Why It’s So Hard to Find a Job in 2025 (And How to Fix That)

#2 is a vicious loop

1. College degrees are becoming a $200K heartbreak

You’ve seen those emotional YouTube videos, right?

Someone opens their laptop.

The whole family crowds around.

A second of silence, anxiety, and hands covering faces…

Then screams, tears, and hugs all around.

They just got into an Ivy.

Dream school. Dream moment.

But here’s the twist:

They’re not just celebrating a dream.

They’re celebrating a $200,000 invoice.

No job guarantee.

No skill guarantee.

Just a giant leap of faith - and debt.

Absolutely wild, right?

We’ve been sold a story:

Get the degree, and doors will fly open.

But that story is cracking.

College used to mean something.

Now? It’s a high-ticket bet with zero refund policy.

Universities crank up tuition, flood programs with students, and quietly leave out the part where grads are ghosted by hiring managers.

And here’s the scary part:

You could spend 4 years and $200K…

And still not know how to pass a take-home challenge, talk to a recruiter, or land an interview.

Meanwhile, companies want people who can do the job.

They don’t care where you learned it - as long as you can prove it.

Degrees aren’t dead.

But they aren’t enough.

So if you’re feeling behind right now, buried in rejection emails or stuck in a role you’ve outgrown… it’s not your fault.

You weren’t given the tools.

---

PS: Want to land a top data jobs in the next few months and bump your salary by $20-50K?

Then you need the tools that matter and ignore everything else.

That’s why I built Code to Careers - a hands-on program where I work closely with just 5-7 people each month to map out their custom game plan, step by step.

Join the waitlist to get the details first and grab your spot before it goes public:

---

2. The hiring process feels broken (because it kind of is)

Let’s call it what it is.

The job hunt in 2025 is:

Exhausting.

Unpredictable.

Downright demoralizing.

You send your resume into a black hole.

You prep for interviews you never hear back from.

You refresh your inbox and feel that slow sting of silence.

Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:

Some job postings are fake.

They exist to show “growth” to investors - not to actually hire anyone.

Others?

They’re real… but buried.

AI floods the system with hundreds of resumes within hours of a job going live.

One hiring manager told me he pulled the listing down after one day because it exploded his inbox.

Others have told me they’d rather hire from their network than open applications.

One HM asking me for recommendations after being bombarded by applicants

And that’s the game now:

• Candidates apply, hear nothing, and panic.

• So they apply more.

• That floods the pool.

• So companies ghost even more.

It’s a messy loop that punishes everyone involved.

The fix?

Companies add more steps to “filter.”

More case studies.

More rounds.

More hoops.

I’ve personally turned down jobs that added last-minute “level checks.”

I’ve skipped interviews that demanded 90-minute live coding.

Candidates hate it.

Hiring managers hate it.

Nobody wins.

Photo by Gabriel on Unsplash

---

The market says “No bro”

Since 2020, the ground’s been shifting under our feet.

Companies froze hiring.

Then they overhired.

Then they panicked and laid people off in waves.

Now?

We’re in the weird in-between.

Hiring is slower.

Budgets are tighter.

Inflation’s still biting.

And those sweet perks everyone used to brag about on “The day in the life of a Google engineer”?

Gone. Or quietly cut.

We’ve moved from a “tight” market where companies scrambled for talent

to a “loose” one where they know you’ll wait.

Too many great people. Not enough great offers.

---

Stop doing what everyone else does and do these instead

Your network is everything in 2025

AI isn’t the threat.

Noise is.

Right now, recruiters are swimming in fake resumes, fake projects, fake skills.

So how do you cut through?

You build trust.

In 2025, it’s not about “who you know.”

But who knows you.

Your network isn’t a last-minute lifeline. It’s your lifeline.

Build it before you need it.

Start simple:

• Attend small, focused meetups (not just giant conferences). Check out my tips to network at events.

• Message people you admire with something real, not robotic

• Share your learnings publicly. Even if it’s messy. Especially if it’s messy

Now let’s talk about comparison

You’re seeing job updates, wins, and highlights all over LinkedIn.

But you don’t see the 98 rejections that came before that one offer.

Don’t compare your behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.

Their path isn’t your path.

Keep your eyes on your own build.

Ditch pet projects that never leave your Jupyter notebook

Instead, get real-world reps:

• Volunteer with data for good, catch a fire, or volunteer match

• Offer help to a local nonprofit drowning in spreadsheets

• Look into apprenticeships that mix learning and doing

The more real your experience is, the less you’ll have to “explain” it in interviews.

And here’s a hard truth no one wants to say out loud:

Your college career center probably won’t help you break into tech.

They mean well. But most of them haven’t walked the road you’re on.

Seek out people who’ve done what you want to do—and are just a few steps ahead.

Start building something of your own if you’re already working

A product. A service. A side business.

Because in a world where the Zucks and Elons can cut teams overnight,

your business becomes your fortress.

Your buffer.

Your way of saying, “You don’t own me.”

Spend 20 minutes a day on LinkedIn - the right way - and stop begging for breadcrumbs.

I’ll show you how.

---

Final words

What used to work - applying to 200 roles and hoping one sticks - now leaves you ghosted and burnt out.

To stand out now, you need a smarter playbook.

One that flips the script and gets you seen faster.

The job market isn’t broken.

It’s just noisy.

People are still landing jobs.

Not because they apply harder.

But because they play with a strategy.

You don’t need to win a volume game.

You win by being real, resourceful, and remembered.

PS: Want to land a top data jobs in the next few months and bump your salary by $20-50K?

Then you need to get noticed faster, and by the right people.

I built Code to Careers to help you do exactly that.

Join this list to get the details and be the first in line when spots open.