Let me ask you something. What are you supposed to learn when the CEOs of all AI companies keep claiming that programming will be dead in a few years?
If you were starting college this year, wouldn't you be worried about spending years mastering a skill that might become obsolete by the time you graduate?
I was.
Actually, I was worried even before AI models got this good.
I was afraid to choose game development, even though I liked it, because there seemed to be fewer opportunities than in app development. I was afraid to choose app development because there seemed to be fewer jobs than in web development. And I was afraid to choose web development because ChatGPT told me it was one of the areas of software engineering most vulnerable to AI automation.
I'm ashamed to admit. But that's how I ended up looking into embedded systems. I kept jumping from one field to another, hoping to find the right one before it was too late.
But how do you chase a moving target when every step toward it feels like a step away from everything you've built?
That's one thing. But imagine knowing (or thinking, to be precise) that programming itself, as we know it, could become obsolete within just a few years.
I read an article titled "AI Is Already Better at Coding Than Most Software Developers" here (by Sylwia Laskowska). It ends like this:
If you understand the bigger picture, know how to make technical decisions, understand the product, and aren't afraid of innovation, your job is probably safe.
At least for now. 😅
I couldn't say anything but agree. Nobody can predict the future.
However, I cannot sit there and wait for the future to arrive so I can start learning. I had to make my bet. But how?
I wanted some help. So I posted this on DEV.to:
Graduating in 2030: Is learning C worth it? Honestly?
@francistrdev was one of the first people to comment. He said:
Here is what I learn overtime. Start building.
You can learn any language you want, but at the end of the day, you are learning the structure of the hammer, not how to use it.
Build projects in various language and choose the ones you like and stick to it. If my ideal language for full stack development is Next.js, learn next.js.
Ignore the market for now since it's VERY volatile and things can change. Maybe one day Python is the most in demand then it's JavaScript the next.
Overall, specialize specialize specialize. Regardless of demand, the market always look for a person who specialize in something over the person that uses the language since it's "demanding".
So I did.
I stopped right where I was standing - embedded systems development using ESP32 microcontrollers and the native ESP-IDF framework. I was right on the verge of leaving ESP32 and going for STM32 because I thought it was more industry-relevant in my area. But that plan was temporarily cancelled (though I might revisit STM32 in the future) because he asked me to specialize rather than be the person who uses what's "demanding".
But about the "start building projects" part, that was something I had trouble with. I had several project ideas related to general software engineering (and I still have so many just sitting around), but never embedded systems engineering. So what did I build?
I built a fully free embedded systems course focusing on the ESP-IDF framework, teaching the basics of embedded systems development. The course has a very specific goal: to learn to work with AI.
Even though @francistrdev was the first to comment, several other people, like @fm @unitbuilds @build996 @aniruddhaadak @elanatframework and a few others. My course is based on the average opinion of all the comments. I saw 2 opposite viewpoints, so I could do anything but go with a middle ground.
And remember that I had trouble coming up with projects related to embedded systems? But that's no longer the case! I don't know if it's because I built that course, but I started getting ideas once I finished the "Basics" section! 🎉 I will be posting here once I complete it. I am waiting for the hardware delivery! It's quite funny, I am sure others will like it 🙂
So, here is the link to the course if you want to take a look:
I’ll be posting more about the course here soon! In the meantime, please read the chapters and share your thoughts and suggestions. Let me know if you spot any mistakes or think something could be improved. Your feedback and suggestions are what inspired me to create this course in the first place!
Hope you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading! 😊
Top comments (1)
Glad you stopped where you were standing — the "start building" advice is the right one, and building a course to learn is honestly the fastest way to find out what you don't know yet.
One thing I'd add for when the job hunt starts: employers don't hire the market-chaser either. They ask "show me what you've done." A course you built is already good proof. Keep pairing it with graded, documented work — for example, simulated shifts on getonthejob.com put you through real tickets and incidents, graded like a real job, and each one builds a verifiable work record. It turns the story from "I studied" into "here's the work." No IT certification needed to start building that record; first shift is free.