How will AI affect the job market? UNR professor says its too soon to tell

Ericka Estacio is heading into her senior year at the University of Nevada, Reno. By most accounts, she has done things right in her college career.

She hit the ground running with multiple internships (some unpaid), built her LinkedIn profile and created a professional network. But despite the foundation, Estacio said she still feels uncertain about the future that awaits her once Spring 2026 arrives and she is freshly graduated.

"I'm scared," Estacio said. “I hear horror stories. I know a 4.0 computer science major who is working as a barista, so it makes you wonder who (companies) are hiring."

Estacio is not alone.

Many recent graduates say they apply to multiple employers and hear little back, while others land jobs that don’t match their values, goals or qualifications.

Luckily,