Speaking about the current job prospects for IT students, Taavi Kotka, founder of the HK Unicorn Squad IT school, said finding work is extremely difficult. "Almost impossible. It's very hard to stand out among all the CVs being submitted for the available positions right now if you don't have any connections," Kotka said.

However, Kotka said the situation is temporary. "It's basically like an old Moskvitch: When one door closes, another opens. Right now, we're seeing entirely new sectors that previously invested very little in IT, such as agriculture, increasingly looking to adopt technology. And now they can afford it because highly skilled specialists are available on the market at reasonable rates," Kotka said.

Kotka emphasized that because artificial intelligence has replaced the work of so many people, there is now a large pool of highly qualified workers on the job market.

He said that working in the service industry for a while could also help students find jobs later, as it demonstrates a strong work ethic and discipline.

Riika Seeba, master's student in actuarial and financial mathematics at the University of Tartu, said that finding a good job requires students to seize opportunities while still studying, recalling her own experience as a student.

"If you hadn't done any preparation beforehand, you really had to take the bull by the horns while studying and be prepared to complete test assignments, which were generally quite extensive. For some, it was rather difficult to manage that workload alongside their studies. But if you had the determination and motivation, employers were also willing to accommodate you," Seeba said.

According to Seeba, there were plenty of internships to choose from. "Internships were generally available. The question was that young people didn't know whether a particular opportunity was really right for them or whether they would have a job at the same company afterward. It was a question of where to invest their time," Seeba said.

Seeba said a university education demonstrates to employers that a person is capable of learning and is motivated, which helps both in securing a job and advancing in that position.

Kotka, however, noted that the basic knowledge and diploma obtained at university do not make a student a fully trained IT professional. "It usually takes three to nine months to turn someone into a job-ready programmer."

He said AI has changed the situation to the extent that entry-level tasks, which were traditionally assigned to young students, are now being handled entirely by artificial intelligence.

"That's the catch. If we don't help young people develop and give them experience, where will the senior specialists come from? Eventually, the senior specialists will die off. You still need to ensure a new generation of talent is coming through. The market needs a little time to adjust and learn how to bring that next generation into the workforce. On the other hand, the advantage of bringing in young talent is that they cost significantly less than experienced specialists. And generally, a capable young student who is eager to develop, working alongside AI, can also be an extremely powerful resource. It will just take some time for the market to absorb this new way of thinking," Kotka said.

Seeba added that these developments are also making young people anxious, as they raise questions about how AI will affect students' career prospects.

According to Kotka, IT students have been spoiled over the past 20 years. "There was such enormous demand for workers that you didn't even have to think about it. You went to school and got hired before you even graduated. That's a huge problem. I think IT has the lowest percentage of students graduating within the standard period of study of any university field, because they all went off to work before finishing. And now, suddenly, oops," Kotka said.

Kotka said AI has caused something of a shock in the IT sector, which will take a couple of years to work through, after which the industry will have adapted.

According to Kotka, adapting to AI and learning how to use it are now essential in virtually every field. "I think there will certainly be some fluctuations in salaries, but no matter what field you go into, I can't imagine a sector today where AI doesn't play a role. If you don't learn how to use it and know nothing about it, you're already at a competitive disadvantage from the outset, whether you're a linguist or working in any other profession," Kotka said.

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