January 14, 2026
Degree to Disbelief
Ask HN: Unemployed almost a year after graduating MIT – a rant
MIT grad jobless for a year sparks HN split: trades, startups, or Europe
TLDR: An MIT grad says they’re still jobless a year after graduation, sparking a fiery debate. The community split between “learn a trade,” “build a startup,” “move to Europe,” and “try education jobs,” while others warned tech hiring has tightened and SaaS businesses are fading—ouch for new grads.
An MIT grad’s raw rant about being unemployed a year after graduation detonated on Hacker News, and the comments were the show. Some users came with empathy and reality checks, but the hottest take was pure chaos: “Software engineering is a terrible career” and you should look into electrician or automation trades, said Nextgrid, basically handing the grad a hard hat. Others pushed the classic HN bingo square—“Just build a startup”—with rvz arguing it’s the only way to gain real experience and grit, while many eye-rolled at the startup bootstrapping fantasy when rent is due. The doom squad showed up too: okokwhatever claimed “SaaS is quickly dying” and companies want fewer humans, not more, painting a bleak backdrop. Meanwhile, jvdsf offered hope and a passport: try Europe, they said, insisting the grad isn’t a failure. Community helpers like TheWiggles asked for the resume and suggested networking and education jobs as a softer landing. Between touch-grass energy and “founder-or-bust” bravado, the thread turned into a messy group chat about whether prestige still opens doors—or if the door’s been replaced by a self-serve kiosk. The vibe: empathy meets hustle porn meets economic reality, with memes mourning SaaS like it’s a fallen friend.
Key Points
- •An MIT Course 6 graduate has been unemployed for nearly a year after a February graduation.
- •They applied to hundreds of jobs, tailored applications, obtained referrals, and performed well in interviews.
- •Rejections commonly cited lack of pre-existing industry or tech stack experience compared to other candidates.
- •The author has two undergraduate internships (one at a known company and one at a startup) and limited personal projects.
- •They report emotional strain, moved back with parents, and are considering volunteer or side projects while receiving encouragement to pursue hobbies.