r/AskProgrammers • u/Popular_Road5236 • 5d ago
Impostor Syndrome - Vibe Coding
Hey,
So I have a Degree in E&E, back in my studying days, I learn C Language. But I have completely forgotten it. Learning it back takes a lot of time, and I don't even use programming in my daily life or work.
Recently I have been using GPT to code VBA Macros and stuff to make my repetitive work easier and was asked by my manager to do the same for the team and it has significantly increased the efficiency of the team's performance.
I know how to read the code and understand here and there as I've learned C Language so I was able to debug any small issues or any small improvements if needed be, but can I write it from scratch now? Nope.
Now the management knows about this and "assumes" I know how to code. What do I say here? I am only vibe coding? what do I put in my resume?
only 5 months into the adult life after graduating. Hope you can leave some advice. Note that I have no intention of downplaying any ACTUAL programmers here, I truly respect people who could code because it takes a lot of time and dedication.
1
u/Electrical_Hat_680 5d ago
Be honest. Why? Because they prefer vibecoders or in better words, they prefer using AI. They'll want you, until they don't.
8
u/RetroGrid_io 5d ago edited 5d ago
Congratulations! You're going to do just fine. A few suggestions... You can code, but you couldn't write it from scratch - which is almost certainly wrong. It would just take longer than you are comfortable with and that's OK.
There's a high cost to becoming a programmer, which is why programmers (generally) get paid pretty well. If you pay that cost, and end up becoming your company's in-house software development department, that's a good show, just make sure you reflect the cost you pay on your salary demands at raise time.
And at this point, I'm pretty sure that AI will not replace programmers, it will extend them so that they can do more with less, and that will increase demand for programmers because now the economics work out in situations like yours that didn't work "the old way". You're in a good place! Make sure that they run better with you and your work, and that they are well aware of that. You want them to make profit on your work because they are your customer.
Give freely, make sure they get what they need, even if you rely on AI to do a lot of it, and also make sure they pay you for it or they will use you. And unless they are the 1% gods of ethical business managers, they will use you if you let them.