New grads seem doomed (not all) - situation looks bad

[Imran]

I work at a MAANG‑tier company and our team just took in a few interns (Class of 2027) and fresh‑out graduate hires (Class of 2026). Yay!

As a senior engineer I'm mentoring some interns on a project. We hit a system issue: their Java code was mishandling memory - they were accessing global state instead of locals, causing heap vs stack problems. When they asked me for help, the bug was obvious.

The crazy part? They didn't even know what heap or stack memory meant. I tried to explain using basic OS ideas like virtual and physical addresses just to give them a picture. Turns out they have no clue how memory works. Like, WTF? How are they getting 8.5+ CGPAs?

I asked the new grads the same questions and their answers were just as weak. All they know is writing AI prompts and throwing around big system‑design buzzwords - they don't even know the difference between LLD and HLD.

So my question to the new grads: have you completely lost interest in core engineering? Are you only learning surface‑level stuff now?

Edit: they don't even know the difference between a semaphore and a mutex

Edit: Some blame the recruiting process. My sister team in the USA also hires two fresh FTEs from college. They are really smart; we can discuss computers and systems in depth (though they're from top US colleges).

Declaration: I used an LLM to improve the body.

[Damini]

Your recruitment process needs a review if a MAANG‑tier company is hiring vibe coders.

[Varun]

So people with good credentials aren't getting shortlisted while vibe coders are getting in - is this the doom scenario?

[Shankar]

Here I am working my butt off on non‑vibe projects but getting a lousy CGPA. Still, a simple stack and heap understanding is a must.

[Pankaj]

Many people study CSE passionately but never get a chance to prove themselves. Yet companies hand out jobs based on the college they attended. I think your firm should change the recruitment process - make it offline only and focus on CSE fundamentals.

[Khushi]

Then hire me, bro. I can answer all those questions. Expected CTC 20 LPA, current CTC 14 LPA.

[Avni]

The recruitment process at MAANG companies, especially on‑campus drives, is pretty bad - resume shortlisting feels like a black box.

[Jignesh]

I get what you're saying. I'm not even at a MAANG, but the challenges are the same everywhere.

The problem is that thinking has been outsourced and many freshers can't even write an email or Teams message without AI.

Playing devil's advocate, do freshers really need to know all this? There was a time when assembly‑language developers scoffed at C programmers, and C programmers scoffed at Java devs because they didn't handle memory explicitly. Over time malloc and calloc fell out of everyday use.

I don't have a clear answer and I keep wondering what I should focus on while learning new things, since a lot of boiler‑plate is handled by AI. And if I skip the boiler‑plate, some things never become muscle memory.

[Arpita]

For MAANG, just check DSA and then grind for it like JEE. Also start asking about projects and language specifics, I guess.

[Cricfan]

Irony - uses an LLM to improve the text but still has an issue with people who use AI.

[Manish]

But you guys hire based on DSA, right? So why expect all this from them? Just ask them to reverse a linked list.