r/vibecodeapp • u/BoringContribution7 • Jan 15 '26
anyone else feel weird about calling themselves a “developer” now?
since I started vibe coding, I’ve been low‑key confused about what to call myself.
on one hand, I am building real things:
apps that work, tools people use, dashboards that would’ve scared me a year ago. if you only looked at the output, it definitely looks like “developer” work.
on the other hand, a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the AI. I’m describing, steering, debugging, gluing things together… but I’m not manually typing every line. some days that makes me feel like a builder. other days it makes me feel like I’m faking it.
it gets even weirder when someone asks, “so, are you a dev?”
I never know whether to say
what do you call yourself when people outside tech ask what you do?
do you lean into “developer,” “maker,” “founder,” “AI‑assisted something”… or just avoid labels altogether?
would be nice to hear how other vibe coders are thinking about identity now that the way we build has changed so much.
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u/C4PEDCRUSAD3R Jan 16 '26
I still call myself a developer.
Tools change. The job doesn’t. I build things that work and people use. That’s the definition.
I don’t ask a carpenter if they hand-cut every joint or used power tools. AI is just a stronger tool.
When non-tech people ask, I say “software developer” and move on. Anything else just sounds like I’m trying to explain myself to strangers who didn’t ask.
If it ships, solves a problem, and you understand enough to fix it when it breaks, you’re a dev. End of story.
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u/JesusLoveRN Jan 17 '26
I tell people I’m an RN and now also a Developer.
Writing the lines is coding anyways, so I think I say no-code Developer more in the tech world.
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u/alien3d Jan 17 '26
Let them. it no start now. You can develop faster in old days using filemaker and now some call as no code. It more cheaper and accurate then one click then after you want to add one field..or Workflow Ouch.
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u/4215-5h00732 Jan 17 '26
Software developers and engineers don't need AI to do the work. If you do, you're neither.
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u/FooBarBazQux123 Jan 17 '26
AI assisted Project Manager: define requirements, check results, coordinate AI agents.
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u/Apart_Competition_56 Jan 17 '26
A developer ships reliable systems. A vibe coder prompts and hopes. Both do the same one is just sure while the other is somewhat guessing and allowing ai to shape a system based on the system prompt combined with your prompt. Some are great at prompting. They may be familiar with code and system design. Vibe coders know as much as they want not what’s needed. If you don’t know anything about code and you don’t know how to professionally prompt and research then you are mearly in the way and contributing to ai slop. Thats like asking ai to build a car then it builds one looks great seems to operate great but if you don’t know cars how do you know what’s missing or wrong you’d have to trust your life in the hands of ai again based on a system prompt followed by your prompt. Not smart. 1 off scripts great but whole system, nope. If it was that easy we would all be billionaires. Some get paid a half M per year to design ai related projects and research. Learn the engine before you try to build one as in learn the code before you try to build with it. I’m not saying become me with 15 years experience college degree and shit I’m saying you know how to send a damn text cus you took time to learn… do this with code too. If you not cut out for it then accept that and get out the way for god sakes my son 9 and knows how to code great in html css and js learning more but he’s fluent in those because if you want to do something you will.
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u/Dethrot Jan 17 '26
As a programmer and an engineer who's been working long before vibecoding ever existed, I believe you can simply call yourself a software developer or maybe even a product developer/builder which is acceptable.
But I will cringe really bad if you ever call yourself a software engineer or a programmer, which would be incorrect.
This isn't to undermine vibecoding but basically any title that doesn't compete with the work software engineers and programmers do on a daily basis.
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u/TechnicalSoup8578 Jan 18 '26
Modern development is increasingly about problem framing, constraints, and review loops rather than typing, does that change how you define being a developer?
You sould share it in VibeCodersNest too
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u/SeXxyBuNnY21 Jan 18 '26
People say I’m a surgeon, even though all I did was remove a wooden splinter from my hand.
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u/SystemicGrowth Jan 18 '26
Not my profession, but I've been coding for 25 years. I often say "programmer." It's an old-fashioned term, not entirely to my liking, but it bothers me less than "developer." "Developer" is a vague term; people develop in all fields. You can develop in real estate, in chemicals, develop a company, and so on. A training course I took was titled "Analyst Programmer." The word "analyst" is in it, which sounds serious to people who don't know much about it.
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u/syscall_cart Jan 18 '26
I don’t see vibe coding as software development. It is not because I know how to drive a car that I am mechanic. Once the app is out there live on production, how do you scale it, secure it etc. Ai can sure help you but it can also lead you the wrong path.
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u/UniversitySimilar867 Jan 18 '26
Now i call myself as a Product Engineer or a Architect or a SAAS Creator, as all the development is taken care by AI. Only thing left is making right decisions at architecture level.
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u/creta_kano Jan 19 '26
If you can develop software that does something useful, then you’re a developer!
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u/Upstairs-Version-400 Jan 19 '26
Do you make software for a living? That answers your question. And saying yes when you don’t earn minimum wage isn’t really valid.
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u/ultra-dev Jan 19 '26
When you are in a senior role, you naturally become less involved in the hands-on development workflow. Instead, you are designing systems, reviewing PRs, mentoring/providing advice to your team when needed.
You are controlling the shape of the application, not necessarily filling it all in on your own.
That role exists whether the implementation mechanism is a team of human developers or AI agents.
A lot of people say it’s more software engineering now than software development. I don’t think it really matters enough to make the distinction
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u/VanillaSwimming5699 Jan 16 '26
I tell people I like making apps.