Evaluating LLMs for Career Guidance: Comparative Analysis of Computing Competency Recommendations Across Ten African Countries
Employers increasingly expect graduates to utilize large language models (LLMs) in the workplace, yet the competencies needed for computing roles across Africa remain unclear given varying national contexts. This study examined how six LLMs, namely ChatGPT 4, DeepSeek, Gemini, Claude 3.5, Llama 3, and Mistral AI, describe entry-level computing career expectations across ten African countries. Using the Computing Curricula 2020 framework and drawing on Digital Colonialism Theory and Ubuntu Philosophy, content analysis of 60 LLM responses to standardized prompts reveals consistent coverage of technical competencies such as cloud computing and programming, but notable differences in non-technical competencies, particularly ethics and responsible AI use. Models vary considerably in recognizing country-specific factors, including local technology ecosystems, language requirements, and national policies averaging only 35.4% contextual awareness overall. Open-source models demonstrated stronger contextual awareness and better balance between technical and professional skills, with Llama (4.47/5) and DeepSeek (4.25/5) outperforming proprietary alternatives ChatGPT-4 (3.90/5) and Claude (3.46/5). However, Mistral's poor contextual performance (0.00/4) despite being open-source indicates that development philosophy alone does not guarantee contextual responsiveness. This first comprehensive comparison of LLM career guidance for African computing students uncovers entrenched infrastructure assumptions and Western-centric biases that create gaps between technical recommendations and local realities. The findings challenge assumptions about AI tool quality in resource-constrained settings and underscore the need for decolonial approaches to AI in education, emphasizing contextual relevance and hybrid human-AI guidance models.