One of the best engineers I ever hired failed the technical interviews. We told him he didn't make it. He was crushed. But there was something about him that impressed us, so we called him back and offered him an entry-level QA analyst job. To his credit, he swallowed his pride, took the job, and then rapidly proved himself, working his way up to engineer and then technical manager in short order. He became a superstar in my company. My concern is that with the AI we have available today for software QA, THAT JOB MIGHT NOT EXIST ANYMORE. As AI improves, these entry-level "grunt work" positions will become more and more rare. So how will the next generation get a foot in the door? A little more background: Our process for developers was brutal: multiple rounds, live coding, advanced homework. He didn’t make it. But he’d showed curiosity and promise, so we gave him a shot doing manual testing and bug reports in Quality Assurance. He took it seriously, absorbed feedback, acquired skills. Within 2 years was promoted to developer. Then senior developer. Eventually, he was leading on some of our hardest technical challenges. That path used to exist. But it’s disappearing. Today, those training grounds are automated by AI. The whole bottom rung is being ripped out. How do young people with entry-level skills prove themselves today? Since AI is eating the entry-level job, what’s the new way in? How can employers bring in raw talent and evaluate them? How can people new to the workforce gain skills and confidence? Would love to hear what you are doing!