When IT firms stopped hiring by the busload

There was a time when #ITService firms hired in bulk; they would literally pick up students from campuses in buses!

Two decades later, that model is quietly fading!
Thanks to #AI and #GlobalUncertainty, mass recruiters are slowing down!

This shift hits one group the hardest: #Students from Tier 2 & Tier 3 #Colleges!
For years, the system worked perfectly:
- Colleges produced engineers at scale
- IT firms absorbed them at scale
Now the second part is breaking!

What could follow next?
- Placement rates drop drastically
- Colleges struggle to attract admissions

This would result in -
- India still has ~3,500+ engineering colleges, many of them might be forced to shut down! Hundreds of colleges have already been closed in recent years, and the current situation would accelerate this further
- Rising Education Loan Stress - Many students in private colleges opt for education loans, and with unemployment/underemployment, the chances of default would rise! Education loan NPAs have crossed ₹10,000+ crore, with default rates ~8–10%+!

So what should students focus on?
Not just degrees. Not just marks!
- Build real skills - AI tools. Data analysis, Cloud/cybersecurity
- Create proof of work - Projects, GitHub, Internships
- Learn adaptability - What you learn today may not matter tomorrow
- Communication matters - Because skills unused = skills invisible

The era of “Get a degree → Get a job” is ending.
We are entering: “Build skills → Earn opportunities.”

We are seeing a system reset, and resets are never comfortable!