“How are you getting projects?”
I got this message three times this week. From people I consider EXPERTS in their field. Developers with 5-7 years experience. People who are genuinely skilled.
My honest answer? I’m barely getting projects either.
But nobody wants to admit this publicly. Everyone’s posting about “exciting new projects” while privately panicking about next month’s expenses.
The Uncomfortable Truth About IT Industry Right Now:
That promise we sold to every CS student? “Get a tech degree, you’re set for life”?
It’s dead.
Not because students aren’t good enough. Not because Pakistan lacks talent.
Because the entire service-based IT model is collapsing under AI.
What’s Actually Happening:
Companies like Amazon and Nvidia aren’t firing people because they’re failing, their stock prices are at all-time highs.
They’re firing because they have to pay for their GPUs.
Product startups? Different story. If you have funding and a solid product, you might survive.
But services companies? We’re all in the same sinking boat pretending we’re swimming.
The Part Nobody Talks About:
I know “experts” who are panicking. I know agency owners who are hiding their revenue drops. I know fresh graduates who wasted 4 years on a degree that’s already outdated.
The students currently in CS programs? They’re walking into a completely different industry than the one their professors are preparing them for.
And we’re all just not talking about it.
So What Do We Do?
Here’s my unpopular take: Stop chasing growth. Start chasing survival.
This is a dip. A bad one. Maybe the worst we’ve seen.
In uncertain times, meeting your expenses IS success.
My current goal at Uptech? Keep the lights on. Pay salaries. Survive until the market stabilizes.
That’s it.
No “10x growth” plans. No expansion dreams. Just survival.
Why This Approach:
When the entire market doesn’t know where it’s going, you can’t predict your path either.
Clients are sitting on their budgets waiting to see what happens.
Startups are pausing hiring.
Everyone’s in “wait and see” mode.
So we wait. We survive. We adapt.
To CS Students:
Your degree isn’t worthless, but it’s also not a guarantee anymore.
Learn AI tools. Become irreplaceable by using them, not competing with them.
The future belongs to developers who can leverage AI, not resist it.
To Service Companies:
Stop pretending everything is fine. Stop posting fake success stories.
We’re all struggling. Admitting it doesn’t make you weak, it makes you honest.
Bottom Line:
The IT industry in Pakistan is going through its biggest transformation ever.
Some will survive by adapting. Some won’t.
But pretending everything is fine while privately panicking? That helps nobody.
It’s okay to just be surviving right now. That’s more than enough.
Originally posted on Facebook on 30 October 2025.
