Last weekend a friend's son texted me at 11 PM: *"Sir, should I even bother with my BCA? Reel says ChatGPT-5 will take all coding jobs in 2 years."*
He's 19. He's reading the wrong people.
In the same week he sent me that text: - TCS said 40,000 freshers for FY26 - Infosys said 30,000+ - Wipro said 30,000+ - HCL Tech said 25,000+ - Cognizant said 20,000+
That's ~1.5 lakh fresher coding-adjacent jobs from five companies. In one year. After ChatGPT-5 launched.
Either the world's largest IT employers are wrong about their own industry — or your Reels feed is.
What AI Actually Does (And Doesn't) in Coding
I run a small experiment with every new MITS Academy batch. We give Claude / ChatGPT / Cursor a real freelance project: "Build a contact form for a local business, with WhatsApp integration."
What happens:
AI delivers in 4 minutes: - Functional HTML form - Submit handler - Console-log of form data - Basic styling
Then we ask: - "Make sure it doesn't break on iPhone Safari" → AI: ~80% there, needs tweaks - "Add server-side spam filter" → AI: works but uses outdated libraries - "Why is this form not sending to WhatsApp Business API?" → AI: confidently gives wrong reason
A senior developer spots all three in 30 seconds. A fresher with 4 months of training spots two of them. ChatGPT spots none — but writes confident-looking code anyway.
This is the gap that's hiring 1.5 lakh freshers.
The Job Has Changed (It Hasn't Disappeared)
Five years ago, a junior developer's job was: - Write basic CRUD code - Run tests - Fix small bugs from senior
In 2026, that same junior's job is: - Write basic CRUD code using AI as autocomplete - Review AI-generated code for bugs - Test AI outputs against business requirements - Fix the bugs AI introduced - Translate vague business asks into clear technical specs
It's the same job. With AI as a power tool, not a replacement.
A carpenter with a power drill builds 3x more shelves. He didn't get replaced. He got more output. That's where coding is right now.
The Skills That Actually Matter Post-AI
We've started restructuring our Python, MERN Stack, and AI/ML courses based on what we see at our hiring partners. The skill stack has shifted:
Less important now: - Memorizing syntax (AI handles it) - Writing boilerplate (AI handles it) - Knowing 50 library names (AI suggests them)
Way more important now: - Debugging AI-generated code — knowing what the code SHOULD do - System design thinking — what does this module actually need to do - Reading code fast — code review skills now matter at fresher level - Communication — clear written specs, clear PR descriptions - Domain knowledge — knowing healthcare / banking / e-commerce specifics gives you 10x leverage
The fresher who walks into Infosys in 2026 knowing both Python AND how to verify AI output is worth ₹6 LPA. The one who memorized all Python syntax but can't catch a bug is worth ₹3.5.
The Specific Jobs That Did Get Hit
Let's be honest. AI didn't kill coding, but it did hit specific roles harder than others:
| Job | AI impact (2024 → 2026) |
|---|---|
| **Manual QA tester** | High — AI does regression testing |
| **Documentation writer** | High — AI drafts most of it |
| **Simple WordPress dev** | Moderate — AI builds basic sites |
| **Basic data entry / Excel** | Very High — Python + AI replaces it |
| **Translation / content moderation** | Very High |
| **Junior frontend developer** | Low — UI work still needs taste |
| **Backend developer** | Low — system understanding required |
| **DevOps / Cloud engineer** | Low — too many edge cases |
| **Cybersecurity analyst** | Negative (more demand, AI creates new attack vectors) |
| **Data scientist / ML engineer** | Negative (way more demand) |
If your career plan was "be a manual QA tester at TCS forever" — yeah, rethink that.
If your plan is to learn real engineering, AI just gave you a power tool.
What Punjab Students Should Actually Do
Three concrete moves for May-October 2026:
1. Get one programming language to working fluency. Python is the safest bet — used in 70% of AI tools, easiest to layer Data Science / AI on top.
2. Build 3 small projects WITH AI as your assistant. Not without it (that's old-school). Not without learning (that's lazy). Use AI to learn faster, then review every line. We do this in our Full Stack courses — students ship more projects than ever before in 4 months.
3. Learn one domain alongside code. Healthcare. Banking. E-commerce. Real estate. Code + domain = ₹2-3 LPA salary premium even at fresher level.
Stop Doom-Scrolling. Start Building.
