AI is taking different jobs than you think

Author

Carly Heltzel
October 08, 2025

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m looking at photos from Thailand’s water buffalo festival. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

AI is reshaping the job market, especially for computer science majors who were all-but-guaranteed a cushy, six-figure software engineering job at the beginning of their colleges careers. The Class of 2026 will graduate into an unknown landscape where entry-level positions are the lowest hanging fruit for automation, one professor said. “AI made me question whether I was in the right major,” one computer science major said. “It can already do the things I was trying to learn.”

2.

Some of SLO’s downtown businesses are struggling to adapt to the expansive tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Stores that import goods from other countries have experienced a flip flop of policies raising and lowering tariffs on various countries, and some owners are waiting until tariffs stabilize to change their pricing, taking a hit to profits in the meantime. “We’re just sort of at the mercy of the world, right?” one surf shop owner said.

3.

Cal Poly’s Turning Point USA chapter has gained steam since the assasination of the national organization’s founder Charlie Kirk. After what members described as ostracization, including an incident when someone called them “Nazis” at the club showcase, conservative students in the club are more willing than ever to speak out about their beliefs. Rising membership and interest in the club has backed up the group’s momentum, and the president said the club is “here to stay.”

4.

Students with undocumented family members might not want to fill out FAFSA, as the form asks about the immigration status of their kin and could make them a target for immigration enforcement officers. Without federal aid, work-study and other financial resources, low-income, mixed-status families are struggling more than ever to put students through college. California Student Aid Commission created a webpage to help them navigate financing college.

5.

The top four most expensive counties to buy a house are, unsurprisingly, in the Bay Area. But Santa Barbara County took the fifth spot with a median home price of more than $1.41 million. San Mateo County was No. 1 with a median price of almost $1.99 million per home. For those looking to buy a “cheap” California house, the lowest median prices went to Lassen, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tehama and Glenn Counties, all reporting numbers at $350,000 or below.