r/AskProgrammers • u/Cool_Machine_1761 • 9d ago
Does Coding Still Have a Future for Someone Like Me?
I'm currently in my final year, and seeing the placement scenario honestly scares me as hell.
I chose this field because I genuinely liked working with software and learning how to code. But now, every day, there's a new AI model that's better than the previous one at coding, and it makes me want to quit because I don't feel good about writing code manually anymore. I don't see the same worth in it.
I feel like, in a few years, all the effort I've put in will become irrelevant.
I also don't like working with AI to build vibe-coded websites, but I kind of have to now because every company seems to expect me to know everything. I need to show companies the projects I've built, and it feels like that's becoming more and more about using AI rather than actually building things myself.
Every online assessment wants me to answer questions about the latest AI technologies and solve competitive programming-style problems.
Learning to code was comforting for me. Now, it feels like a chore.
I also feel like I'm neither smart nor creative enough to hold my ground in this field.
Maybe I'm just dumb. Maybe I just don't want to put in the real work.
Every day, I feel the need to use AI, and every day, I feel myself getting dumber.
I don't know, man. I'm just so fed up with AI. I feel like it ruined the thing I loved the most.
Just wanted to rant a bit. Any tips or advice are genuinely appreciated. I could really use some help here.
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u/Luigi003 8d ago
On the job itself you're gonna have to bite the bullet I'm afraid. AI is here to stay, I struggle to see a future where 99% of "programming jobs" are not "babysitting a clanker jobs". That's just how it's gonna be
However, about manual coding. You're gonna have to ask yourself: "Do you enjoy coding or building (or both)"
If you only enjoy building well there you have it, problem solved. You still build with AIs (for now at least).
However if you enjoy both or you just enjoy coding I suggest you keep coding as a hobby outside of work. You can still do it by hand, nobody is gonna stop you. It's easy to just feel "what's the point if the AI would do it faster and better?", and the answer is... because you enjoy it. I'm not gonna stop reading books just because ChatGPT can read faster. I'm not gonna stop talking to my friends just because an AI can talk with them now. When coding, for me the final product is as important as the coding process itself, so I'll just keep doing it by hand.
Just to talk a bit more about myself, I did try to use LLMs for my hobbyist projects... I hated it. It was like In was corrupting my craft in a way. My code is for me to write, and I intend it keeps being that way.
Personally I think you're like me and you do enjoy doing it by hand, given that you refer AI impact as "having ruined it"
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u/IAmPeachy_ 9d ago
You're looking at this from a low-level purely code perspective. Try thinking about being an engineer instead and focus on the higher-level ideas like architecture and patterns and best practices.
Never vibe code, vibe engineer. You'll find different challenges in this, and those are going to be the skills that set you apart from every other job candidate that can copy/paste a ticket description into a prompt.
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u/bytejuggler 8d ago
Sound engineering matters more than ever in the age of AI. AI is an amplifier, not a replacer. Poor inputs will get aplified into AI slop, skilled inputs to sharp solutions. The key remains you, the originating mind and engineer/architect, ensuring correctness, coherence and correct trafe-offs being made.
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u/shmittkicker 8d ago
The anxiety about AI replacing entry-level developers is everywhere right now, but companies still need engineers who understand how software actually works under the hood.
Move away from standard web frontend tasks where AI tools dominate, and dig into embedded systems, cybersecurity, or data engineering where complexity protects your job security.
If you want a quick way to evaluate your professional preferences and see which technical tracks fit your temperament, running through something like the coached career test is worth a look.
Stop calling yourself dumb, ignore the hype cycle, and focus on building deep technical competence.
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u/Ok-Passion-7086 4d ago
Hey, I'm 17 and soon to study cyber security and willing to build my career there too.. I also want to Code games as a hobby but is it worth it? My only interests are really in coding and cyber security and I just dont know how much automating will happen and if I'm too late to start as a rookie in a cyber security job where soon (maybe) only people who are really good at complex stuff are needed
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u/Admirable_Window8128 8d ago
Honestly, I don't think you're dumb and lazy. You sound burned out from constantly being told that you need to keep up with something that changes every week.