Annie Hedgpeth

The Junior Hiring Crisis AI isn’t replacing everyone. It’s removing the apprenticeship ladder. Here’s what that means for students, early-career professionals, and the tech industry’s future.

people-work.io/blog/junior-...

We're setting ourselves up for a timing mismatch at best if we continue to replace juniors with AI. This is obviously bad for juniors, but it's bad for teams.

Read the full post, and tell me what you think. What's your team doing? AI full bore, continuing to invest in juniors, a little of both?

The apprenticeship ladder is breaking down, and we may want to rethink what we're doing to contribute to that.

Here is the full post for more context: people-work.io/blog/junior-...

Studies referenced:
digitaleconomy.stanford.edu/wp-content/u...
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

The Junior Hiring Crisis AI isn’t replacing everyone. It’s removing the apprenticeship ladder. Here’s what that means for students, early-career professionals, and the tech industry’s future.

Companies replace junior eng positions with AI
+
Senior engineers have been excused from mentorship responsibilities
+
Companies optimize for immediate results
=
A systemic issue that no one person can fix

But here's what I think we can do about it:
people-work.io/blog/junior-...

The Junior Hiring Crisis AI isn’t replacing everyone. It’s removing the apprenticeship ladder. Here’s what that means for students, early-career professionals, and the tech industry’s future.

people-work.io/blog/junior-...

I think you’re right, and I hope that there’s a reckoning that brings tuition costs down and causes them to restructure their degrees to catch up with the real world.

I just wrote about universities from a junior hiring perspective, which also contributes to the lowered sentiment toward degrees.

I learned a long time ago that I needed an extra dose of intentionality to keep up with relationships because of my forgetfulness. But that's okay. Forgetfulness doesn't have to get in the way of showing I care.

I won't lie; I've probably done all of these networking faux-pas in my life at some point. But when we can label them, hopefully it prevents us from repeating the same mistakes.

Let's laugh at ourselves and then move forward. :)

Screenshot of People Work's November 2025 Newsletter

Be sure to subscribe for the latest news on People Work, but in case you missed it: mailchi.mp/cc4dad5a6ce0...

YouTube video by People Work App Students, Create Your Own Opportunities!

Today's college students need to be intentional about creating their own opportunities, bc we can already see that they are given fewer of them than we (gen x) were.

www.youtube.com/shorts/gt4Xx...

YouTube video by People Work App Networking by adding value

Been talking to a lot of college kids lately about networking, and I really want them all to know that the best way they can start is by looking for ways to add value, and don't wait for permission.

Great for all of us to remember, really.

youtube.com/shorts/NeKu2...

YouTube video by People Work App Networking In College

Don't wait for permission to create value in your career, even before it starts! Look for opportunities to give & build your network with trust & authenticity.

I originally did this video for college students, but it's so applicable for our whole careers.
youtu.be/V2dqT2lQlTA

YouTube video by People Work App Reaction: A "cooked" Computer Science grad's perspective

I did this YT reaction video to this recent CS graduate's very honest and raw video on the state of junior hiring for CS roles. It's exactly what we've been talking about lately, so I'm really curious what my tech friends think about junior hiring right now. www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HOm...

The elephant in the networking room is that networking is seen as using people. I get it.

But what if it could be different? What if we could approach it as community building with a give-first mentality?

In case you forgot to sign up for @peoplework.bsky.social 's newsletter, I'll drop it here for you. :) It's full of goodies to help you with your people work! (+ a free download link)

mailchi.mp/2cc375e35da3...

Whiteboard with diagram planning of the People Work app with the final concept in a screenshot from the app.

We take engineering excellence very seriously. We know everyone says that, but...we really do. Read for yourself. :)
people-work.io/about/engine...

Buffing Up Our Business Model at CU Leeds School of Business We had the honor and anxiety of presenting our Business Model Canvas at CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business. Here's why, if you get the chance, you should, too.

This Saturday we presented our business model at @colorado.edu Leeds School of Business.

If you can partner with your local university, do it. So rewarding for everyone involved.

people-work.io/blog/busines...

Navigating Workplace Accusations When a manager accuses you of something that clearly represents you in a negative light, you’re in a very dangerous situation that warrants your complete attention. Learn how to navigate this tricky s...

When a manager accuses you of something that clearly represents you in a negative light, you’re in a very dangerous situation that warrants your complete attention. Here's a post about how to navigate this tricky situation.

people-work.io/blog/navigat...

Give-First Approach to Networking When soon-to-be university graduates practice curiosity during networking events, it can lead to a give-first approach to networking that sets them up for an advantage when they'll need it most.

When soon-to-be university graduates practice curiosity during networking events, it can lead to a give-first approach to networking that sets them up for an advantage when they'll need it most.
people-work.io/blog/give-fi...

It's so ironic when people are afraid to give negative product feedback because they fear hurting the relationship, but the opposite is the most true! I want the negative feedback. Give me all the gory details! I'm more offended if you withhold it from me.

Burnout: Are You Treating the Symptoms or the Root-Cause I propose that the key to fighting burnout is to find out how you lost all the agency you had in your job or maybe even in your whole career. Did you ever even have it? If not, why?

This is why I hate when people say that vacation is the cure for burnout: people-work.io/blog/burnout...

Read more about how we think our approach will help you have more agency in your career.
people-work.io/about/agency/

The real differentiator is the intentionality you take with the 10-30 people in your network to support their goals. This intentionality will transform your career trajectory by giving you more traction at work and more reach in your network.

When people think of "networking" they think they need to meet MORE people. When people think of career advancement, they think they need to grow their technical skills.

Agency is the fuel that keeps our careers moving. But how do you get it? Do you network more? Grow your skills?

I really don’t like this. I don’t like how little agency so many of us have in our own careers. It’s one of the reasons we started People Work. We believe that you should be able to control your own destiny. But how?

Or perhaps you've given up trying to advance because you're just grateful to not be laid off.

In today's job market, it's easy to feel like you have no control. Maybe you stay in a job you hate because you fear there's nothing else. Maybe you’re struggling to find something at all because you don't stand out.

People Work Monthly - September 2025 New Features for building professional connections + how you can help ♡

New features! Check out our newsletter if you want to see how they can help you or someone you know on your journey: mailchi.mp/9f237cc29686...

My Failures Onboarding at Splunk Onboarding to most people is an estoeric exercise most people want to get out of the way as quickly as possible. In this post we dive into what Michael did wrong in his onboarding journey at Splunk, i...

This one gets a bit vulnerable. Michael opens up about how he didn't make the most of that first 6 months onboarding window that we're always talking about and what he learned from it.
people-work.io/blog/my-fail...