"Software engineering is a dying profession," a Microsoft engineer wrote in a Blind post in April, 2023 titled "Face it, the golden age is over." There is a growing concern over the possibility of AI taking over Software Development but I strongly disagree that this will ever happen. In my opinion, software developers should be excited about the new possibilities and capabilities that AI offers.

When I started teaching myself how to build websites in 2018 with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it was exciting and challenging. One of the courses I bought on Udemy introduced me to Stackoverflow, which became my favorite place to seek help, anytime I got stuck. Today, I haven’t visited Stackoverflow for the past three months. ChatGPT, and Google Bard have since taken up that role. Oftentimes, I wonder how it was possible to code without ChatGPT.

Software developers should not worry about AI taking over their source of livelihood, however, they should be concerned about the effects it is having and will continue to have, they should monitor and pay close attention as things will obviously not remain the same.

Big salaries and entry-level positions have already been affected. Five years ago, beginner knowledge in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript alone was sufficient to land you a high paying job; today it is nearly impossible. Your best bet as a beginner will be to go beyond the basics. The industry is not open to beginners any more. You need to master at least one programming language and also master a popular framework or library in that language to be on the safe side.

There has been a massive layoff from Tech behemoths like Twitter, Meta, Google, etc. in recent times, this might not be unconnected with AI. Regardless, one thing is certain, the times are changing and will continue to change even faster. Developers shouldn’t be asleep, they should monitor these changes and adjust accordingly.

Ushahemba Shir.
Senior JavaScript Developer.
http://usha.com.ng/