Don't wait until you get the degree to start applying! Send out those applications in droves until you start to get tired of it. Then study for tests. When you get sick of studying, get back to applying. It's honestly just a numbers game.

Then good luck with that. I remember 2009 which was also a hard year but it wasn't impossible. Maybe start right after you are done.

I'm friends of friends of a couple 2002 CS grads, which was much worse for tech than 2009. All of them ended up working outside of tech. It's really hard to work for a couple of years doing non-tech stuff and then try getting a new grad job when you're no longer a new grad.

My recommendation is a Master's degree if you really want to stay in tech.

Dot-bomb was winter in the US. I quickly lucked into a position with someone I knew, not a developer role but in tech. Were still some very rough times and my comp wasn't great for the better part of that decade. But things could easily have been much worse.

I graduated in Nov 2001, and had to do non-tech for almost a year. After that it was small intermittent contracts for another year.

I graduated in 2002 with a BSCS. Went into the Army for 4 years, and was able to get an entry level CS job afterwards with a defense contractor (left the Army with a clearance).

Though, at that point, it was actually a pretty significant pay cut from my Army pay (I was an O-3 by the time I got out).

Had an interview a couple weeks ago which, unfortunately, didn't work out. Will do.

-- remember - it's a sales game - learn about how a sales funnel works - apply to your job search - X applications - turn into Y interviews for Z job --

Yep. I start a new job on Monday. Job hunting turns into a funnel quick - slow at the beginning, so you apply to everything - but at a certain point you start getting overwhelmed with interviews and you become more discriminating about what you allow into the beginning of the pipe.

My experience is that the degree doesn't matter that much if you have experience. So if you have no experience yet it might be tougher.

Hiring will probably pick up again next year, though. I hope you find something.