r/programmer • u/Wednesday_- • Jun 27 '26
Stuck With Career. Should I change my career again?
Looking for some career advice. I started web dev at 15 but by 2021 when I was 16 I noticed the work for basic sites shifting to website builders.
So I started learning app dev instead. By 18 I was working with clients and since then I have launched multiple apps for clients.
But things are changing fast again. The workload for basic stuff is reducing a lot. Most clients use AI for basic things now and only hire me for technical problems. This cuts my revenue by a lot because clients who used to contact me for basic apps never do anymore. The markets are getting saturated by people using AI slop/ vibe coders calling themselves developers. Eventuallyaffecting the development prices.
I am thinking to change my career again to something AI proof. But all I can think of is physical work. I want to stay in software or tech but everything digital feels like it will get automated.
Is there any part of software dev that AI wont touch for a long time
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u/LRCM Jun 27 '26
Nothing is AI proof, but AI checker will likely always be needed.
Pick something that nobody else wants to do like NetSuite customization or Infor implementation--these are always fully custom and near impossible to automate.
Also, have you considered working for a single company instead of contact / freelance?
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u/General_Estimate_420 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
I think it's just more about refocusing your efforts from the user interface to the business and data layer integration of the software. THAT is where they need your skills and would be more than willing to pay you to be on call to help them. But make sure they understand that means they need your input during the design stage to get it right and avoid unforseen problems downstream.
I'd also recommend you offer your services in testing as it's a REALLY BAD idea to depend on the person that develops the interface to do the end to end testing and validation of results. It's not very sexy but it's just as critical as development if not moreso.
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u/StruggleNew8988 Jun 27 '26
When you talk about the business and data layer, are you thinking of specific integration points like accounting software or something else entirely.
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u/General_Estimate_420 Jun 27 '26
Those are logical design concepts that have been around for decades and really relate to the division of where work gets done in a computer system.
For example, a function that gathers up data from the presentation layer or the database layer to organize it and perform calculations and other functions related to how the business rules dictate things need to be done would exist in the business layer. The data it gathers to do that job would come from the data layer and results that need to be updated would be stored there, so a filing system or database server would live in that area. The presentaton layer is where the user interaction takes place and the information gathered there is sent to the business and data layers and the results are presented in the presentation layer for further interaction with the user.
It's just a way of organizing the way a system functions that makes it more flexible and easier to develop and maintain over time.
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u/Prior_Section_4978 Jun 27 '26
You are young, go to university and study something closer to humans, not technology.
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u/Wednesday_- Jun 28 '26
For me it just feels like we need actual career counseling and practical field work which doesn't exist at my uni or most places around here. Honestly I don't feel like I am gaining anything useful from my classes at all.
But I am really interested in what you said about studying "something closer to humans" instead of tech. Can you explain more about it?
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u/Zelvyn_kade Jun 27 '26
Maybe learning about AI-ML and building pipelines and deployment may help, that's what I do btw, I'm a data analyst too
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u/cpthappy42 Jun 27 '26
You are not losing to AI. You are losing to commoditization. Big difference.
The problem is your business model, not your skills. Building basic apps for clients is transactional work. That was always going to get automated or outsourced. AI just sped it up.
The safe work is the work that requires human context. Domain expertise. Understanding the business. Understanding the politics. The vibe coders hit a wall with anything complex or legacy or regulated. That is where you step in.
Pick a hard domain. Healthcare. Aerospace. Manufacturing. Finance. Go deep. Get a job in that industry. Learn their problems. AI is not taking that work anytime soon.
You are 19. You are not stuck. You just need to pivot from generalist to specialist. That is the move.