Every wave of tech "killing jobs" creates more jobs than it destroys. The internet "killed" newspaper printing — and created a million digital marketing jobs. Mobile "killed" desktop developer roles — and created two app developer roles for every one lost.
AI is the same play. The people scared right now are the ones who didn't adapt. The people winning right now learned to use AI as their power tool.
You're 19. You have time. You have a brain. The IT industry is hiring ~1.5 lakh freshers this year alone — that's bigger than the entire population of Khanna.
The question isn't whether jobs exist. It's whether your skills do.
Want to Skill Up Properly?
Walk into MITS Academy and we'll be honest with you about which course actually fits where you are right now. Free demo, no commitment.
- •Amritsar: 2nd floor, SRK Mall, Mall Road — +91 90567 55115
- •Jalandhar: 65, Garha Road, Choti Baradari — +91 76580 33310
Don't let a panic Reel decide your career.
FAQ
Q1. If AI can write code, why is Wipro still hiring 30,000 freshers in 2026? AI tools like GitHub Copilot accelerate code generation but they cannot replace the human judgment needed to gather requirements, review AI output for bugs, and own accountability for production systems. Companies like Wipro, TCS, and Infosys still need freshers to work in client-facing teams, test AI-generated code, and handle the communication layer that AI simply cannot do. Hiring 30,000 freshers signals that the total demand for software delivery has grown faster than AI can absorb it.
Q2. What starting salary can a Punjab fresher realistically expect after completing an AI/ML or Full Stack course? MITS Academy graduates placed at TCS, Infosys, and Cognizant typically start in the ₹3–7 LPA range, while those landing roles at Mohali-based product startups like Net Solutions or Grazitti see ₹6–12 LPA. Remote Bangalore SaaS roles, increasingly accessible to Punjab candidates with strong AI skills, go up to ₹15 LPA in the top quartile. Amritsar and Jalandhar local IT firms generally offer ₹2.5–4 LPA for freshers, making a placement-assistance course a strong lever to aim beyond the local market.
Q3. Which specific skills make a fresher "AI-proof" enough to get shortlisted at a company like Wipro or Capgemini? Recruiters at service companies in 2026 are prioritising candidates who can prompt-engineer effectively, review and debug AI-generated code, and work with frameworks like LangChain or RAG pipelines — not just those who write code from scratch. Soft skills such as client communication and the ability to explain technical decisions in plain language are weighted more heavily than ever, precisely because AI handles the mechanical coding. A course that combines Python/Full Stack fundamentals with hands-on GenAI tools gives Punjab freshers a two-layer advantage over candidates who learned only one or the other.
Q4. Does MITS Academy's AI/ML or GenAI course include placement support for companies like Wipro and TCS? Yes. MITS Academy has 50+ hiring partners including Wipro, TCS, Infosys, HCL, Cognizant, Capgemini, and Accenture, and has placed 220+ students in AI/ML roles since 2019. The institute's Amritsar and Jalandhar centres both run dedicated placement drives and resume-preparation sessions as part of the course. Students can contact the Amritsar centre at +91 90567 55115 or the Jalandhar centre at +91 76580 33310 for batch-specific placement timelines.
Q5. How long does MITS Academy's AI/ML course take, and what does it cost? The AI and Machine Learning programme runs for 6 months and is priced at ₹40,000–₹60,000 depending on the batch and centre. The curriculum covers classical ML, Deep Learning, PyTorch, LangChain, and RAG, and course access includes ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro subscriptions. MITS Academy also runs Punjab's only dedicated GenAI and Prompt Engineering programme at the same fee and duration, making it one of the most comprehensive AI training options available in the Amritsar–Jalandhar belt.
Q6. Kya AI ke aane se Punjab ke freshers ke liye IT jobs kam ho gayi hain, ya abhi bhi scope hai? Scope actually badha hai, kam nahi hua. Wipro, TCS, aur Infosys jaise companies Punjab aur Doaba region ke freshers ko hire kar rahi hain specifically isliye kyunki unhe aisi talent chahiye jo AI tools ko confidently use kar sake — sirf coding nahi, balki AI output ko verify, debug, aur clients ko explain karna bhi. Jo students Amritsar ya Jalandhar mein AI/ML ya Full Stack course karte hain aur LangChain, RAG, ya GenAI tools seekh lete hain, unke liye 2026 mein job market pehle se zyada open hai, especially Mohali product startups aur remote Bangalore roles ke liye.