I got selected as a backend .NET developer intern at a service-based company, where I started learning and writing code. It has been around two years since I joined the tech industry, and I have contributed to around three projects for different clients.
I was doing well, then news about AI started hitting everywhere. I was optimistic at first, but recently I don’t feel like I can keep up with AI anymore. I am an average developer—not very smart, but not too shallow either—which is why it takes me some time to learn and understand new things. With the current state of AI, I am feeling helpless and questioning why I should even bother learning new stuff.
I don’t have any motivation to learn new things, and looking at the job market, I feel very hopeless. The top brass of coders are getting fired left, right, and center, and when average developers like me feel we are ready to switch, we won’t be competing only with other average or above-average developers. We will also be competing with laid-off smart people who can use AI and outpace average developers like us very easily.
Honestly? This is the core problem you have, and it's not related to genAI at all. In this industry, it has always been true that you need to be constantly learning new things. If that's not something you enjoy and are motivated to do, then this may not be the field for you.
But I'll bet you can find the joy and motivation to learn new things. You just have to figure out what sort of development really turns your gears. I get the impression you haven't discovered that yet.
My advice is to try not to worry about genAI. Despite all the talk, nobody knows where that's going to go or what impact it will end up having. Instead, look inward to figure out what excites you, and work on taking your career in that direction.
The future always brings surprises, some good, some not so good, but regardless of what tomorrow brings, you should internalize that you'll be fine. These are (almost always, anyway) issues about comfort, not actual survival.
Take genAI, for instance. If you completely ignore genAI right now, you'll be OK in the long term regardless of whether or not it becomes a mandatory tool in the job market. The FOMO you get about this is intentional, meant to drive your decision-making in a direction that favors the companies that are selling genAI. The reality is that if its use really does end up being standard, you 'll be able to pick it up when that time comes.
Layoffs are a more present threat, of course, but they seem to be largely limited to a certain sort of company. The mitigation for that problem is to expand your job searches beyond those companies. For instance, you don't have to work for a software company to work as a dev. Companies in every industry hire devs.
Oh, and another piece of advice (that has always been good advice). Never stop looking for other work. If you have a job, even a great job, keep your ear to the ground, keep your professional circle, do almost all of the things you'd do if you're out of work and looking. Not to the same intensity, of course, but by doing this you'll be much better prepared if you have to find another job, you'll be more aware if a better prospect presents itself even if you are already in a decent job, and it will constantly remind you that you are in control of your life, not your employer.