Skills Every CS Student
Must Have in 2026

Professor's note

This list draws from real-world engineering expectations in 2026. Mandatory skills reflect what employers across industry and research universally expect of a graduate. Optional skills represent specialisations — depth in any two or three domains will make a candidate exceptional.

AI/ML literacy, cloud fundamentals, and security awareness are now considered baseline, not electives. Students who treat them as optional do so at their own risk. This list will be updated each semester as the field evolves.