I’ll be honest: my Code & Crayons balance has felt a little lopsided lately. And not because the kids are extra chaotic (though they are), but because the tech world feels like it’s moving at a speed my human brain wasn't built for.
Lately, every time a new Claude update drops or another "AI Software Engineer" is announced, I feel a pit in my stomach. It’s a specific kind of anxiety—the fear that the "craft" I’ve spent years honing is being compressed into a single prompt.
Being a developer right now feels like standing on shifting sand. If you’re feeling it too, here is what’s been on my mind:
Imposter Syndrome 2.0: I find myself wondering if I’m actually a good developer anymore, or if I’m just becoming a glorified "copy-paste" specialist for AI suggestions.
The "Why Bother?" Filter: Sometimes I start to research a new library and a voice in my head says, "Why bother? By the time you master this, an LLM will be doing it for you." That thought is a total motivation killer.
The Future Fear: As a mom, I think about the long game. What does this career look like in 5 years? Am I teaching my kids to pursue a path that’s shrinking, or just changing into something unrecognizable?
How I’m trying to snap out of it
I’ve had to remind myself that coding was never just about the code.
Code is just the ink; we are the ones who know what story needs to be told. Claude can write a function in seconds, but it doesn't know the frustration of a user trying to navigate a broken checkout flow, and it certainly doesn't know how to navigate a messy team meeting to find a compromise.
If you’re feeling "lost" or like the ground is moving too fast: you aren’t alone.
I’m learning to stop trying to "keep up" with the 24/7 AI news cycle. Instead, I’m trying to focus on being a problem solver who happens to use AI, rather than a coder who is afraid of it.
The crayons aren't obsolete just because we have digital tablets, and we aren't obsolete just because we have LLMs. But man, the transition is exhausting.
Are you feeling the "AI fatigue" in your daily workflow? How are you keeping your head on straight while the industry moves at warp speed? Let’s talk in the comments.
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