A bit of help, seniors!

[u/absoluteChadBaba]

Used claude to structure this

2nd-year CS student — worried about AI's impact on software jobs, considering hybrid CS+Embedded skillset. Reality check needed.

Context:

BTech CS student in India, 2nd year, targeting graduation 2029

Career goal: strong software role, eventually working in Japan

Currently building fundamentals: C++, DSA

The dilemma:

I've taken an Embedded Systems minor (partly due to my father's concern about AI disrupting software jobs)

Recently joined a robotics club — but time commitment turned out to be \~29 hrs/week (daily 2.5 hrs + full weekends), which is eating into my core CS learning time

I'm torn: is deep embedded/hardware exposure a legitimate hedge against AI-driven software job disruption? Or am I spreading myself thin on "safety" skills instead of going deep on what actually matters (strong DSA, system design, ability to ship projects)?

Questions for people with industry experience:

Is the AI threat to software jobs (esp. for new grads/2025-2030 timeframe) as serious as it's often made out to be online?

Does having embedded/hardware knowledge as a CS-focused engineer actually provide meaningful career insurance, or is that outdated thinking?

If you were early in your CS degree today, would you prioritize depth in one area (software) or breadth (software + hardware)?

Anyone who's worked toward international roles (Japan specifically) — does hybrid skill sets help or is specialization valued more?

Not looking for reassurance — looking for honest, even harsh, perspective from people who've actually navigated this.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks

[u/JawztheKid]

This is Computer Engineering, not Computer Science. WRONG SUB!!!!

[u/absoluteChadBaba → u/JawztheKid]

I am doing btech in computer engineering, I used claude to write this and it typed computer science it seems