Michael Castady

It’s strange to admit, but there's an irony that haunts every application I create: the thing I love—AI—is also the reason so many CS and AI-related jobs are being reshaped or replaced. A lot of networking has moved online, and unless you’re already “in” the circle—through a referral, a previous internship, or a prestigious research lab—it’s hard to even get noticed. I’ve cold messaged recruiters, applied to hundreds of jobs, joined Discord servers, posted on LinkedIn... and still hear crickets more often than callbacks. I still believe in the power of this technology. I still want to build things that matter. But right now? I just want someone to take a chance on me. If you’re in the same boat, trust me—you’re not alone. I’ll be sharing what I’ve learned from the process soon: what’s actually helped, what hasn’t, and how I’m pivoting my strategy now that I’ve seen the reality behind the hype.

In the vast timeline of technological evolution, few developments have matched the velocity and scale of change brought about by artificial intelligence. From the advent of electricity to the rise of the internet, each era-defining innovation has reshaped the world. But AI? AI has done it faster. Over the past few years, AI has surged from a niche research topic into a mainstream force transforming nearly every industry — and doing so at breakneck speed. Unlike earlier tech revolutions, which took decades to mature and integrate, AI’s adoption has been exponential, accelerated by massive compute power, big data availability, and open-source development. A Ubiquitous Shift Today, AI isn’t just powering high-tech labs or experimental startups. It’s in our phones, our search engines, our cars, our workplaces, and even our homes. Whether it’s ChatGPT writing emails, DALL·E generating art, or machine learning models diagnosing diseases, AI’s reach is no longer limited to coders and scie...