For years, engineering students have been told to master data structures and algorithms, build projects, learn new tech skills and practise coding problems if they want to land a good software job. But a Reddit post by a 2026 computer science graduate has challenged that advice in a rather blunt way. The graduate, who said he is now working at a multinational company, claimed that students who spent months preparing for coding interviews and learning skills such as AI, full-stack development and AI agents were sometimes struggling to get placed, while candidates doing cheating and using unfair methods during assessments and interviews were getting jobs. His post triggered a reaction from a startup cofounder on LinkedIn, who highlighted a deeper concern: what happens when students begin to believe that honest preparation is less useful than finding ways around the hiring process?
