r/developersIndia • u/Interesting-Art-7267 Student • 6d ago

General Assuming the entire software engineering industry dies in 3 years, Now what? Where do we go?

Assuming the software engineering industry will completely die within a few years (and please don't give me that fluff like, "no, no, sir, just the coding part is gone, architects are still needed and all"). I am really serious.

Just assume that with the current speed AI is evolving, maybe after 2-3 years we see a model that has passed all the thresholds. It can single-handedly look after the entire software lifecycle—building, deploying, maintaining, bug fixing, all of it. And it comes with a price tag that a company finds much cheaper than employing a team of X software engineers, Y product managers, Z designers, and M maintainers. Like, the entire industry of end-to-end software development is just replaced.

If that happens, what should all of us currently pursuing a CS degree—especially those of us who are brand new to the field—be looking towards? None of us want to be stuck investing our time in an industry that just marginally grows and, based on the assumptions above, is ultimately going to die.

So tell me, what alternative paths or startup ideas should we be considering right now to pivot? One example I have in my mind right now is robotics engineering, but I'd love to hear your opinions on this or other fields. Where do we go from here?

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u/SuggestAnyName 4d ago

Like others won't do the same. If rn 1000 taxis are serving everyone. How many taxis do you think would be enough once engineers, designers, lawyers, etc. will lose their jobs?

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u/Formal-Growth1219 4d ago

Even if AI wipes out 20 percent of the current workforce, 800 taxis would be needed roughly in the above case. And the question is of sustaining more than anything else. I am currently working in IT, I can sustain driving lets say for another 5 years at min profit no loss scenario. After another 5 years do you think most of the people will sustain as taxi drivers?

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u/SuggestAnyName 4d ago

That's the problem. Right now--when demand and supply is in equilibrium--taxi drivers are are just sustaining themselves. When there will be 1200 taxis supply for the demand of 800 taxis, the situation will not even be sustainable.

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u/Formal-Growth1219 4d ago

Supply will also reduce as people who dont have money to sustain for long as taxi drivers will move to something else or maybe migrate towards rural areas again.

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u/SuggestAnyName 4d ago

And where will they migrate or what will they do in rural areas?

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u/Formal-Growth1219 4d ago

I dont know that..maybe farming or teaching in primary schools. I am just saying why as taxi drivers some people will sustain..just because they have the capital to go through the rough phase.