But the AI transition is different than old technological changes in that you don't really have to learn anything. You don't have to memorize keywords and new concepts like you'd have to for, say, a new JavaScript framework. If you don't know something about AI, you can just ask it and it will tell you.

Basically the only hard part for old people is getting USED to using AI. Some haven't, but it only takes a few weeks to do. After that, experience and taste really comes in handy and that can't be developed overnight.

Depends on the nature of the work. In highly specialised work the junior would train with a senior while the senior can offload the easier work.

Now the senior can use the AI instead of dealing with a junior.

Plus the biggest danger I’ve seen numerous times is the junior engineer can’t easily tell if the AI is wrong.

They either accept it as correct or spend more time trying to fix AI output with an AI in an area they don’t have the skills for.

On the contrary, new generations are skipping the fundamentals and using AI instead.

Seniors will become more valuable as that knowledge is lost and AI isn't capable of full replacenent.

I use AI daily and it takes almost no extra brain power to use.

Same here. The absolute star in my team is the youngest. But! I think what's happening is that the distribution in this age group has shifted. Essentially the absolute best (high IQ, super ambitious, great communicator, cracked builder types) are now even better positioned than ever before. But the majority of mass in this age category now suffers, i.e. everyone that's "good" or "very good" but not exceptional/brilliant.

I think the problem is evaluation. They can't tell who the good juniors are with respect to the new skills that they are looking for, so they go for experience instead. It doesn't seem sustainable though for obvious reasons.

> AI is the biggest threat in over a generation to seniors who aren’t investing in keeping up. Managers without an instinct for AI are an endangered species as well.

New tech has always been the biggest threat to seniors who aren't investing in keeping up.

If you find a proper senior dev - it will be like 10 or more of that junior you described.

Because you can’t shortcut experience. And AI multiplies that.

I’ve seen what ai-focused good senior dev can do and it is scary.

The juniors I have seen don't even try to understand anymore what they are building. They don't understand the product, they don't understand the technology. So everything AI is building for them is nonsense. "Reviewing" it is impossible. Some of them think they are being extra clever having Claude process review comments for them. Even if you hire one, this way they are out the door within the month.

I had a job search as well and same. Previous slam dunks that stalled at final interviews with someone who had a higher recommendation.

Fortunately I have some unique skills that allowed me to land a gig.

Why is this? Is it partly influenced by the fact that LinkedIn etc suck?

Thanks, it's been tough on him. I'm glad we're able to support him through this, others are not as fortunate.

He's looking into pivots now and taking flight lessons.

Honestly, that is way too much for a junior.

I'd side-eye that list as senior .NET dev full stack.

You're asking one person to do frontend/js/css, backend/databases/Redis/MQ, and Python with all that math behind data-science, but i doubt he can understand and review all of this

dverespey@gmail.com is mine. In my profile as well.

Our field started as a niche for geeks. For a long time, CS paid you the average for engineering work - hardly equivalent to six figures today for most with the exception of seniors. It's still like that on most of the world.

Many people here lived through ridiculous times. It was possible to make 1M in a year without incredible skills/hard work. Big tech was and still is full of these people.

I'm not saying that was a bad thing at all, but it always felt unsustainable. CS salaries will decline and fewer people will want to be software developers, balancing the market. Then it may go back to where it came from with the geeks sticking around. No more coding bros. Maybe that's okay.

When I got my degree, I never expected more than a slightly above average salary. I do this because I love it and can't imagine doing anything else. I was lucky and I'm thankful for the luck I had.