Zach Applied to Thousands — What Went Wrong?

6,000 Applications. 0 Jobs. What Went Wrong?

In this episode, Danny & Leon break down the recent New York Times article about the collapse of $165,000 tech jobs — and why so many new computer science graduates are struggling to find work.

This one gets personal. We dig into salary expectations, the rise of AI coding tools, offshoring, and the real reasons grads are stuck. Plus, we share how bad advice keeps job seekers trapped, and why networking + projects matter more than ever.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This episode is heavier than usual. We felt deeply for the people featured in this article — so much so that we reached out to one of them, Zach, who applied to nearly 6,000 jobs, and spent 90 minutes helping him reframe his job search strategy. Our goal isn’t to mock, but to help anyone who feels stuck right now.

If you’re in the middle of the job hunt, or just want to understand what’s happening in tech careers in 2025 — this is a must-listen.

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Stay in Touch:

📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?

Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!

Danny Thompson

https://x.com/DThompsonDev

https://www.linkedin.com/in/DThompsonDev

www.DThompsonDev.com

Leon Noel

https://x.com/leonnoel

https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonnoel/

https://100devs.org/

📧 Have ideas or questions for the show? Or are you a business that wants to talk business?

Email us at dannyandleonspodcast@gmail.com!

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Disclaimer & why this episode is different

03:19 – Why we reacted to the NYT article live

05:25 – Setting the stage: “Goodbye $165K tech jobs”

06:59 – The salary inflation problem

08:03 – Networking: why tech is no longer a free pass

10:10 – Purdue grad struggles despite strong background

15:23 – The promise (and failure) of the CS degree

18:18 – The “learn to code = six figures” myth

20:22 – FANG vs. reality: most jobs aren’t like that

22:01 – Is AI really taking developer jobs? (spoiler: no)

23:53 – Offshoring is the real threat

25:39 – Headcount growth vs. layoff panic

26:32 – Unemployment rates: myth vs. reality

29:20 – The hidden flaw in applying to 6,000 jobs

32:21 – “Clickers” & why mass-applying doesn’t work

34:02 – Bootcamps & the cycle of bad advice

35:38 – Ghosting, coding assessments & job search burnout

39:02 – Zach’s story: 5,762 applications, 0 jobs

41:01 – Why customizing your resume matters

43:08 – The wrong vs. right way to job hunt

46:13 – Reddit resumes & bad job hunt advice

47:23 – Misreporting AI tools (CodeRabbit example)

49:24 – The AI doom loop in job search

52:12 – Government jobs, hiring freezes & policy shifts

53:00 – The Purdue grad pivots to tech sales

55:03 – Why the article fails its own subjects

57:22 – Offshoring vs. AI (the real culprit)

58:00 – What job seekers should be doing now

59:32 – Listener Q&A: networking while still learning

01:03:46 – The power of small, intentional networking

01:06:11 – Balancing a non-tech job & coding journey

01:09:49 – Final advice & episode wrap-up