This makes me depressed. LLMs will take the most enjoyable part of my job and I will be stuck reviewing or fixing bugs in their "it-compiles" codebase.
Creating software is indeed fun, but the most enjoyable aspects are the "a-ha" moments after you overcome a tricky problem, the confidence boost from creating something that works in an efficient and elegant way, and the dopamine hits associated with those events.
"AI" tools can alleviate some of the tedium of working on plumbing and repetitive tasks, but they also get rid of the dopamine hits. I get no enjoyment from running machine-generated code, having to review it, and more often than not having to troubleshoot and fix it myself.
To me, creating software is not as much about the destination, but about the journey. About the process itself. Yes, some of it is not enjoyable, but overall, there is much more I like about it than not.
As for “it-compiles” that is nothing new. I have written code that I go back to later and wonder how it ever compiled. I have a process now of often letting the agent prototype and see if it works. Then go back and re-engineer it properly. Does doing it twice save time? Yeah, cause who’s to say my first take on the problem would have been correct and now I have something to look at and say it is definitely wrong or right when considering how to rebuild it for long term usage.
1. More people that wanted to make games can.
Thanks to unreal engine, you don't need to be a Tim Sweeney level-expert to make compelling games. I see LLMs as another abstraction in the same spirit.
2. You get more leverage
The more abstractions you have, the more you can do with less. This means less bureaucracy, more of a chance to make _exactly_ what you wanted.
I understand how the craft changes underneath you, and that can feel depressing, but if we see it as tools, I think there's lots of good ahead.
I could be wrong of course, and it may be true that your work will change very soon. Maybe someone else has better examples to propose ?
It's the same when I hear people complain about how complex new UI frameworks are. The web still runs perfectly well on simple html, CSS, and Javascript. There is not federal police force that will arrest you for not using React.
Yes, I can do it. In my free time. But that part of my job that was enjoyable? Poof. Not anymore. Can't compete, get on with times, be more productive.
I spend a 40% of my "alive" time in work. It's a massive downgrade.
Companies preferring React over vanilla Javascript != you can't build sites with vanilla JavaScript anymore. Sites LITERALLY still work that way.
> I spend a 40% of my "alive" time in work. It's a massive downgrade.
This martydom with front-end frameworks is crazy to me. Guess what? You're a software developer. You actually have a lot more power tahn you think. And this "roll over and play dead while whining about every advancement in technology because you feel left behind" is exactly the reason you feel the way you do.
You are the only one that even mentioned FE frameworks. Or plain JS. Neither was even tangentially mentioned and has nothing to do with my comment.
I have never heard a client say "Man, glad you used React". Literally nobody cares what framework you use to build your site. Nobody.
If you didn't know any better you'd think all software developers are chained in a basement where they have absolutely no power to do anything but build React sites.
1.) Those WordPress gigs can make your React gig look like indentured servitude
2.) The company you’re applying to isn’t the client.
3.) “freelancer or something”, like you’re spitting it out? Yes - some of us aren’t handcuffed to mediocrity by 200-1000 person orgs. As the kids say, “Don’t hate.”
1. Definitely not in my country. The average pay of a Wordpress/PHP dev is half of a modern full stack and the clients are terrible, because it's just websites for small businesses. Modern full stacks don't create websites most of the time, but highly interactive B2B apps.
2. It is absolutely my client. I optimize their happiness not their customers. I have no relationship with the customers, some don't know who I am.
3. I worked as a contractor for a couple of years and I'm not missing the stress and unstable pay. Especially now with a kid on board. Many contracts were actually "hey we need a React/[insert other tech] guy for our current project, wanna join?", not "we have an idea and we don't know how to do it" kind of thing. The latter are super rare and even more stressful, because they come from "non-technical startup founders" often with little money.
Keep in mind that I'm in EU, so the benefits of permanent employment make a huge difference.