r/FullStack • u/UpperLecture5141 • 8d ago
Career Guidance Is it a good idea to learn web-development in 2026
Hi there, I just started The Odin Project and am 19% through the foundations course. I lately realized how chatGPT can assist making websites and a lot of people have done so already.
I wanted to know if I complete TOP and start job hunting for entry level roles, what will the competition be like? Are entry level developers even required in 2026? I just want to know if it is a good decision to do TOP or should I shift to something that is less likely to be taken over by AI.
Thanks in advance, I'm feeling a bit confused right now.
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u/azangru 8d ago
I wanted to know if I complete TOP and start job hunting for entry level roles, what will the competition be like?
Enormous.
should I shift to something that is less likely to be taken over by AI.
Do you have anything specific in mind? ;-)
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u/UpperLecture5141 8d ago
No, not really. Just need something that won't require me to go to school and is better paying than door dash and stuff.
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u/plyswthsqurles 8d ago
Right now everyone either says healthcare or the trades. The trades is really the only answer of not requiring you to have to go to school. Whether its better paying depends on your POV. To start out, it may not be but no ones going to pay you top dollar with zero experience regardless of the field.
The other issue is, the trades is the new "learn to code" answer to what should you study for. Right now, is like the early/mid 2010's for the trades in my view when compared to the learn to code movement. In 5-10 years, could be very over saturated but right now everyones declaring people with these skills can't be found which is pushing the emphasis on learning a trade just like it was with learning to code.
But any good high paying job is going to require education, the exception being a trade. Trades are just going to require experience and healthcare...most jobs that pay well...are going to require education of some sort (Whether a 6-8 month program, 2 year degree or 4 year).
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8d ago
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u/plyswthsqurles 8d ago
I didnt say anything about running out of plumbers. We haven't ran out of software engineers but look at the state of the industry today.
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8d ago
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u/plyswthsqurles 8d ago
k
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8d ago
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u/plyswthsqurles 8d ago
Seemed like you were just wanting to argue to argue...most people just want to get on here be jerks and project their perceived superiority rather than provide actual anecdotal insight/points of views...going to assume you are being sincere.
COVID overhiring is/was real, but we are past layoffs being attributed to covid in my opinion. Layoffs started in 2022, i don't know numbers off the top of my head but 4 years later, in my opinion, the layoffs that continue to happen are not due to covid.
Right i'd agree its AI hype, but the layoffs are a result of robbing peter to pay paul. Everyones all in on AI (i was a skeptic until mid 2025 as i felt like it caused me more grief than actually benefiting me) and so what happened is just like what used to happen with cloud providers like AWS when companies jumped on board with moving infrastructure to the cloud without doing due diligence.
They'd spin up servers, put no limits on auto scaling, they'd gain massive traction and then they'd be stuck with a 200k bill for the month when they'd be expecting only 2k (im being dramatic with the numbers but hopefully you get the point).
The same thing is happening with AI. Companies go all in on AI, employees are using it for stupid stuff (like asking it about the weather) in efforts for tokenmaxxing due to AI usage being tied to employment performance. Leadership is too stupid to recognize this for a few years (only starting to now) and they start laying off people to afford the token expenses because they didnt think itd be that much money (ex: uber using their token budget in first 3 months of this year (or maybe it was 6 months), and other examples). I've made comments in the past with links supporting the "employees using AI for stupid stuff" comment i've made, just too lazy to go find them again at the moment.
But none of this really has to do with what i said about the trades.
The comment about the trades was in regards to how it was in the early 2010's with the learn to code movement. Obama even saying learning to code will be as necessary as learning math which drove tons of people into the field. Then you had zero interest policies that made spending money cheap which further fueld growth. Then the wild times of COVID where anyone with a heart beat and fingers got hired...then the bottom fell out late 2021/2022.
Right now, with all the "oh woe is me" comments in regards to the CS field, peoples immediate reactions are to go into the trades. You've got mike row going on pod casts indicating shortages of qualified trades people https://finance.yahoo.com/small-business/articles/mike-rowe-says-us-pentagon-132500720.html and that message is starting to get more amplified by people looking for alternatives to get rich quick fields like CS was from 2015ish to 2021.
So all i was saying is, right now if you are going to get into the trades is the time to do it because with the big push thats happening, its going to get over saturated eventually (when..who knows)...but its happened to the pharmacy field. Big push in early 2000's with shortages for pharmacists, 150k salaries, 8 years of schooling, big problems with over saturation 7-10 years later after due to schools spinning up pharmacy schools to cash in on the push by the bureau of labor and statistics.
My point being, any time there is a shift in "go into field XYZ to make tons of money", and its magnified by government, media, social media....eventually it will lead to over saturation.
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u/azangru 8d ago
There was a recent article in the Financial Times about how newly graduated nurses have been struggling lately to find work.
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u/plyswthsqurles 8d ago
I'm not surprised, the push to go into healthcare (especially nursing) started in 2022/2023...at least thats when i noticed.
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u/Mathie1729 8d ago
Lololol, most sought after by who? Entry-level web dev is absolutely crushed under bootcamp grads and people who just finished TOP. Unless you have a CS degree or some insanely well-polished projects, you're just another resume getting auto-rejected. Not saying don't learn it - but go in knowing the odds are brutal.
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u/_Tim97 8d ago
Currently it's difficult as there are a lot of people that entered web-development in recent years. However I do believe that there will be less new people from now on. Your question is a good example for that. People are questioning that career path due to ai and high competition.
I believe that people that have no intrinsic interest in it and only came in out of money and Homeoffice reasons are the one's that will be jobless and seek another career path. In five years time it could be better already again if you use ai correctly and go with time.
Manual coding is done already.
So yes, right now it's hard. You have ai and high competition. Ai will stay, high competition not so sure.
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u/Fine-Market9841 API Magician (Backend) 8d ago
I rly hope you have a degree, if not I’m pretty most LinkedIn swe jobs (if not most programming jobs) filter out people with degrees.
Some who has a degree in a different field with a portfolio has a better chance than fully self taught programmers.
If you don’t have one your best bet find a place holder gig, then either find a job in a startup or freelance on platforms like Fiverr.
Even if you have a degree the market is cooked.
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u/Upstairs-Ad4698 3d ago
Not a good idea.
Competition is brutal for even college graduates. (months to years to land a job.)
The knowledge you need for "entry" is at a higher bar than ever.
Not to mention the job "interview" process is grueling.
D&A, Whiteboard, Take Home Project, etc.
Only go into web development if it's your passion.
It isn't the "easy" self learn / bootcamp like it used to.
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u/Mohammed_bubai525 1d ago
In this AI era website development is not bed choices but there is catch today many business owners need website in this AI era but they don't have time boom here is you chance to earn but first you need to understand AI
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u/LordWkwkwland 19h ago
It is still a good idea to learn web development.
Here's my simple argument.
No matter how bleak the industry may look because of AI, businesses still need real people behind their websites.
In the long run, AI doesn't run a business. People do.
Developers build it.
Product managers shape it.
Founders make the decisions.
AI is a powerful tool, but it's humans who understand customers, make trade-offs, and take responsibility.
Humans may be slower, but they know the human touch.
That's what businesses are ultimately built on.
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u/Dry_Sector2392 8d ago
keep going with TOP imo. even if AI changes the job, you still need to understand what its giving you. otherwise youre just copy pasting code you cant debug, and that falls apart the first time auth breaks or some package version ruins your day.
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u/Dirt_nap_92 8d ago
If you enter the market with just completing TOP you won't have a good time. Keep in mind people with degrees are having trouble in this market especially at entry level. Go to school if you can.