Sure. I think AI is more likely to destroy any other field I'd end up in before it makes software engineering obsolete. Like, my other main interest before (job wise) was journalism, and that field basically got annihilated by the internet in general, with AI only making it worse.<p>Plus it seems like it's the best paying career that's 'practical' to get into for most people too. Like, menial office work is being automated or replaced. Most entry level jobs pay like crap with terrible working conditions. Trades and manual work are hard on the body, especially in the long run.<p>Software engineering is something that anyone can learn without a specialised degree, which can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year based on the company and location, and which has a hell of a less luck involved than say, becoming an athlete, musician, influencer, etc.
I don't think anyone - including cutting edge AI researchers - knows enough to answer that question fully.<p>If AI perfects its current abilities which is basically "intelligent autocomplete" then being a software developer will continue much as before except with less drudgery. Things like remembering how to write a linked list won't be useful skills anymore. The focus will switch to architecture rather than writing algorithms. Designing and testing systems rather than rewriting the same sort and search algorithms over and over in slightly different contexts. There'll still be drudge work, lots of compliance testing and proof reading. But overall speed of development work will go up a lot and we'll type a <i>lot</i> less.<p>However, if AI is able to reach the next level where it can generate entire applications then the job of software developer will change drastically (this is probably several levels up actually). If we reach a point where you can say "create me a highly secure and performant email application that can run in the browser and that has the potential to scale up to a hundred million users" and then get a result that <i>works</i> (after some rounds of refinement and tweaking), then we're in a new paradigm. In this case I can see the job of software developer switching to being one of testing for security and compliance, at least until we reach a point where AI can do that too.<p>... However, amazing as ChatGPT is, it's a long, long way from this right now and my personal opinion is that the current technology is not sufficient to reach this level. But AI research is progressing at an incredible speed right now so who knows? Maybe there's already been a breakthrough that will allow this and it's sitting on some researcher's desk awaiting publication right now.<p>As to whether young people should still train to be software engineers: absolutely. Skills are transferable between domains and writing software teaches you to think logically and split tasks up into small manageable chunks. This is useful in many areas of life. If the AI takes our jobs, we'll find new ones.<p>If, by then, AI and automation have reduced the number of available jobs to the point where people smart enough to learn software development can't switch careers, then we'll have bigger problems than worrying about choosing the wrong career. We should probably be thinking about how to overthrow the oligarchy and redistribute the world's wealth instead. Maybe we can ask the AI to create a plan for doing so.
I'm not sure. Why?
1) our profession is not respected and has no social status
2) pay is generally not that great compared to other professions (e.g. law)
3) you work for managers or clients who have no clue of how hard this job is and how long everything takes / how complex it is
4) your peers do not know how to negotiate and undercut themselves which results in a losing race to the bottom for everyone
5) young profession without unions
If I had to start over I’d study mathematics and economics as my primary fields, and programming as a deep skill.<p>Then I could just find ways to make money easily and also understand math at a much deeper which is something I believe has kept me from getting further faster.
I'd probably look at going into business as a major with tech as a minor (opposite of what I did). I'm not sure it would make any difference though. It seems I just suck at everything.
Even before the AI age, SE should have only been a tool in my toolbox.<p>With the exception of the 0.1% exceptionally good programmer, SE should only be a tool.<p>As someone with an engineering background, I have always regretted leaving a possible "real" engineering career to become a SE.<p>However, one of the first victims of AI explosion will be real engineering jobs where the rules are somewhat clear.<p>AI is probably going to put a lot of power in hands of people who exploit human inefficiencies and weakness, like lawyers, advertisers, marketeers, politicians ....
While I can't answer that question directly, I can certainly recommend an article that may be helpful for those who are considering a career in software engineering or looking to make a transition into the blockchain development space.<p>Rather Labs has published an excellent article titled "The Roadmap to Become a Blockchain Gladiator" (<a href="https://www.ratherlabs.com/post/the-roadmap-to-become-a-blockchain-gladiator" rel="nofollow">https://www.ratherlabs.com/post/the-roadmap-to-become-a-bloc...</a>) that provides a comprehensive guide for aspiring blockchain developers.<p>The article covers the basics of blockchain technology and its applications, the skills and knowledge required to become a successful blockchain developer, and a detailed roadmap to follow in order to achieve your goals.<p>Whether you're just starting out in software engineering or looking to make a career transition, the guide provided in this article can be an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to become a blockchain developer.<p>So if you're interested in pursuing a career in blockchain development, I highly recommend checking out Rather Labs' "The Roadmap to Become a Blockchain Gladiator" for an informative and practical guide on how to get started.