3474: Mendix CTO on Closing the Gap Between University and Industry

Nov 3, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Hans de Visser, CTO at Mendix, shares his extensive experience in software engineering and low-code innovation. He explores the challenges new graduates face in securing tech roles amid a declining job market and increasing AI automation. Hans emphasizes the importance of AI literacy alongside traditional skills for aspiring developers. He offers advice on lifelong learning, mastering both foundational knowledge and modern tools, and how low-code platforms can create new opportunities in tech.

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INSIGHT

AI Reshaped Junior Developer Demand

Gen AI has reduced junior developer openings by automating codified tasks and shifting employer expectations.
Employers now expect new grads to be AI-literate and able to apply AI from day one.

ADVICE

Show, Then Explain Your AI Usage

Do demonstrate AI usage and explain why you used it when submitting coding exercises.
Avoid relying solely on AI by showing you can reason about generated code and its impact.

INSIGHT

Three Candidate Profiles With AI

Candidates fall into three groups: ignore AI, blindly rely on it, or critically integrate it.
The best hires explain what AI produced and how they'd modify or fix it.

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There was a time when a computer science degree almost guaranteed a fast track into a well-paid career. But that promise is slipping. In today's Tech Talks Daily episode, I reconnect with Hans de Visser, Chief Technology Officer at Mendix, to discuss why recent graduates are finding it more challenging than ever to secure their first role in technology, and what they can do about it.

Hans brings decades of experience in software engineering and low-code innovation, and his perspective on today's market is both sobering and optimistic. We discuss new research indicating a sharp decline in junior developer openings since 2024 and explore how the rapid rise of AI has altered the hiring equation.

The expectation now is that young developers arrive fluent in automation, generative AI, and multidisciplinary tools —skills that few university programs can thoroughly teach. Yet, as Hans points out, this doesn't mean opportunity has vanished. It just looks different.

Our conversation unpacks what this new reality means for aspiring developers. Hans explains how Mendix evaluates candidates by testing their ability to think critically about AI-assisted code rather than generate it.

He explains why graduates must master both traditional software foundations and modern tools, such as low-code platforms and agile applications. And he offers advice on building a mindset of lifelong learning, staying curious, experimenting with new tools, and understanding how AI can amplify rather than replace human creativity.

For anyone feeling disheartened by the tightening job market, Hans offers balance and hope. He believes that as the definition of software developer evolves, new hybrid roles will emerge at the intersection of business, creativity, and technology. The graduates who will thrive are those who treat AI as a collaborator, not a competitor.

Listen to this episode to hear how Mendix is helping redefine what it means to build software in the age of AI, and why today's tech graduates may need to think less about securing a single job title and more about creating a career that never stops learning.

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