I think about AI a lot — especially when reviewing fundamental JavaScript principles on freeCodeCamp, taking notes about Math.floor().
Is learning to code and filling the gaps I have worth the time investment when I’m outpaced by AI a 100 times over? It’s like a couch potato trying to outpace an F1 car in a speed race.
Race against the machine?
Developers won’t be hand-coding apps; they’ll be assessing the quality and functionality of AI-generated code. The role of developer is changing but you still need to understand enough to debug and tell the AI what to do.
But this is how things stand now and won’t be the case for too long. Maybe a year or two until models start doing more heavy lifting with less oversight as agents become more reliable and able to work for days at a time without much context rot or human oversight.
Looking ahead
I find computers and coding fascinating. Concepts that finally click into place, getting insights, sharpening my logic — it all pushes me forward. Knowing more means having the toolset to create, and that makes learning coding basics a means and not the end goal.
So I keep learning the basics to improve my skills and understanding despite what will be a disruptive and unpredictable career path over the next decade. Having human-centric skills like communication will matter, so it’s good to improve soft skills too.