I was planning on going back to school to study data science, but everyone online is making it out like the tech field is dead and people are getting laid off and now you need eight year experience just to get an entry level gig. Worried I missed the boat on being able to get a good job in the field, should I just accept I'm stuck in retail?
Dude (or dudette/non-dudenary), are you me?
Probably my exact plans for the future right now: Go back and finish my CS degree and get out of "permanent retail hell", and unfuck my life.
Take this comment with a grain of salt, but every job market prospect shows that CS probably isn't slowing down any time soon. If you want extra reassurance, you can look into master's programs in a more specialized field that some employers are willing to pay for. Right now, If I were to master I would go for robotics.