up with it.
Companies are starting to realize what happens when senior talent leaves and there's no pipeline. With average tech tenure at just 2-2.5 years, smart companies are asking: "What happens when that role is vacant and we need someone who knows the business AND knows how to work with AI agents?"
A way forward
1. Find Your Intersection Don't be a generic "full-stack developer" or "product manager." Be the person who does [specific thing] for [specific industry] using [specific approach]. Make it so narrow that when someone needs exactly that, you're the only name that comes up.
2. Build in Public Don't just build projects—document your process. Show your thinking. It doesn’t have to be software. It does have to be noisy. Let people see how you approach problems. One junior I know got hired because a CTO saw their debugging process in a blog post and thought, "That's exactly the kind of thinking we need."
3. Skip the Line Stop playing the application game everyone else is playing. Find the people doing interesting work in your niche and engage with their content. Offer to solve a specific problem they mentioned. Show up consistently in their field of vision.
4. Prove Your AI Partnership Don't just say you can work with AI—show it. Build something that demonstrates how you think about AI as a partner, not just a tool. Companies want to see that you can leverage AI while maintaining human judgment and creativity.
The future is people building products (still)
People build products for people. People take care of people. Even Klarna had to reverse their AI-only customer service because customers didn't feel cared for. We're always going to need humans who can deliver value while partnering with AI agents.
The companies investing in junior talent now—finding ways to identify and develop raw potential despite the signal problem—will have an insurmountable advantage in two years. Those that don't will scramble to fill roles with no developed pipeline.
This isn't charity. It's smart business. The most AI-native generation is the one currently being locked out. But that's changing, one hire at a time, one success story at a time.
Your turn!
I believe in a world where junior talent has an honored place in tech. Not because it's nice, but because it's necessary. The best builders and developers I know started as hungry juniors who got a chance.
So here's my ask:
If you're a junior who broke through, share your story in the comments. What worked? What didn't? What do you wish you'd known?
If you're struggling, share that too. Let's problem-solve together. Someone reading this might have exactly the insight you need.
If you're hiring and you've found creative ways to identify junior talent, tell us about it. Be the example other companies need to see.
If you know someone who needs to read this, share it with them. Sometimes knowing you're not alone in the struggle makes all the difference.
The tech world still needs you. Not all companies have realized it yet, but they will. Your job is to be ready when they do, to find the ones who already get it, and to help build the future where junior talent is valued again.
You can play this game. You can stand out. You can get hired. It's happening every day—I'm seeing it. Yes, the game is harder than it used to be. But you're also smarter, more connected, and more capable than any generation of juniors before you.
Let's figure this out together. Drop your stories, your struggles, your successes below. Let's make this the resource every junior in tech needs to see.
Good luck. And I mean that—genuine well-wishing from someone who knows exactly how hard this is, but also knows you're going to make it.
The ending of this story isn't written yet. Let's write it together.
Share your story below. Tag someone who needs to see this. Let's build a better tech world, one junior hire at a time.
PS. Want the companies? Here’s a list…
Real Companies Hiring AI-Native Juniors: Who's Actually Creating Opportunities
IBM Apprenticeship Program
IBM runs a comprehensive 5-year-old apprenticeship program that specifically targets career-changers without traditional degrees. They're committed to skilling 2 million learners by 2028 through their SkillsBuild program. The program is full-time, paid, and focuses on AI and cloud engineering skills rather than credentials.
Accenture
Accenture has integrated GenAI practices into their high-school and early-career workforce programs, including their "Learning to Lead" initiative for high school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates. They're working with the U.S. Department of Labor to develop scalable tech/AI-fluent apprenticeships.
AI-First Startups Creating New Models
OpenAI
OpenAI launched Grove, a groundbreaking 5-week mentorship program specifically for "pre-idea" founders - people who haven't even formed a concrete business concept yet. The first cohort includes about 15 participants who receive mentorship, early access to models, and hands-on workshops at OpenAI's SF headquarters.
OpenAI is also launching a jobs platform and an AI fluency certification shortly, so stay tuned here.
Hugging Face
Hugging Face actively recruits entry-level positions and runs an internship program explicitly stating "Applicants from all backgrounds are welcome!". They emphasize that they're "intentionally building a workplace where people feel respected and supported—regardless of who you are or where you come from".
Innovative Startup Programs
Drafted
This AI-powered hiring platform, founded by Andrew Kozlovski and Rodrigo Pecchio, has partnered with 3,500+ companies including Google, Amazon, DoorDash, and numerous Y Combinator startups. They specifically posted a job for an Entry-Level AI Engineer stating: "We care about curiosity, creativity, and a builder mindset" and offering "Remote-first work, mentorship, rapid upskilling opportunities, equity + competitive salary".
Skillfully
Partnering with Anthropic's Claude AI, Skillfully has created an innovative hiring platform that uses AI-powered job simulations instead of resumes. They're specifically helping first-generation college students and community college graduates access opportunities at major employers like Bloomberg, reducing hiring costs by 70% and focusing on demonstrated skills over credentials.
Reclaim.ai
While currently not hiring, Reclaim.ai previously recruited for Senior Java Engineers but explicitly stated they're "always looking for talented, scrappy and ambitious people", backed by top venture firms including Index Ventures and Gradient Ventures.
Apprenticeship and Training Programs
Apprenti AI Program
In partnership with NC State's AI Academy, Apprenti launched the first nationwide registered AI apprenticeship program in the U.S., expecting to scale to 5,000 apprenticeships annually. The program is designed for full-time working adults with no career pause required.
Mentors in Tech (MinT)
Founded in 2020, MinT has served 1,200 student mentees with a remarkable 75% job placement rate within 6 months at an average salary of $95,000. They partner with community colleges and smaller universities, specifically targeting "non-traditional" students who are often working in retail, hospitality, or other industries while studying.
Google AI Programs
Google has committed to training young Americans through various initiatives including partnerships with Junior Achievement and the Digital Storytelling Academy. They're also running their Cloud AI Accelerator for pre-seed startups.
SAP STAR Apprenticeships
SAP offers vocational programs in 13 countries for university students, with two-year programs in Australia/New Zealand and partnerships with universities in Ireland, Germany, and the U.S.
The "Junior Pod" System in Action
Several companies are implementing the junior pod model:
Bloomberg uses Skillfully's platform to transform campus recruiting at HBCUs, giving candidates access to job simulations before recruiting events
ServiceNow provides AI development opportunities to 250+ Americans per year through internal internship programs
Multiple Y Combinator startups report that 25% of their winter 2025 class generated nearly all their code using AI tools, with juniors working alongside AI as partners
Companies Making Explicit Exceptions
The clearest example of "X years of experience unless you're AI-native" comes from the broader startup ecosystem where companies are posting requirements like:
"Recent graduate in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, or related field" with emphasis on AI tool proficiency over years of experience
"AI-native young professionals" being hired and promoted rapidly, with some earning up to $1 million annually according to WSJ reporting
Startups specifically seeking candidates who can "demonstrate AI proficiency" rather than traditional experience metrics
(Yes, look for those phrases in your searches)
