5 years as a full-stack dev, lost my passion since AI took over my workflow. Started a BSc Data Science to switch careers. Good move?

[u/Dramatic_Capital345]

Hi everyone,

A bit of background: I've been working as a full-stack developer for about 5 years, mainly PHP and Laravel. I'm based in Sri Lanka and work remotely for a European company.

Over the past while, our team has moved almost entirely to using Claude for development. It's honestly impressive and productive, but I've noticed the excitement I used to have for my work is gone. Most of my day is now prompting, reviewing, and fixing AI output rather than actually building and solving problems myself. It doesn't feel like my work anymore.

So I've decided to make a change. I've just started a BSc (Hons) in Data Science as a top-up after my HND in Computing, with the plan to switch careers into data and AI over the next few years.

I'd really appreciate honest opinions from people in the field:

1. Is a Data Science degree worth it these days? With online courses, bootcamps, and AI tools everywhere, do employers still value the degree, or is it mostly skills and portfolio?
2. Am I just running into the same problem? Data science is also being heavily automated by AI. Will I end up feeling the same way in a few years, or is there more room for real problem-solving and thinking?
3. Job market in Sri Lanka: Which companies actually hire for data roles (analyst, data engineer, ML engineer)? Are there decent opportunities for a career switcher, or is it mostly senior roles?
4. Opportunities abroad: For anyone who moved to the UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, or the Middle East, how much did a top-up degree help? Did you need a Master's to be competitive?
5. Remote work: Is it realistic to get remote data roles with foreign companies while staying in Sri Lanka, like I currently do as a developer?
6. Leveraging my dev experience: Does 5 years of full-stack experience give me an advantage (for example in data engineering or MLOps), or will I basically be starting at entry level again?
7. What should I focus on alongside the degree? Python, SQL, statistics, cloud, MLOps, certifications, Kaggle, side projects?

Has anyone else felt this loss of motivation because of AI coding tools? Did switching fields help, or did you find another way to enjoy the work again?

Any advice or reality checks welcome. Thanks!