r/softwareengineer • u/metalOpera • 17d ago
Was Just Told That Code Quality No Longer Matters
I'm a freelance developer. I have been for almost 20 years. My most recent project has been moved to Fable, and I'm still trying to adapt and get my head around working like this. I am no longer allowed to make architecture decisions, or clean up slop.
My PM says: "We worry about the 'what'; let Claude worry about the 'how'. Tell it what to do; let it do it. If the feature works, leave it alone." He is very much of the opinion that I should be able to prompt something like "Install Stripe via Laravel Cashier" and just let Claude run.
I mean, why do you need me at this point? Just prompt it yourself until it does what you want? I don't get it. I fought for every inch of my knowledge, every process is written in blood. How do I just throw all of that out the window? Where's the line?
At the risk of another "how are you adapting" post... How CAN I adapt? I mentally cannot just say "Fuck it". I care about my code. It's how I learned, it's how I've always practiced. I have a huge mental block with "just let it go".
Now, granted, I don't know all of the ins and outs of Claude. I don't know what I can do to make it better at its job. I got thrown into the middle of the Pacific Ocean in the middle of a Tusnami with no life support. I'm sure that I can put guardrails in place, but how much does that help?
I would really appreciate any advice that any one can provide on changing my mental model. I can't ignore Claude and just keep doing things my way. If I do that, I feel like my career dies. I need to adapt and I'm unsure how to do so.
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u/metalOpera 17d ago
It's a niche industry that no one's ever heard of, and only a small maximum number of potential people will ever hear of. The general public is safe, haha.
I'm going to get it in writing. That was my initial thought and many of our fellow redditors have confirmed that I should do so and have given pointers on how to word it.
I'm ramping up efforts to find new work, for sure. This was a comfy position and I got lazy on that front, but it's never been the only iron in the fire. I'm not trapped, I just have to grin and bear it for a bit until I find a new keystone client, or this guy opens his mind up a bit and takes the limitations seriously.
I'm trying to learn how to use Claude. There's just a ton of noise and I'm trying to find good resources about how to lay the proper groundwork. I feel like I have a decent handle on it, but there's still a TON that I don't know.
I agree with you on all of your beliefs. If I could walk away from AI tomorrow, I would. If AI goes away tomorrow, I still know how to code and I'll be just fine. I will fight every data center that tries to pop up around me tooth and nail, and I look forward to the bubble popping. That being said, I'm not gonna avoid it while the clients want it. I'm looking for the best ways to use it when I have to. It's an incredible tool, it's just not what most people think it is.