You've been cursed.
You've been coding for years, and you've forgotten what it's like to not know it. You assume others can understand or do it just as easily as you can - even when they can't. It's called Curse of Knowledge.
Want to regain your confidence?
Pick a programming language that's completely strange to you. A language you always feared to learn. One not too similar to the languages you already know.
If you know Python → try Rust.
If you know JavaScript → try Haskell.
If you know Java → try Elixir.
If you know C/C++ → try Prolog.
Or just switch paradigms within your language.
If you know OOP → try FP.
If you know FP → try imperative.
If you know synchronous code → try async/concurrent.
If you know static typing → try dynamic.
You will struggle, and have a hard time.
Feel free to use AI. It won't help. It's uncharted waters for you. You'll write code that maybe works, but feels wrong - and you won't know why. You're grasping at straws.
If you try C for the first time, nothing will make sense. You won't know if there's a better solution. You'll miss bugs because your mental model is wrong. You'll copy patterns you don't understand.
Is there a memory leak? Or did you just free something twice? Why did it compile... but now it segfaults?
That's what beginners feel all the time.
It doesn't matter if you write the code or if AI writes it. You have to know if it's correct. You have to know it's safe. You have to know what's good. You have to know what questions to ask.
AI can write code. Only understanding tells you whether it should exist.
AI is here and you should 100% use it or you will be left behind. Learn LLMs, agentic coding, spec-driven development, ...
But someone has to be responsible. If the code is AI generated, it's your job to make sure it's safe and correct. That it doesn't leak, crash or corrupt memory.
You have to know the languages and the tools. And it takes years to master them.
Whoever says otherwise is ignorant. Let them. They're not here to take your job. Tech companies need real software engineers, not tinkerers or DIY enthusiasts.
AI can generate code. It cannot own it or be responsible for it. That’s why real software engineers aren’t going anywhere.
🟢 Everything here is my own writing and ideas - AI just helped with proofreading and grammar mistakes.
Top comments (0)