> Craft lovers can still lovingly craft away, even if they have to do it on their own time instead of on their now-AI-dominated day job, just like in ye olde days. Nothing's stopping them.

…except time, which sadly is limited. I’m sad about the real potential that I might not get to be paid to do something I enjoy so much anymore. I care about end products for sure, but that’s not why I’m in this career.

I do this because a large part of the work engages me in a pleasant way. I like TDDing in a tight loop. I like how it forces me to think one step at a time, how I get to stop myself from jumping ahead, and how I get to verify my thoughts or theories within seconds. I find efficiently manipulating text in my editor satisfying. I love the feeling of being validated that my architectural choice was right when a spec changes and the required code change is obvious, minimal, and clearly expressed. I enjoy the feeling of obtaining mastery for mastery’s sake rather than because it lets me create a product.

I’ve felt incredibly lucky for over a decade that my work gave me the opportunity to chase that. I may find enjoyment in wrangling AI, but I’m skeptical it’ll scratch that itch. If it doesn’t and I wanted to still scratch it, I’d have to do it on my own time. That would mean sacrificing time I’ve previously spent on other interests, and I don’t have a ton of time to begin with.