With warnings of a white-collar “jobpocalypse” growing louder, the outlook for Gen Z college graduates can seem bleak. Among aspiring tech workers in particular, the anxiety has been especially intense. Coding tasks once left to junior developers can now be automated in minutes—fueling predictions from some industry leaders that traditional entry-level software roles could soon vanish.
But new data suggests that speculation about the outright demise of computer science graduates may be overblown.
Starting salary projections for the class of 2026 show employers are still competing for technical talent—and paying a premium to do so. Computer science majors are expected to earn starting salaries of $81,535, up nearly 7% from last year, according to the 2026 Winter Salary Survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The survey included responses from 150 organizations, including Fortune 500 employers like Chevron, CVS Health, PepsiCo, and Verizon.
Bachelor’s degree holders in computer science are also the third most in-demand major, slightly trailing finance and mechanical engineering. At the graduate level, computer science master’s degrees rank as the single-most in-demand credential—outpacing even MBAs.
