It’s a weird economy in 2025. Recent college graduates are struggling to get jobs; new policy changes to student loan repayments threaten to rock already-strapped Millennials and Gen Zers with high balances and accumulating interest. AI has opened the floodgates of potential to many hoping to code, analyze data, and more, with trends like "vibe coding" and prompt engineering coming to the fore.
We have to ask: Is college even worth it anymore in the U.S.?
We’re not the only ones wondering. Since 2020, Google searches for "is college worth it" are up 90%.
To find out, we surveyed 850 full-time professional coders from across industries to see what their educations were, how satisfied they are, and their thoughts on the value of a college education in today’s economy.
Computer science degree holders are doing fine, actually
Of the coders we surveyed, 36% said they got a computer science (CS) degree. Here’s the breakdown by generation:
- Baby boomers 57%
- Gen X 31%
- Millennials 38%
- Gen Z 40%
While 27% of these CS majors don’t think their degrees adequately prepared them for the modern workforce, 87% still think the degree was worth it for them.
The numbers check out. The average student loan balance for a CS degree holder is over $4,000 less than the average for non-CS degrees.
When asked if they think this type of degree for current college students holds the same value as when they graduated, the field was split: a third (34%) felt the degree was more valuable, a similar amount (35%) felt the CS degree was less valuable, and the remaining 31% felt it was roughly the same value. However, there’s a stark generational divide:
- 50% of Baby boomer CS degree holders felt the degree is more valuable now
- 65% of Gen Xers, meanwhile, feel the degree is less valuable
- 43% of Millennials and 45% of Gen Zers also feel a current CS major is less valuable
This trend shows that there is a perception of diminishing value for a current CS degree, even for the most recent college graduates.
Over 1 in 3 non-CS degree holders regret their degree
Training and performance trends
Generally, the majority of coders (74% and 75% respectively) believe both that a CS degree is worth it for current college students, and that coding bootcamps are also a viable option. This checks out in the workplace: 44% see no difference between CS and non-CS majors in the workplace, though 37% say CS degree holders have an edge.
Most (54%) agree that the best way to prepare for the workforce is to receive on-the-job training.
What about AI?
With the advent of vibe coding and AI-powered development, there is a sense that coding as a skill is more accessible than before: 45% say that AI tools reduce the need for a formal education in coding. This tracks with general interest: from July 2022 to July 2025, Google searches for "AI bootcamp" increased by over 300%.
The international skills gap
Interestingly, nearly half of coders (49%) say that the US university system isn’t creating the next generation of tech innovators, and a huge 69% agree that college graduates from other countries are more prepared for the tech workforce than their U.S. counterparts.
Student debt and the coding workforce: 39% say a college degree in 2025 isn’t worth the price
A major complicating factor for anyone seeking an education in the U.S. is the cost of tuition. While some may be able to afford tuition without loans, the majority require loans in order to complete their degree. Among the coders we surveyed, roughly a third report having student loan debt. When baby boomers are filtered out of the equation, however, every coder we surveyed carries a student loan debt balance (only 1 in 10 boomers report student loan debt).
The average balance across all degree holders is $40,391, and the average timeline to pay off the loans is 17 years. 58% regret taking out student loans, and 69% report anxiety around paying off student loans. 17% report student loans as their biggest regret in their careers so far.
This might be why 39% believe that a college degree isn’t worth the cost of tuition.
Job stability and hiring
One of the biggest issues for current college graduates is long-term unemployment, particularly in the first year after college; even among CS degree holders, it took 19% over a year to find their first tech job.
A huge consideration when choosing a career is overall job stability: no one wants to be a telegraph operator after the invention of the telephone. When asked what industries are the most stable, the field was split between health and healthcare (30%) and the tech industry (17%). Paradoxically, 1 in 10 believe tech to be the LEAST stable sector, though the biggest share (22%) goes to the arts.
The stability or lack thereof of tech follows through in layoff trends: 1 in 10 coders we surveyed have been laid off in the last year, and 18% are planning on leaving the tech industry altogether.
Current job search trends
Nearly 2 in 5 (39%) are job hunting currently. By generation:
- Baby boomers 29%
- Gen X 48%
- Millennials 56%
- Gen Z 62%
16% report feeling trapped in the tech sector – unsurprising since among job seekers, 1 in 4 have been searching for a new job for over a year.
So, are degrees still worth it?
While tuition prices and over a decade of student loan repayments might scare off some, the general consensus is that any college degree and particularly a computer science degree is still worth it for those looking to enter into a career of coding. With the high regard for international degree holders, it might also be worth exploring programs abroad to maximize your return on investment in your career.
Looking to hire talent instead? Reach out today.
Methodology & Fair Use
In September 2025, we surveyed 850 professional coders from across sectors of industry, with 45% self-identifying as part of the tech industry. By level of career:
- 19% entry level
- 44% mid-career
- 32% senior career
- 5% startup founder
52% were men, 46% women, and 2% were nonbinary; ages ranged from 19-75 with an average age of 42.
To assess Google search trends, we examined searches for "is college worth it" and "ai bootcamp" over a 5 and 3 year period, respectively.
For media inquiries, reach out to media@digitalthirdcoast.net
Fair use
When using this data and research, please attribute by linking to this study and citing Howdy.com.