Artificial intelligence is booming in Boston and beyond, and economists warn that it could throw thousands of people out of work.

College seniors nearing graduation are often asked what they’ll do next. How will they put their new degree to use? Or will they end up working at their neighborhood coffee shop? 

Underemployment among recent graduates has been a persistent concern. Many degree holders find themselves in roles that don’t fully tap into their education. But tracking exactly how many graduates are underemployed, well, it’s complicated.

Jeff Strohl, who directs Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, says the data is murky. Colleges don’t consistently track where graduates land, or how long it takes them to get there. That uncertainty feeds the familiar stereotype of baristas with diplomas living in their parents’ basements.

“We dump all these graduates into the labor market — often three million at the same time — and then we’re telling them to go swim, and it takes a while to find a good match,” he said. 

Even without precise numbers, many in higher education agree that the rate of underemployment is too high, especially given that only about 60 percent of students in the U.S. complete a four-year degree on time.

In this episode of College Uncovered, GBH’s Kirk Carapezza visits a job fair at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, where college seniors, particularly computer science majors, are feeling the pressure of a shifting job market.  

Then, Bentley University president Brent Chrite explains how his school measures outcomes through a “knowledge rate,” a verified snapshot of what graduates are actually doing.

And finally, Carapezza reflects on Hampshire College’s planned closure, and what it signals about the changing value and future of higher education.

“College Uncovered” is made possible by Lumina Foundation.

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Credits:

Host and Producer: Kirk Carapezza 

Editors: Azita Ghahramani and Lisa Wardle

Executive Producer: Lee Hill  

Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary Mott

Theme Song and original music: Left-Roman

Artwork: Matt Welch 

Project Manager: Isabel Hibbard

Consulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins

"College Uncovered" is a production of GBH News