Show Notes

Aaron, Dan, and John push back on the dominant narrative that entry-level roles are dead and AI has eaten the college graduate job market. Drawing on a Wall Street Journal piece and their own recruiting work in spring 2026, they explain why the class of 2026 actually has better prospects than the previous class, why companies like McKinsey and IBM are ramping entry-level hiring back up, and why the students who network and work during school are the ones getting hired. The panel digs into whether grads are really less prepared than ever (spoiler: it's mostly an excuse), how AI uncertainty — not AI itself — drove the hiring freeze, and what college kids and their parents should actually do right now. Aaron closes with a pitch for the "permissionless project" as the new differentiator now that diplomas and theoretical knowledge are commodity.

Timestamps

[00:59] — The narrative we're pushing back on: "entry level is cooked"
[01:24] — John: yes there's been a shift, but the class of 2026 actually has better prospects
[02:50] — Dan on the AI spam-application trend and why networking beats it
[04:09] — The WSJ finding: students who worked during school are landing jobs
[05:33] — Hypothesis #1: are grads less prepared for work than ever?
[07:12] — Dan: "B-plus and fast" beats chasing the A in the real world
[10:18] — Hypothesis #2: companies froze hiring because of AI uncertainty, not AI itself
[12:40] — The single best piece of advice for college students and their parents
[15:16] — Dan's rule: network as if you don't have a job while you have one
[17:24] — Aaron's "permissionless project" — why a diploma alone won't cut it anymore

Co-hosts

Aaron Makelky — LinkedIn
Dan Yu — LinkedIn
John Lovig — LinkedIn

Links

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EP 28: Are Entry Level Jobs Cooked in 2026?